Starbucks Muswell Hill Broadway

At Noah’s Ark we help babies, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and their families, make the most of every day. And we support those who die young to do so in as much comfort as possible, surrounded by family. We provide exceptional care, organise fun activities and days out, and help families do things they never thought possible. We are here to enable those we support to enjoy life as children, rather than as patients; as families, not just as carers. We serve communities across north and central London, as well as Herts Valley, working in partnership with key NHS trusts.

Bloody Good Period is working to create a sustainable flow (pun intended) of sanitary protection for members of communities who can't afford to buy them. Pads and tampons are not cheap, but for anyone with a period, they are an absolute necessity. It is absurd that they are not free for all who need them. Many living in poverty resort to using toilet paper, old scraps of fabric or nothing at all. We want to take the financial burden out of what can be the most annoying time of the month by providing supplies to those who need them.

We are delighted to have been accepted onto the National Theatre's Connections programme, and to be collaborating with the Participation Manager at Jackson's Lane Theatre in Haringey on the project. Through the programme, the National Theatre (NT) is providing us with a specially written script for young actors, about issues close to the hearts of young people, for us to produce and perform in late March-early April 2016. Other young people will be invited to take key roles in production elements such as costume, set design, photography and publicity. Exposure beneficiaries and all involved with the project will be encouraged to write news articles, opinion pieces, creative pieces, and any other pieces related to the production and the issues it raises, to be published on Exposure's online magazine - so a great many young people outside of the cast and directing team will have the opportunity for self-expression and exposure of their talents and insights throughout the process. All of us will have our voices heard and our creativity showcased: to our communities in the first performances, and to anyone worldwide who accesses the online media that will be inspired by the project. After the first performances, we will be considered for the Connections festival's shortlist, in which case we will take the show to a regional theatre; from there, we may become finalists to take the show to one of the National Theatre stages. Either of these would give all of us amazing networking opportunities for further employment prospects, as well as broadcasting our skills and our creativity to nationwide audiences. Overall, the project will put Haringey and neighbouring boroughs on the map as the home of young people with creativity and potential for highly positive contributions to society. We desperately need this to detract from the prejudice and contempt we face following the Tottenham riots in 2011. When we don't have to fear being shied away from the second our London accents are heard, or our postcodes are read on application forms, or simply every time someone asks us casually where we are from, we can all feel safer and more confident in aiming high and taking bold steps towards our desired careers, and all elements of our future lives.