Crowdfunding Campaign
Celebrate Life CIC is raising funds to cover: - 2 animation videos, - 3 Interview videos, - 3 Music and Spoken Word videos.
We are once again turning to our amazing community, near and far, to support the production of our next batch of films.
Why we are Crowdfunding:
To find funding for independent filmmaking is always a challenge. Corporate sponsors often have their own agenda and funds come with strings attached. It's very important to us that we can tell the stories as they need to be told. Power to Change came about through the generous support of crowd-funders and we are hugely grateful for the freedom this allowed us while making the film.
This is why we have opted for crowdfunding for a second time.
We are raising funds to cover: - 2 animation videos, - 3 Interview videos, - 3 Music and Spoken Word videos.
We are once again turning to our amazing community, near and far, to support the production of our next batch of films.
Why we are Crowdfunding:
To find funding for independent filmmaking is always a challenge. Corporate sponsors often have their own agenda and funds come with strings attached. It's very important to us that we can tell the stories as they need to be told. Power to Change came about through the generous support of crowd-funders and we are hugely grateful for the freedom this allowed us while making the film.
This is why we have opted for crowdfunding for a second time.
Why are our costs so low?:
Because we work to a tight budget with many people choosing to volunteer their time or offering skills for a reduced fee.
About us:
Celebrate Life CIC is a non-profit Community Interest Company based in London. We run workshops and events using short films and video clips to help convey the messages and stories being shared.
Many of these clips are shown in prisons throughout the UK, but they are also used in schools, community centres and made available for the wider public online. https://www.celebrate-life.co.uk
What we want to do:
We would like to continue with a series of videos for the workshops we run and in particular want to fund:
Animation videos: Bringing timeless wisdom into the present. We're very proud of the 5 videos we have completed so far and would like to keep increasing the series. The next animation video we are commissioning is the story of the Archer, or 'Splitting the Arrow'. The work has already begun. You can see our animation videos here
'What is' Series: We would like to continue on the theme of our enormously popular 'What is Hope' video. Next in the series is: What is Love, What is Peace, and What is Freedom. These work very well in the workshops which are themed along topics. 'What is Hope?' The first in the series
Music and Spoken Word: These powerful videos are used in our workshops with great impact.
Donate or Sponsor
If you would like to sponsor a specific video please get in touch, or state it in your message when you donate.
For donations over £100 we would love to credit you or your company at the end of the video, and will get in touch with you to ask permission first.
**Please be aware that GoFundMe will try to add a tip for its own costs when you donate, and if you don't want to do this, then you need to put 0 in that box**
You can also donate to us directly if you wish. Please get in touch here
Power to Change - Dwaynamics Community Centre
It’s a glorious sunny afternoon in Loughborough Park, and crowds are gathering at the new Community Centre, opening its doors for the first time under new management.
Smiling faces of garlanded volunteers greet the 250 guests, mainly families with children, attracted by the beats of reggae music, children’s laughter and the smell of a barbecue drifting over the warm air.
This Community Centre has been derelict for 8 years, standing in the centre of the park gathering dust and weeds. Now its potential is coming to life, under the ownership of local boxing gym Dwaynamics, who have refurbished it beautifully.
It couldn’t have gone into better hands. Lorraine Jones, Director of Dwaynamics, has a vision for this place and she’s already putting it into action before the official opening.
September 3rd 2022, Dwaynamics Community Centre, Loughborough Park
It’s a glorious sunny afternoon in Loughborough Park, and crowds are gathering at the new Community Centre, opening its doors for the first time under new management.
Smiling faces of garlanded volunteers greet the 250 guests, mainly families with children, attracted by the beats of reggae music, children’s laughter and the smell of a barbecue drifting over the warm air.
This Community Centre has been derelict for 8 years, standing in the centre of the park gathering dust and weeds. Now its potential is coming to life, under the ownership of local boxing gym Dwaynamics, who have refurbished it beautifully.
It couldn’t have gone into better hands. Lorraine Jones, Director of Dwaynamics, has a vision for this place and she’s already putting it into action before the official opening.
Lorraine is a Community Leader, a Pastor, Mother and a Grandmother. She is the first to comfort grieving families who have lost their children to violence, a spokesperson on the News, TV and radio, and many times acts as a liaison between the police and the community.
Having lost her own son Dwayne to knife crime, Lorraine understands the pain that ripples through communities, and her journey since then, carrying on Dwayne’s legacy through the boxing club, has taken her on an extraordinary path of healing and forgiveness.
Under Lorraine’s guidance the Community Centre will be a local hub, a breakfast club, food bank, community kitchen, and a place of learning, relaxing, and training, with workshops for all ages on a wide variety of subjects.
