The current issue of the Architects Journal takes activism as its thread and looks at innovative ways of practising.
Footwork, being an architect-led charity, is the focus of the news feature focusing on two of our People and Place grant recipients – both architects.
Ben Beach is creating a learning centre for unaccompanied young refugees in east London, in collaboration with grassroots organisation, Revoke.
“Present models of developmnet marginalise those already excluded from decision-making, leading to the demolition of vital cultural and social spaces, the gentrification of neighbourhoods and, in the most extreme cases, tragedies like Grenfell” - Ben Beach
Unit 38 is partnering with People and Place backed initiative Revoke, working collectively to create a permanent educational space for children who arrive alone in the UK as migrants and refugees. Their work is especially important given the current migrant crisis in the UK and with the government’s latest plans sparking outrage amongst refugee organisations.
“Many have fled war and persecution, experienced significant trauma and missed years of education on their journey to the UK. Yet they are placed into a bureaucratic state system that fails to address their complex needs.” - Ben Beach
Read the full interview below, or find it online here.