FOLLOW THE JOURNEY
On March 5th 2015, one thousand copies of ‘Authors of the Estate’ was given to every home on St.Raphael’s Estate, a place in North West London, notoriously known for its crime and poverty. This ninety-eight page publication is a compilation of musings, poems, stories, commentaries and manifestos written by six young thinkers who are also residents of the estate.
This book was written for one reason and one reason only: to prove that the young person holding the pen is ten times more powerful than the one holding the knife. More than the sum of its pages, this book is a physical reminder that there is a culture within London which seeks to create rather than consume. A culture, which does not just want to be authors, but authorities in their city.
“While the UK Government wants to end youth violence by putting more police on the roads, there are entire neighbourhoods in north west London who are actually solving their problems from the ground up. Areas like Chalkhill hire out local venues to build businesses and write books together, week-by-week. And we’re doing it all with a fraction of the budget the Home Office uses to tell us to ‘put our knives down’ through chicken boxes… we’ll tell our own stories from now on.”