Today is the pre-opening, a family event with bouncy castles, trampoline, face-painting by Wendy Lewis, carnival mask-making with Azaria Gairy-Newbolt, a popular BBQ thanks to Nichole Hogg, music from Tim Hain, Ennè and Ras Charmer, poetry from Errol McGlashan and a screening of the documentary Power to Change, which features some of Lorraine’s story.
Never has the film been shown to so many children, more than half the audience, but as most are directly affected by knife crime, there is no use shielding them from the topic.
This became especially obvious during the post-screening Q&A - many people in the audience had lost loved ones to violence, some very recently, and others were personal friends of Dwayne and his family. Power to Change has been shown in a lot of different locations, but none where the emotion in the room was so raw and so palpable.
But alongside the tears and pain, there was an incredible sense of hope and empowerment. One audience member said: ‘The film had such a deep resonance of victory. As you know, Dwayne was a loved soul, we’re never going to get him back in flesh but I can feel his spirit in this amazing movement. Where can we share it further? Because this is gold dust. And it’s real.’
The Mayor of Lambeth, Cllr Pauline George spoke afterwards and said: ‘This film has taught me a lot, it’s opened my eyes. One thing about this world is that it’s a lifelong learning process. You learn everyday. No one is born a criminal. We need to tell our children they can reach the highest, and to believe in themselves.’
The event concluded with reggae artist Ras Charmer, who took the feeling in the space and amplified it with his upbeat music and joyful lyrics that soon had people on their feet.
Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped on the day and made the event run smoothly.
Written by Wendy Lewis
Photos by Christina Jansen
New Hope Event
Lockdown was a time of reflection as well as a time of many challenges, especially for musicians and artists. With this in mind, Celebrate Life applied to the LetsCreate fund from Arts Council England for an event themed on hope, featuring a selection of work generated over lockdown. The event tied in with many others across the country to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
We were over the moon to hear our bid was successful, and wasted no time crafting an event that showcased creativity as an agent for peace. We chose to host the event at a chic, modern venue in Streatham Hill called Streatham Space Project. The event was named ‘New Hope, New Beginnings’ and featured local talent, rappers, singers, film and dance. It was free and promoted locally, making it accessible to the whole community and especially those who may have struggled during lockdown due to the lack of human connection.
June 15th 2022, Streatham Space Project, Streatham, London
Lockdown was a time of reflection as well as a time of many challenges, especially for musicians and artists. With this in mind, Celebrate Life applied to the LetsCreate fund from Arts Council England for an event themed on hope, featuring a selection of work generated over lockdown. The event tied in with many others across the country to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
We were over the moon to hear our bid was successful, and wasted no time crafting an event that showcased creativity as an agent for peace. We chose to host the event at a chic, modern venue in Streatham Hill called Streatham Space Project. The event was named ‘New Hope, New Beginnings’ and featured local talent, rappers, singers, film and dance. It was free and promoted locally, making it accessible to the whole community and especially those who may have struggled during lockdown due to the lack of human connection.
Our MC for the evening was Wayne James, Programme Manager & Lead Facilitator from local charity Spiral Skills. Wayne introduced each act with his unique style and panache giving the audience a little of each artist’s back story.
First up was a local young spoken-word artist Abdul Lelo who read his poem about peer pressure and how easy it is for young people to make bad choices.
Next was Prospect Panther, a talented musician and rapper with a riveting set, followed by dynamic duo Raga and Liwa who performed their own style of hip-hop/R&B.
As hope was an important part of the evening we wanted to get a local perspective on the meaning of the word. Two weeks earlier we had invited a mix of people to a studio in Brixton and asked them about hope while the cameras rolled. Dartsia, a young mother recently arrived from the war in Ukraine, said ‘hope is the safety boat, the last stop before despair.’
Our youngest star at just six years old, was King, who clearly stated ‘all of these bad things should stop. We need peace. We need to enjoy our lives'; our oldest interviewee was an 86-year-old veteran, living with PTSD, who described a pivotal moment when he discovered meaning in life.
Many of the people in the video came to the event and everyone was moved by the expressions in the short film. You can see it for yourself here: https://youtu.be/dvw4zguM__w
The Hope video set the scene for what followed: an exquisite, dramatic performance from two Brazilian artists: Adriano Adewale and Carolina Paulino. Adriano, a master percussionist, conjured up other-worldly rhythms and sounds brought to life by Carolina, a dancer trained in classical ballet, contemporary, and traditional Afro-Brazilian dance. The piece was choreographed to the words of Prem Rawat, author and peace educator who travels the world sharing his unique perspective on life. This performance had the audience spellbound!
Covid-19 meant that our next act couldn’t make it, but luckily Muntu Valdo was free to stand in and deliver his own brand of Blues/Folk music from Cameroon.
