May 3, 2022 |
Born and bred in South London, singer-songwriter Joy Crookes has always called Elephant & Castle her home. The Brit-nominated artist grew up with a deep love for the arts. Playing covers on guitar as a teen ignited her passion for songwriting, condensing her everyday life into lyrics which would go on to write some of her biggest hits today. The wealth of different cultures in her neighbourhood introduced Crookes to a global sound that would go on to inform her practice. “There are so many different people here, so you end up kind of becoming a sponge to all of these different music genres. I think why people struggle so much to put a genre to my music is because I’m influenced by so many different things,” she says.
Launched last year, Joy Crookes partnered with Timberland to champion local communities through its “My Community, Our Nature” campaign, which saw Europe-wide creatives launch socio-conscious projects that nurture underserved youth with music and outdoor activity in mind. For this, Crookes called upon her local youth club based in Elephant & Castle’s St Peter’s Church. Opening its doors in 2003, the InSpire Youth Club hosts weekly workshops submerged in creative arts for all who wish to join. In collaboration with Timberland, Crookes introduced interactive green spaces while targeting funding towards InSpire’s creative facilities. “I chose to partner with Timberland because I really liked their initiative with community and I think giving back to our communities is very important. It’s really great that Timberland is able to fund these young people at the youth club and also bring them closer to nature,” says Crookes.
Now moving into its second stage, Crookes will continue to walk hand-in-hand with the community that raised her by crafting a series of projects that will encourage the creative growth of South London youth and revamp the area’s urban surroundings for years to come. Crookes will accompany attendees on regular field trips outside of London in hopes of creating a safe space in nature, with one already taking place. “We went on a field trip to a forest in deep South London and the kids progressively got calmer and calmer as the day went on. It was fun to see young people interact outside in a really different environment,” she says. In collaboration with London National Park City and Urban Growth, Timberland’s Urban Greening mission will continue to expand, reimagining the outdoor areas of InSpire and St Peter’s Church for workshops, study, and meditation sessions. The space will provide sanctuary and promote well-being, while music and creative workshops will give young people skills and accessibility to the music industry.
Simultaneously, the duo will launch a career pathways, apprenticeship program that will support the hobbies and aspirations of young people through a range of creative activities and work experience. Led by the Young Urban Arts Foundation and InSpire Youth Club, this will equip them with the tools they need to succeed in a sector that may, at one point, seemed inaccessible. “Everyone deserves to feel like they belong in certain industries and to feel seen and heard. I never thought that I’d be able to be a musician because I didn’t know anyone that was a musician or was in the music industry,” she says. “You can’t be what you can’t see, a lot of these things aren’t tangible. Especially being from South London and being from a certain background, it’s very hard to dream of something that you don’t know exists. That’s why I like being so hands-on with Timberland and with the youth club, it’s very important to me. I think that the world and its communities progress so much further when we work together.”
Launching a collaborative community event, the partnership took over the club’s grounds last week for an immersive experience that saw local talent, vendors and businesses come together to celebrate aspiring creatives across South London neighbourhoods. “I brought a lot of my favourite businesses from Elephant & Castle, it’s a space for everyone,” says Crookes. The event delivered live performances from native dance groups, drama clubs, poets and musicians, including a short gig from Crookes herself.
Photography courtesy of Timberland.
