First Story Presents: London Voice

First Story Presents: London Voice is part of an exciting new oracy pilot delivered by First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people.  Young writers from the First Story programme at St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School put pen (and voice) to praise poems in this final episode of First Story Presents: London Voice. Writer-in-Residence Ashley Hickson-Lovence guides us through odes to places, food, music, names, the moon and even an impromptu ode-of-sorts to biscuits. We also hear how oracy supports good mental health, with Speak for Change, the APPG enquiring into oracy, reporting that spoken communication skills are associated with self-confidence, self-esteem and emotional literacy. Sophie Hiscock, First Story CEO, reflects on the power of hearing young people speaking out in their own voices, using their own words.Producer: Talia Randall in collaboration with First StoryMixing: Jamie PaynePresenter: Ashley Hickson-Lovence Featuring: Destiny, Ellie, Favour, Isabel and Zoe from St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School, and Sophie Hiscock, First Story CEOOver the course of this academic year, First Story has been working with six non-selective secondary schools in Greater London as part of London Voice to help young people develop as writers who have the skills and confidence to be heard. Students from Hampstead School, St Paul’s Way School, Platanos College, Skinners’ Academy, Trinity Acadamy and St Saviour’s and St Olave’s Church of England School have had the opportunity to take part in creative writing, performance and audio workshops led by skilled industry professionals. This podcast is one of the outcomes of their work.  London Voice has been made possible by the generous support of The Mercers’ Company, trustee of St Paul’s Schools Foundation.   This is a First Story project. To find out more about First Story and London Voice, visit firststory.org.uk and join the conversation on Instagram by following @firststory_uk 

First Story Presents: London Voice is part of an exciting new oracy pilot delivered by First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people.  In this penultimate episode, First Story Ambassador Tracy Chevalier presents the voices of the young writers at Trinity Academy in Brixton. Through original stories and poems, the students unpack their experiences and confront the societal influence and school stereotypes they see around them.Tracy also invites fellow First Story Ambassador, Patrice Lawrence, to share her thoughts on the importance of oracy and valuing teenagers' voices, and the impact of growing up surrounded by storytellers.Producer: Talia Randall in collaboration with First StoryMixing: Jamie PaynePresenter: Tracy ChevalierFeaturing: Jahaluka, John, Keanna, Mohammed, Ridwaan, Shaniel and Liam Flaherty from Trinity Academy, and writer and First Story Ambassador Patrice LawrenceOver the course of this academic year, First Story has been working with six non-selective secondary schools in Greater London as part of London Voice to help young people develop as writers who have the skills and confidence to be heard. Students from Hampstead School, St Paul’s Way School, Platanos College, Skinners’ Academy, Trinity Acadamy and St Saviour’s and St Olave’s Church of England School have had the opportunity to take part in creative writing, performance and audio workshops led by skilled industry professionals. This podcast is one of the outcomes of their work.  London Voice has been made possible by the generous support of The Mercers’ Company, trustee of St Paul’s Schools Foundation.   This is a First Story project. To find out more about First Story and London Voice, visit firststory.org.uk and join the conversation on Instagram by following @firststory_uk 

First Story Presents: London Voice is part of an exciting new oracy pilot delivered by First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people.  Students at Skinners' Academy in Hackney share their original poems and stories, created throughout the First Story London Voice programme. Speaking with Writer-in-Residence, Luan Goldie, the Skinners' students discuss the value of being present and the freedom they found in sharing their voices through audio, away from the pointed lens of a video camera.Their English teacher, Comfort Akano, also has a powerful message to share with her students, and with all of us...Producer: Talia Randall in collaboration with First StoryMixing: Jamie PaynePresenter: Luan GoldieFeaturing: Ameera, Angelina, Farida, Nofisat, Tiayan and Comfort Akano from Skinners' AcademyOver the course of this academic year, First Story has been working with six non-selective secondary schools in Greater London as part of London Voice to help young people develop as writers who have the skills and confidence to be heard. Students from Hampstead School, St Paul’s Way School, Platanos College, Skinners’ Academy, Trinity Acadamy and St Saviour’s and St Olave’s Church of England School have had the opportunity to take part in creative writing, performance and audio workshops led by skilled industry professionals. This podcast is one of the outcomes of their work.  London Voice has been made possible by the generous support of The Mercers’ Company, trustee of St Paul’s Schools Foundation.   This is a First Story project. To find out more about First Story and London Voice, visit firststory.org.uk and join the conversation on Instagram by following @firststory_uk 

First Story Presents: London Voice is part of an exciting new oracy pilot delivered by First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people.  Fewer than 3 in 10 children and young people aged 8-18 say that they enjoy writing in their free time, according to the National Literacy Trust 2024 Report. First Story believes that writing regularly can support mental health and wellbeing, as much as furthering literacy and attainment. That's why First Story works to provide opportunities for young people to participate in enriching creative writing activities, such as London Voice.In this episode of First Story Presents: London Voice, Writer-in-Residence, Dean Atta, introduces the brilliant original writing of First Story students at Platanos College, and their enthusiasm and sense of fun and enjoyment is palpable! We also hear from Yomi Ṣode, acclaimed writer and London Voice Performance Skills facilitator, who speaks to the power of giving young people permission to let loose and be silly.Producer: Talia Randall in collaboration with First StoryMixing: Jamie PaynePresenter: Dean AttaFeaturing: Amy, Hilary, Lady Scarlett, Patricia and Tahlia from Platanos College, and writer and performer Yomi ṢodeOver the course of this academic year, First Story has been working with six non-selective secondary schools in Greater London as part of London Voice to help young people develop as writers who have the skills and confidence to be heard. Students from Hampstead School, St Paul’s Way School, Platanos College, Skinners’ Academy, Trinity Acadamy and St Saviour’s and St Olave’s Church of England School have had the opportunity to take part in creative writing, performance and audio workshops led by skilled industry professionals. This podcast is one of the outcomes of their work.  London Voice has been made possible by the generous support of The Mercers’ Company, trustee of St Paul’s Schools Foundation.   This is a First Story project. To find out more about First Story and London Voice, visit firststory.org.uk and join the conversation on Instagram by following @firststory_uk   

First Story Presents: London Voice is part of an exciting new oracy pilot delivered by First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people.  Over the course of this academic year, First Story has been working with six non-selective secondary schools in Greater London as part of London Voice to help young people develop as writers who have the skills and confidence to be heard. In this first episode, Talia Randall, award-winning audio producer and writer, returns to Hampstead School where she was once a student. Whilst there, she meets with young writers from the First Story London Voice programme, whose poems, stories and reflections provide invaluable insight into young people's experiences of the world and how they're learning to use creativity to amplify their voices.Producer: Talia Randall in collaboration with First StoryMixing: Jamie Payne  Presenter: Talia Randall Featuring: Chancey, Nuriyah, Eden, River, Leila and Miss Willcock from Hampstead School As part of London Voice, students from Hampstead School, St Paul’s Way School, Platanos College, Skinners’ Academy, Trinity Acadamy and St Saviour’s and St Olave’s Church of England School have had the opportunity to take part in creative writing, performance and audio workshops led by skilled industry professionals. This podcast is one of the outcomes of their work.  London Voice has been made possible by the generous support of The Mercers’ Company, trustee of St Paul’s Schools Foundation.  This is a First Story project. To find out more about First Story and London Voice, visit firststory.org.uk and join the conversation on Instagram by following @firststory_uk