Nick Makoha Education Bio

1: Youth Poetry Network:
We at the Youth Poetry Network have a passion for Literature. As active writers and performers we are keen to pass this tradition on to the next generation. We see poetry as “ A new and dynamic art from” that allows young people to enhance the way they communicate. We aim to demystify their views of poetry being a lost art that they cannot relate to. Instead we will show that poetry has the capacity to incorporate their stories through rhythm, language and performance with powerful emotive effect.

2: Nesta Ignite Project:
The Ignite! Project is founded on the belief that individual exceptional creativity is a vital and volatile part of the complexities of childhood and growth. Ignite! has used organisations to nominate young people (16 – 21 year olds) for the Creative Sparks Programme. Through work with the 10 – 15 year age group Ignite! has recognised the importance of residential Creativity Lab experiences. We have therefore taken the decision to offer this opportunity to the Creative Sparks.

The aims of the Ignite! Project are:
i) To provide a distinctive experience for exceptionally creative young people that
will explore and enhance their creativity and innovation across disciplines.

ii) To improve our understanding of the development of creativity and innovation
in young people and the triggers that activate original thinking.

iii) To use what we have learnt to influence the development of our own and
other people’s procedures and processes in wider contexts of support for
creativity and innovation.

The Creativity Labs build on individual programmes of support and project work of the Creative Sparks. The labs are residential experiences for groups of around 15 young people. The labs will be designed to enable the young people to combine their skills and knowledge in different and imaginative ways. They will be encouraged to think in patterns, to visualise concepts and to ask challenging questions. The lab will offer a range of creative workshop activities as well as some more practical training/ advice sessions.

3: Blacktronica Prison Project
Blacktronica and PS2 have teamed up to provide a series of one-day music workshops in prisons across the UK. For PS2 the origination of the prison workshops came about as a means of championing PS2 music making software; the cultural adaptation of this software and as a means of PlayStation 2 conducting community social work. For Blacktronica this project builds on their existing workshop activities giving grass-roots musicians and enthusiasts the chance to interact and learn from some of the people behind and associated with the Blacktronica family.

The objective of this workshop is to create and produce a finished single track in the course of one day. The workshop aims to encourage the workshop attendees to develop personal and social skill sets through the use of music.

4: Nesta Ignite & Friendship (London 2012)
The cultural activity associated with the London 2012 bid includes the Friendship, an ocean going clipper to visit all parts of the world from 2008 taking ideas generated by young people as cultural cargo. The ship will become the home to a sustained cultural and philosophical festival for, by and with young people.

NESTA has elsewhere expressed its commitment to London 2012 through a £1m fund for Olympic Laureates. The involvement of the Ignite! programme in the Friendship project is an additional opportunity that draws on the programme’s experience and interest in developing the creative potential of young people.

The Ignite! programme is interested in offering creative thinking solutions to problems as well as creative thinking for cultural activity. We are interested in the longer term in creativity with a purpose.


5: Lynk Reach
Lynk Reach is an education charity that was established in 2003 with the particular aim of addressing under-achievement among children and young people by providing innovative
arts and education programmes, with poetry projects as a major focus. It works to help to both safeguard and celebrate the diversity of cultures and languages found in Newham and enable the young people living in the borough to truly see themselves as proud global citizens.

6: Creative Stages
A 14-week project developing literacy, oracy and creative writing skills among Years 5 to 8 school children through artist-in-residency programmes. The main objectives of the Creative Stages project are to;
• Introduce the key elements of drama and making theatre
• Stimulate theatrical imagination
• Use art disciplines to develop confidence in oral skills & writing
• Develop a methodology that teachers can continue to use c

7: Teen Poetry Slam
The London Teenage Poetry SLAM is the culmination of six months’ training for teachers and poets, with workshops in schools run by professional poets in Lambeth, Newham, Greenwich, Waltham Forest, Barnet, Tower Hamlets as well as two youth Groups: Breaking Through from Waltham Forest and Curaid Calon Cymru (All Wales Ethnic Minority Association team).

The poetry produced by the students, will be published in winter with a CD/DVD of the final performance at an established London venue. The winning SLAM team are accompanied on the trip to Chicago by their teacher and their poet coach. They perform alongside Chicago Young poets at community and school venues in Chicago. The young poets will have a “life changing” experience.

I was the Coach at Holy Family College from Waltham Forest, they were the highest scoring team prize at the London Teenage Poetry SLAM on 24th June 2006 and travelled to Chicago, USA from October 28th to November 4th on a Lynk Ray funded winners trip.

8: Malika’s Kitchen

Malika’s Kitchen’s has a commitment to developing new poets and writers, and building connections with diverse communities nationally and internationally. As an organisation, Malika’s Kitchen has identified and nurtured new writing and performing talent.

In August, 2001 Malika Booker prepared food and invited a group of new and developing writers and poets to her house. That night they spoke, wrote, ate, and saw a new way to strengthen craft and community. Since then they have met every Friday for the past six years. From that humble beginning, A Storm Between Fingers is the fruit of those years of writing and discussion

Malika’s Kitchen recognises that poetry comes from the people and needs to be given back to the people. This idea has been realised as and expressed in sold-out, standing room only reading events and its members being published, anthologised and celebrated with prizes.