Four Weeks of Raising the Roof in Lewisham: Building Stories, Confidence and Community
Four weeks into our Raising the Roof programme in Lewisham, one thing has become clear: when young people are given the time, space and support to be creative together, remarkable things begin to happen.
What started as a brand-new group of care-experienced young people has grown into a vibrant creative community where participants are developing original theatre, exploring big social issues and, perhaps most importantly, building confidence in themselves and one another.
With six weeks still to go, we’re so excited to experience this project as it continues to gather momentum.
Creating a Space Where Everyone Belongs
The first few weeks focused on something fundamental: creating a space where people felt welcome, heard and valued.
Through Playing ON's theatre games, storytelling exercises and collaborative discussions, participants quickly began building trust. Activities such as the counting Game and memory-sharing exercises encouraged deep listening, teamwork and connection, while giving everyone the confidence to contribute in their own way.
Participants were able to share experiences, find common ground and begin shaping a group culture built on respect, curiosity and mutual support. Several participants committed to returning immediately, with one even inviting a friend to join the project.
As the programme developed, the group also created its own creative agreement, deciding together the values and behaviours that would make Raising the Roof a safe, inclusive and collaborative space for everyone.
Exploring Freedom, Home and Independence
Although no single theme had been planned in advance, one quickly emerged through conversation: freedom.
Participants reflected on the transition into adulthood, discussing both the opportunities and uncertainties that come with greater independence. For care-experienced young people, freedom often carries complex questions about responsibility, belonging and building a future without the support networks many others take for granted. Those conversations naturally evolved into wider discussions about housing, identity and what it truly means to have a place of your own.
Inspired by these ideas, participants began exploring not simply where people live, but what home makes possible: stability, safety, creativity, relationships and the freedom to imagine a different future.
Turning Experience into Theatre
Rather than asking participants to recreate personal experiences directly, Raising the Roof uses fiction as a creative tool. Through a collaborative storytelling technique known as The Onion, the group has built an original fictional world inspired by conversations about housing, belonging and independence.
Together, participants have created complex characters whose lives reflect the realities and contradictions of modern life. From a housing officer struggling to pay his own rent to a financial adviser quietly facing financial pressures himself, each character has challenged assumptions and encouraged the group to look beyond first impressions. By exploring favourite memories, hidden fears and personal ambitions, participants have discovered how small details can reveal our shared humanity.
This week marked another exciting milestone as those characters stepped off the page and into the group's first improvised scenes. One story centred on a young man involved in drug dealing, yet beneath his bravado lay someone longing for stability, dreaming of becoming a father and questioning the choices shaping his future. Rather than creating simple heroes or villains, participants embraced the complexity of human behaviour, recognising that people can make harmful choices while still carrying hope, fear and a desire for connection.
Perhaps the greatest transformation over the past four weeks, however, has been within the group itself. Confidence has grown noticeably as conversations flow more naturally, participants build on one another's ideas and everyone feels increasingly comfortable taking creative risks. New members have been welcomed warmly, reinforcing a culture of trust, encouragement and collaboration.
With six weeks still to go, Raising the Roof is entering an exciting new phase. Participants will continue working alongside professional artists to develop their original work before bringing it to life in a public performance at The George Wood Theatre, Goldsmiths, University of London, on 9 August. We can't wait to share what they create.