Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation: A Change 4 All

So my name is Ebbs aka Slix, I’m one of the founding members of Ruff Sqwad.  I’m considered a grime pioneer and I’m just passionate about supporting young people.  The Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation started in 2017, it was really a result of a lot of the stuff we saw in our local community.  So we actually work in the same communities that we grew up in, we’ve got lived experience.  We’re musicians.  And we know about the importance of youth work and youth clubs.  And if we didn’t have youth work and  youth clubs when we was growing up we wouldn’t have been able to do what we done.  They were the space for us to kind of hone our skills, learn about music, learn about the industry, meet new people, building confidence and self-belief.  All of those attributes we owe them to youth clubs and youth work.  So that’s kind of where it started and how it started.

A1: I am Katie and I’m twenty from Essex.

A2: I’m Rhianna, I’m eighteen and I’m from Yorkshire.

A3: I’m Sheila and I’m eighteen from East London.

Q: And how long have you lot all been living in Newham?

A1: For about almost a year.

A2: The same.

A3: Same.

Q: So all of you, okay. And what do you guys remember of the 2012 Olympics that took place here?

A1: Just like I watched it on TV, so it was just what was publicly broadcasted.

A2: I remember the football ‘cos that’s all my family watch.

A3: I remember I went to some event that I got for free, it wasn’t like the proper Olympics but it was like a pre moment that they did.

Q: So you feel like you are directly connected to the Olympics in a way, and what was the response from the community around you guys while it was going on?

A1: Back home there were a lot of parties and stuff and then it kind of brought the family together to watch the Olympics and support everyone.

A2: Yeah, there was lots of parties and flags up and like things in windows, so it was quite good.

A3: I feel like it was quite a happy time for like London. People seemed to proper connect at that time and I feel like it’s not the same as it was.

Q: Was there anything negative that came with it in terms of your community, did anyone have anything bad to say about it:

A1: No, not really.

A2: No.

A3: Not that I remember at all.

Q: So you guys lived here after it happened and there was a lot of developments that came along with the Olympics, do you think that’s impacted your experience being here?

A1: Yeah, definitely drew me to living here because of the Olympic Park and the stadium and the swimming.

A2: Yeah ‘cos it looks a lot different than it did before the Olympics and it’s a lot nicer.

A1: Yeah.

A3: No, I think I wasn’t too keen about living in Stratford but I think that Olympic Park and everything like this side kind of definitely brought me here.

Q: Do you think that the facilities as well, that came along with it, has it been positive for other people as well, not just yourselves?

A1: I feel like it makes it easier to access fitness with the stadiums and the swimming pool and everyone thinks that because the – like the Olympic people swum there, like you want to go there too.

A2: Yeah, also brings a lot more people to here ‘cos there weren’t before.

A3: I was going to say, it makes it a lot more like family friendly I think. It makes Stratford seem more of a nicer area when there are places that aren’t so happy and nice.

Q: All that being said, what do you think the legacy of the Olympics is to you guys?

A1: Just bringing people together really.

A2: Yeah, I just like seeing all the sport.

A3: Yeah, just bringing a sense of community and positivity with loads of different people.

Q: Thank you so much, that’s amazing.