As young people, we are angry. We are isolated from the political system, our welfare state is collapsing, unemployment’s at a record low and we are the first generation in British history who are going to be poorer than our parents. We tried to get organised in Sheffield, but there was an ever growing sense that nothing could be done.

We first met the Focus E15 mums when we went to campaign with them at their weekly street stall on Stratford Broadway in Newham, London. Immediately, we were overwhelmed. As well as a campaign with humour, joy and love at its core these women had huge grit, fire and a hell of a lot of resilience. Here were people who had found their voice and were ready to fight.

It has now been over two years since we first met the mums. Together we’ve campaigned, leafleted and demonstrated while they resisted eviction. We have worked closely with them, as well as other housing campaigners, journalists and politicians to create artistic work that would make their story heard. From the beginning, something that shines through are the characters of the mums, particularly Jasmin Stone and Sam Middleton who have passion, strength and a true love that is so clearly driven by being a mum.

The people we have met throughout this campaign are extraordinary. The Focus E15 Campaign is full of the most ambitious, resilient and selfless people we have ever met in our lives. But their story is not an extraordinary one. It is now worryingly familiar. In 2016, 64,000 families were moved out of London*. Homelessness has increased 30%** in the last year. The 29 eviction notices the mums received were proof of the rule, rather than the exception to it.

The last five years have been a time rife with austerity and hardship, and it is only set to get worse for the most vulnerable in our society. The conditions so many people are forced to live in are heart breaking and lives are being lost due to lack of care from the British political establishment. But the story of the Focus E15 mums has a silver lining. They are the evidence of the power of people. They are the living proof that by coming together and organising, even under the most difficult circumstances, people can stand up against what is wrong, and win.

This is a message that needs sharing far and wide. We want this play to reach people like us, before we met the mums – people who feel hopeless and think that nothing can be done. Everyday across the country, young people and their families are being made homeless because they can’t afford somewhere to live in an increasingly unforgiving climate. They need to know they are not alone. We hope showing the story of the E15 campaign across the country will mobilize audiences against the conservative government and their relentless austerity measures. From Hull to Lincoln, Bridport, Folkestone and Battersea, this story needs to be heard so we can all put the mum’s mantra into practice: educate, agitate, organise.

Helen and Matt

> E15 will run from 13 Mar – 1 Apr, find out more or book tickets

*http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/number-of-londoners-leaving-the-capital-reaches-nineyear-high-74000-households-move-out-in-2016-a107131.html

**http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/homelessness-crisis-one-in-25-london-children-lives-in-temporary-accommodation-10151844.html

During the process, we went to the Marx Memorial Library, the British Library and Manchester, where we visited Contact Theatre and The People’s History Museum. Travelling together allowed us to grow as a group; we had a lot of discussions between us, most of which touched on political issues that are often seen as things that young people are not interested in, or that what they contribute to the discussion isn’t relevant.  It was inspiring for me as one of the older members of the group to see other young people talking about these issues and challenging the groups and their own perceptions.

We researched and pulled apart speeches from John Archer, the first ‘coloured man’ to be elected as Mayor of Battersea, Annie Besant, an activist who stood up for and promoted the struggle of the Match Stick Girls, and John Burns, a politician who worked to get better housing and living conditions for the working class around the Latchmere Estate. As well as the historical content, we also wrote our own material drawn from our own experiences- from soliloquy’s about working in McDonalds, to back-facing monologues about being put into isolation at school, and my very own ‘Letter To The Prime Minister’.

The performance was one of the highlights; sharing the work on stage after everything we had learnt felt exhilarating, and the Homegrown Festival was a perfect space for this as other young people were in the building and got to see our work and participate in the discussion. Our preparations at Carney’s were great; at the start we were using one of the rooms, playing drama games,and mulling over ideas and concepts, and after a while the show really came together. In our last rehearsals we utilised the physical boxing ring at Carney’s. It felt like the space had been opened up to us. It felt homely.

Each of our performances were filled with audiences young and old and from a variety of backgrounds. We received amazing feedback and praise, and I am so grateful to Battersea Art’s Centre, Carney’s Community, Heritage Lottery Fund and The Wandsworth Arts Fringe Festival for giving us the opportunity to share and create this work. Devising something like this was important as it allowed us to contribute our ideas to create something that felt refreshing to be a part of.

The main thing I have taken away from this project is this:

Young people have something important to say. If given the platform, the space and the opportunity, we will share, and you will listen.