REFLECT- THE MALL WOOD GREEN’S CHARITY OF THE YEAR
Involved Partners: Godwin Lawson Foundation, S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project, The RecordShop, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation
: The Godwin Lawson Foundation has been The Mall Wood Green’s charity of the year since 2020 as a response to the rise in knife crime in the local area. It was founded in 2012 by Yvonne and Calvin Lawson to commemorate the life of their son, Godwin, who was stabbed trying to prevent his friends from being attacked. The Mall has supported the charity by:
- Fundraising at in-centre events including the Christmas Grotto, raising over £2,000
- Supporting the Crimestoppers anti knife crime campaign, featuring Yvonne, on digital screens throughout the centre and on all online channels
- Holding engagement sessions with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s NCS programme, where 30 young people created presentations to pitch fundraising and awareness campaigns to the centre team
- Arranging a place in the London Marathon to raise money and awareness for the charity
- Exhibiting the high-profile S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project at a prominent location in the centre to generate interest and awareness in the charity
- Holding a celebration evening at The RecordShop to bring local stakeholders and young people together with music
The S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project was created as a direct response to the rise in youth stabbings in London (1,299 between April 2017 and April 2018). Artist Kay Rufai works with boys aged 13-14 on an 8-week programme exploring 8 pillars of happiness, and at the end takes a photo of them, simply smiling. The Mall approached Kay to exhibit the images he took at Woodside Academy during lockdown to:
- Raise awareness for the Godwin Lawson Foundation with an eye-catching exhibition
- Challenge perceptions around race, mental health, and young people
- Make people smile!
Nyre, one of the participants, commented: “It’s helped me to feel more confident in being my real self, being more free and open with my emotions, and to just be myself without fearing judgment.”
TESTIMONIAL
“The breath of fresh air that Kay brought into the school was truly a beautiful thing. Kay has shown these boys more love on the project than they’ve received in all their time at school, and I am so grateful. The changes already noticeable in the boys are quite evident, from their confidence to their sense of self identity.”
Miss Boothman – Deputy Head at Woodside High SchooL
