Young people’s struggles against racism, surveillance and control have been central to the campaigns, sound systems and community infrastructures of Deptford, particularly in the 1970s and 80s when Black communities were under attack by the far right. Today these histories are largely unknown to young people, yet, with the regular re-structuring of youth services, and the resurgence of right wing street violence, the questions of how and where young people congregate and organise is, once again, a pressing concern. Local young people in this project study their relationship to spatialised mechanisms of power, surveillance, control and resistance and research the resonances of their experiences with histories of plantation and colonial education as well as more recent struggles for space and freedom.

This process began through a 4-day workshop in February 2024 where young people who live, work or socialise in Lewisham reflected on the words used to describe the local area. They mapped how they occupy spaces and experience power relationships. They researched how these experiences related to past struggles of young people in the area. Using this process they devised a curriculum for teachers to use in schools, considering links between histories of colonial power and their resonance with local youth movements in the past and present.

The curriculum will allow schools and youth clubs to share this practice of study with their peers in ways that are relevant and engaging for local educators. Authors: Dominic Wade, Hilmi Mohammed, Jermanie Johnson, Jessica Johnson, Nahla Semedo Azzi, Nickayla Ssali, Taissa Semedo Campos, Xia Winks, Led by Lara Paquete Pereira (Goldsmiths Ant-racism Action), Bianca Santa Anna Caballero (Deptford People’s Heritage Museum), students on Goldsmiths BA Curating: Charlotte Mourgue d’Algue, Divya Kishore, Layan Babkair and Wilhemina Thompson, and Lewisham Young Mayors with support from Pepys Community Forum, the Zanzibar Community Group, Deptford Green and the Alchemy.