Kwanzaa Greetings

Money College

The Graduate turn-out for the Money College event on Sunday 1st Sept was tremendous.

This kick-off event started a programme of new bi-monthly activities. The event focused on introducing the Brothers to trading on the Stock Exchange. Further information, future events and activities to follow.

Tunde in the House, at the controls 

Ashleigh, James and Tenaye taking note, serious ting!

Omari and Mauhrkhieh – hold-on just a second, run that one past me again…

Two man take notes…, one man Point Guard

Some Bredders never change!!! Check-out the award winning cheesy grin…

Stephen

Kofi and Jermaine

Selim

Ashleigh 

Swish

Click on this image to see this hilarious SWISH…

This SWISH video clip is a warm-up activity to an ORIGIN Earth Workshop.

Each ORIGIN Workshop has a warm-up element before the start of sessions. On the surface this activity looks like the group are just fooling around but it’s much more than that.

Using a defined set of rules, the young men are working with energy. They eventually bring-in their own creative moves. The group must maintain the flow without getting caught off-guard otherwise they will receive the full impact of the invisible force. If you step into the Circle, be sharp because the ball of energy is coming your way soon and when it does… you don’t want to be caught sleeping.

See how long they maintain the energy as they build-up an unstoppable momentum. The activity often leads to discussions about the community and what we need to do to maintain our projects and businesses. Maintaining the energy is an important factor for success.

Denzel as Granville T Woods

Click on the image to see Denzel rehearsing for his Graduation.

He performs the inventor, Granville T Woods and reminds us that he is part of our history and should not be forgotten.

Denzel’s performance represents one of the competencies each young person must demonstrate to show that they have an awareness of their history. The image is of a dress rehearsal. If you attended the event, you will have seen it live!

 

Josh’s Message

Here’s a recording from Josh, an ORIGIN Graduate, who leaves a heartfelt message for the new group of Graduates. The message is first played at a community ceremony to mark the transition of young people to the status of young adult. What you have here is 3 mins of his 10 minute message.

Click on the image below to hear it…

Leave your comments on our blog.

ORIGIN 2013 Graduation

ORIGIN 2013 Graduation fulfilled all expectations this year. This ceremony, as part of the tradition to train boys of African heritage to become young men, sees our thirteen year of transformative rites of passage work in the community.

The photo exhibition and showreel below displays some of the majestic moments of this powerful community event that took place on Saturday 20th July 2013.

Let the Circle Remain Unbroken… and the Ancestors be pleased.

Rites of Passage Graduation

Here’s a video of ORIGIN images. Or scroll down the page to see photographs of the event and read the comments.

Why not add your comments too?

ORIGIN Graduation 2011 was very special indeed.

Were you there? If so, what’s your account and comments of the big day?

Well, it was Saturday the 14^th May. The community gathered for the arrival of the young men in the Village. Seven young men returned from their journey and asked an audience of about 300 people of family members, guests and supporters – to see them as young adults, not children.

And what a show the young men put on for the community. They performed their drumming piece together about the beginnings of the Universe. This was followed by their personal pieces where they reflected on the ORIGIN journey that for some of them began in January 2010, sixteen months earlier. A lot has happened in the Village since then.

Then to the their influential figures. So in came the Olympic athlete Jesse Owens from the 1930’s, the Parliamentarian Bernie Grant MP, the griot Gil Scot Heron, jazz musician Charlie Parker and the revolutionary Toussaint L’ouverture from the 1700’s. They all asked the community to remember them… because they are part of our history.

There was reflection, laughter and tears too as we considered the challenges faced by the group during the programme. Videos of Micah and Shaq, two of our gifted young men, just couldn’t help but touch us all. Yes, the tissues came out during the videos and as family members came to the stage to speak of their particular challenges.

It was a wonderful occasion. The graduating group performed some amazing pieces. Jumaane was incredible with his saxophone and later the piano and Laqwuan and Nathaniel delighted us with their conscious lyrics. Romaii had already burst onto the scene with a detailed account of the life and times of Jesse Owens.

Then Josh, a Graduate from 2008, performed a personal piece about family life. He reminded us that although we had arrived to celebrate, we should not forget that not all is well in the Village.

The graduating young men demonstrated their martial arts skills that they learned from training on Sundays. Then a drama piece about the New Cross Fire, where they announced to the community that they will never forget what happened to the young people who lost their lives in a birthday party in Lewisham – 30 years ago.

People, I’m still only in the first half of the evening and have made no mention of the arrival of Tunde Jegedy,  internationally renowned Kora player, whose family from West Africa trace an unbroken line of Kora players going back over three hundred years.

Tunde performed a solo piece and again during the transition to adulthood ceremony.

Were you at this event? What do you think of it all – the ritual, the response of the parents, how so many Graduates from earlier years flooded forwarded to welcome the new arrivals? I tell you… it’s a blessing for me to be part of ORIGIN.

Bro. Pablo and Bro. Adisa during the Transition Ceremony

Drumming – The beginning of the Universe

Jumaane plays the Sax as Charlie Parker

Laqwuan as Gil Scott-Heron

Romaii performs Jesse Owens

Micah family interview

Shaq Family interview

ORIGIN Circle 2011

Martial Arts demonstration

Neil – Warrior

New young adults

Elder NNA Pepukayi and Chief Omilade receive Kofi

Graduates receive ORIGIN 2011 CIRCLE

Aaron, Graduate Ambassador steps up

Chief Omilade presides over Blessings

Graduation ORIGIN 2011