Meet Josh Eyakware: Creative Educator, Writer and Performer

From classrooms to stages, Josh Eyakware, one of our Creative Educators at Tulse Hill,  uses creativity to connect, inspire and spark change. We caught up with him to hear what drives his work.

1. You’re a creative educator, writer and performer – how do those worlds connect for you?

The connection is creativity. I think as humans our natural instinct is to create things and express ourselves. As a writer I get to create freely and share this through performing what I create, whether that be poetry or songs etc. My role as a creative educator allows me to pay this forward, teaching others how to use these art forms as a means of self expression and discovery. I help myself by helping others and that’s the beauty of what I do.

2. ou recently shared a spoken word piece during an assembly to launch Voices of South London – what did that moment show you about how young people respond to creative expression?

It’s easy to think that young people may not be interested in poetry or spoken word. When we as a team came up with the assembly script I nearly left the piece out, I didn’t know if the young people would gravitate towards it. I was happy when a lot of them came up to me and told me they enjoyed the piece, it showed me that art connects us all, and poetry is a powerful art form for young people to engage with. It gave me a sense of pride and I’m excited to see what our young people can create themselves on our programme.

3. What kind of legacy would you love to leave behind in your role at Rekindle?

I want to know that the young people on our programmes feel that they can achieve anything they wish to in their lives, especially in a creative aspect. I hope I can inspire the youth to start businesses, to become artists, to become change makers, to push art forward and help others grow with their talents. The legacy of my role at Rekindle entails giving our young people the tools to be great thinkers and creators, and continuing to pass the torch to the generations that come after them – I think that’s the best legacy you can have.

4. You founded WRLD XYEN – what inspired you to start it and what do you want people to take from its work?

I’m a big fan of fashion, art and self expression. WRLD XYEN started as a streetwear brand that mixes colourful clothing with images and messages of peace, love and positivity. But it’s more than clothing, it’s a community and most importantly it’s a mindset. WRLD XYEN simply means World Peace and our tagline is “Peace Inside, Peace Worldwide”. We believe that world peace starts with ourselves. We have to master our inner peace and self love for the world to become a better and more peaceful place. I want people to take that philosophy more than anything, because that’s the mindset that will bring us together.

5. If you had to sum up your creative ethos or message in one line, what would it be?

Create for yourself, and you’ll be surprised how many lives you impact and inspire.