Tabula Rasa Youth Project is holding a free event at the Shirley Community Centre this Saturday, August 18, from noon to 4pm, in order to raise money for the project.

The event will give TRP a chance to showcase all the work created by the young people who attend the workshops, and also allow people to meet the team and learn more about the project. A mini documentary created by the media mentor Menelik Simpson will also be shown.

There will be a main stage with live performances from rap artists, singers, dancers and a fashion show. Clothes shown in the fashion show will be those customised and designed by young people who attend TRP on Thursday evenings.

People will also be able to purchase items from our art, fashion and beauty stalls including jewellery created by the young people.

An art exhibition will run from 2-4pm, where people can view art work, leave comments and put in a bid for our special Tabula Rasa piece which will be revealed on Saturday.

So far, the young founders of TRP have been funding the project out of their own pockets, hiring their hall and paying for equipment used at their sessions for Croydon’s youth each Thursday.

TRP has made excellent progress over its first months of existence. There has been a continuous increase in the number of young people attending sessions each week. The team has had a lot of interest in the work they are doing from the local community, as well as people who would like to get involved and help out.

All mentors and young people are engaging really well together in sessions and forming strong bonds which are helping TRP to become a successful place that young people can come and unwind. Young people seem to be enjoying sessions a lot, which would be the reason they are returning each week and also inviting others to come and get involved too.

“It would seem that overall Tabula Rasa has had a successful start at Samuel Coleridge Taylor Centre, which only symbolises the beginning of how successful this project could be to South Norwood and Croydon residents,” said Natalie Ajibade, the 23-year-old co-founder of TRP.

“The only thing missing is our website, which we hope to have this up and running soon. We feel this will also help us to become more acknowledged by the community and will be an easy way for them to find out details about the project.”

TRP – @Tabula_Rasa_P – has received excellent support on Twitter, which is one of their key methods of marketing.

The most appealing thing to young people in regards to TRP is the idea of them having choice in the workshops they can take part in. “There is such a wide selection of workshops for the young people to choose from that they are sometimes spoilt for choice and wanting sessions to run longer or on extra days,” Ajibade said.

“This may therefore be a future objective for TRP to discuss and take on. Young people have frequently requested for TRP workshops to be extended to extra days of the week and on weekends.” But it all needs to be paid for, and this Saturday’s event is a first step toward that.

The Shirley Community Centre is at Shrublands Avenue, CR0 8JA

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