Karmarama, NCS and poet Caleb Femi present young people’s views in new ‘Life After Lockdown’ campaign
A campaign by Karmarama
NCS and Karmarama, part of Accenture Interactive, has partnered with poet and director Caleb Femi to launch Life After Lockdown, a visual manifesto and statement of intent that reveals how ‘Generation Lockdown’ see their future post Covid-19.
Crowdsourcing opinions from NCS’s network of British teenagers through online and social, the spoken word piece highlights what really matters to this generation now, following research that revealed that more than two thirds of young people feel their voice is not heard in society, despite their futures being impacted the most.
Karmarama enlisted the first Young People’s Laureate, Caleb Femi, to create the visual manifesto. Featured in the Dazed100 list of the next generation shaping youth culture, his previous collaborations include Kano, the Tate Modern, and the BFI.
Caleb directs a short film that follows the journey of three teenagers coming of age during lockdown. The film is told through moving image, photography and content submitted by NCS grads, scored with poetry, original music, and soundscapes.
The statement of intent outlines young people’s hopes and dreams whilst reflecting on the lockdown period. It projects the journey of self-development many have taken during lockdown, from the personal impact (“becoming our own teachers”) to the changes in community (“every person in my neighbourhood is my cousin”) to wider societal developments with the Black Lives Matters movement (“shout-out to those who stood for equality”). Building to a climactic finish, the piece ends on a positive note stating that together, “we’re ready to rebuild the world”.
Life After Lockdown forms part of the wider NCS ‘No We Can’ campaign, which aims to give a voice to a generation ready to speak their mind, inciting independence and helping them turn a lifetime of being told they are too young into a collective voice that tells the world what they can achieve.
Jamie Mancini, creative director at Karmarama, said: “It’s no secret that young people were dealt a tough hand during the crisis months. ‘Life After Lockdown’ was an opportunity to offer them a platform to have their voices heard – not only on their own futures but to comment on a world that needed rebuilding. The result is a candid and hope-filled piece of work, a testament to a resilient and optimistic generation.”
Adam Boita, marketing director at NCS, said: "NCS is here to give a platform and a voice to a generation ready to speak it's mind. Capturing the hopes and dreams of teens from up and down the country on what life can be post-COVID, this beautiful film and poem from Caleb is a constant reminder of the enduring power and passion of youth using their words and their voices. No We Can."
Poem
Life After Lockdown
When the time comes again
to step out freely into the world.
All my friends who held me down,
you’ll be the first I holla at, to link up with.
We’ll be face to face again to say things
we couldn’t say behind a screen.
I’ve made a list of all the places we said we’ll visit.
Let’s see how far our legs take us
to that lake, those woods, all the precious greenery
we said we’ll help protect in our fight for a better climate.
What can faze us? When we’re told no you can’t.
We say no we can. Even when we’re back at school
we’ll have a better time since we spent so many days indoors
becoming our own teachers. Picking up new skills.
Learning more about who we are as individuals,
as siblings, as a family.
From now on, every person in my neighbourhood is my cousin.
Only family stick together through tough times like my community did.
Shout out to those who lived a life locked down
Shout out to the frontliners
Shout out to those who stood for equality
Shout out to those fuelled with hope and joy
And now together, we’re ready to rebuild the world
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