The grand finale for the evening was Namvula and her quartet. Namvula comes from Zambian/Scottish heritage and weaves together global soundscapes inspired by her African roots. The rhythms and hypnotic melodies had everyone up dancing - the house was packed, spirits were soaring, and the positive feedback we got from guests was overwhelming. Such a fitting way to move forward from lockdown to New Beginnings.
Photos by Christina Jansen
Power to Change - Frontline Club
The Frontline Club is a media club in Paddington that champions independent journalism.
It was founded in 2003 by Vaughan Smith, a freelance video journalist and sustainable farmer, to honour colleagues who had died pursuing their work at the front lines of war. He realised that freelance and other conflict journalists had nowhere to meet in London, and wanted a place for them to “sit around the fire and tell stories.”
On Monday 6th June 2022 the Frontline Club hosted a screening of Power to Change with a panel moderated by Sahar Zand, a journalist and filmmaker who has fronted and produced a range of award-winning stories from across the world, for the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, and Vice.
June 6th 2022, The Frontline Club, London
The Frontline Club is a media club in Paddington that champions independent journalism.
It was founded in 2003 by Vaughan Smith, a freelance video journalist and sustainable farmer, to honour colleagues who had died pursuing their work at the front lines of war. He realised that freelance and other conflict journalists had nowhere to meet in London, and wanted a place for them to “sit around the fire and tell stories.”
On Monday 6th June 2022 the Frontline Club hosted a screening of Power to Change with a panel moderated by Sahar Zand, a journalist and filmmaker who has fronted and produced a range of award-winning stories from across the world, for the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, and Vice.
As fate would have it, there was a major public transport strike planned for the same day as the screening, but even so there was an excellent turnout and a good atmosphere as people gathered in the cosy bar area which has a permanent display of artefacts and memorabilia, and a photographic exhibition that includes iconic images from some of the world’s finest photographers.
The Frontline Club usually features documentaries that shine a light on conflicts around the world, but today the focus was on an issue closer to home: knife crime and serious youth violence affecting London and other urban areas of the UK.
Power to Change approaches this topic from a unique angle, not pointing fingers or apportioning blame, but looking at an individuals power to make the right choices, given the tools and encouragement to do so.
The film was followed by a lively audience Q&A. On the panel we were lucky to have Paul Bloomfield, trustee of the Desmond Tutu foundation, and Lorraine Jones, founder of Dwaynamics, along with Director Wendy Lewis.
Afterwards, everyone moved downstairs to chat and network. Errol then delighted the crowd with a series of his spoken word poems, a wonderful culmination to an inspiring and informative evening.
Photos by Nitesh Mistry (Mistry Arts Ltd).
Power to Change - Premiere
The Ritzy is an iconic building in the heart of Brixton. It is one of England’s earliest purpose-built cinemas, surviving the Blitz and numerous managers but always remaining a hub of activity on Windrush Square.
On November 10th, 2021, Celebrate Life premiered their new documentary Power to Change to 200+ people for the very first time.
This film had been in the making for more than two years but now the moment of truth had come - how would a wider audience receive it?
November 2021, The Ritzy Cinema, Brixton, London UK
The Ritzy is an iconic building in the heart of Brixton. It is one of England’s earliest purpose-built cinemas, surviving the Blitz and numerous managers but always remaining a hub of activity on Windrush Square.
On November 10th, 2021, Celebrate Life premiered their new documentary Power to Changeto 200+ people for the very first time.
This film had been in the making for more than two years but now the moment of truth had come - how would a wider audience receive it?
In attendance that evening was the High Sheriff of Greater London who represented the Queen, the Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, Alex Murray MET Police Violence Lead, and Lib Peck, head of London’s Violence Reduction Unit. There were also local councillors and representatives from a host of organisations working at a grassroots level in Lambeth.
The cast was there too, some of them seeing the film for the first time. Watching Power to Change with them, on the gigantic Screen 1 at the Ritzy Cinema, made it an emotional experience, and the energy in the room was palpable. For many this was the first time going to a cinema or gathering in a crowd for two years since Covid started.
The film was followed by a panel discussion which included Dwaynamics Director Pastor Lorraine Jones, cast member and Founder of Impact Brixton Gerald Vanderpuye, Director of Power to Change Wendy Lewis, and Paul Bloomfield, trustee of the Desmond Tutu foundation U.K. and communications consultant to The Prem Rawat Foundation.
During audience reflections Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove received applause when he said that he wants to show the film to all his officers.
One lady said: ‘It was a beautiful documentary, from sadness and tragedy came inspiration. I felt empowered watching it, instead of hopeless. The takeaway message is: what more can I do? It was a call to action.'
The audience reaction made it very clear that Power to Change has an important, relevant message needed today. This was the start of a journey that is still unfolding.
Photos by Michael Padilla of Magnify Productions
Guest comments after Power to Change Premiere screening at The Ritzy Cinema in Brixton.