The 9th Subject from my ‘You Are Enough’ series is artist and educator Linett Kamala. Linett is passionate about improving the lives of others, especially young people through education and the arts. She has worked tirelessly with organisations across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors on educational assignments and creative projects, particularly with the goal of providing enriching opportunities for disadvantaged young people.

For over 26 years she has quietly influenced change within the U.K. education system helping staff and students achieve excellence in schools facing significant challenges. As a founding cohort member of The Future Leaders Headship programme in 2006 and speaker at numerous education events, she helped to shape and influence various government policies of the view that ‘every child’ is entitled to a quality education provision regardless of their background and with the right support can be helped to reach their full potential.

Her professional career in education begun in 1996 as a teacher of art and design and unusually for someone with a visual arts background in education, she became an education director for a multi-academy trust which at the time had over 5,000 children across its schools. Linett has gone on to train, mentor and inspire hundreds of head teachers, including many black and asian school leaders into their first senior leadership roles and headships.

In 2008 whilst working as a senior leader in a challenging school, Linett was diagnosed with depression. Through the support of her family, loved ones and health professionals she was able to return to the profession. However, she has kept her condition hidden for fear of being stigmatised by those within her profession. This is despite her being an advocate on the importance of wellbeing for students and staff within the education system, particularly for those in challenging circumstances. Linett has bravely agreed to use this platform to share her struggles of not only working as a black female at the top of the education system in the U.K., but also one who lives with depression.

In 2016 after 16 years of successful senior leadership in schools, Linett made the decision to walk away from executive leadership and return to her original love of teaching art. She currently teaches Art part-time, works as an education consultant specialising in leadership and behaviour management. As a trainer, facilitator, coach and mentor she is busy educating the next generation of school leaders about the importance of wellbeing and taking a holistic approach to education.

Linett is currently training as an arts psychotherapist and recently set up her new company Lin Kam Art to enrich the lives and wellbeing of others through art, particularly adolescent girls. Her dream is to provide therapeutic and unforgettable artistic experiences to young people who love art. As a former secondary school art teacher myself I am aware that society undervalues this profession and I am awed by Linett’s resilience and dedication to supporting and nurturing young people and her colleagues.

Wall provision: claptwn.blogspot.co.uk at Brixton’s Street Gym

The 7th Subject of my ‘You Are Enough’ series is Tracy Blackstock, my sons Mother (no pressure lool)
Tracy was born and raised in Oxford and is the second youngest of 9 siblings to first generation Jamaican parents. After her studies she spent several years in Jamaica working for an NGO before returning to the UK to work for the probation service and then resettlement aftercare provision for young offenders.
She now project manages a preventative program for children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviour(s). These young people in some instances are victims of sexual abuse, exposed to inappropriate pornographic images and family stresses that can lead to inappropriate sexual behaviours. Tracy manages a group of volunteers who work with the young people to restore such behaviour/responses by developing social skills that engage them in their communities.
In the future Tracy would like to specialise in the field of child psychotherapy with the view to supporting young people in her local community

 

Location: Fashion Street, London E1

The 5th subject of my ‘You Are Enough’ series is my mentee Fungai Marima. Fungai was born in Zimbabwe and moved to the UK in 2007, following her adoption by her sister and brother-in-law after the tragic loss of her mother in 2000. She is the last born of 6 children from a blended family.
She received her Fine Art degree from Havering College where she now works as a Printmaking technician, she also works at Art Fairs and facilitates community print workshops particularly, for young children. She is in an experimental phase with her Art practice, focusing on being expressive through the use of different materials & looks forward to see where the journey takes her.

Although she misses her homeland she doesn’t take for granted the position she finds herself in and dreams of opening a Print Studio back home in the future.

The Bronze crochet top worn by Fungai was formerly her Mothers back in the 70’s, for her it signifies, strength, confidence and inner peace.

The 3rd Subject in my ‘You Are Enough’ series is Holly Diana May Oluwo. I met Holly briefly some months ago whilst painting on Shoreditch High Street and even with our brief encounter was stuck by her openness and warm spirit. Holly was born and bred in East London, and at the age of 24 her wisdom is beyond her years, in part due to the time she spent working in a care home. She says her time there taught her that ‘Things’ and outer beauty eventually fade. We are left mostly with only our memories, and when we pass, hopefully the legacy of the love we put in the world ”. As a survivor of a sexual assault and domestic violence, I’m inspired by her strength in facing her demons, using her art and spoken word to advocate healing, self-acceptance and empowerment.[/caption]