Making Manifesto | ladykitt

The Making Manifesto: In the second week of the residency Kitt had a conversation with a women, who received support from the community centre. This women said the community centre “saved my life- no joke”. There were 3 distinct elements to this support

1) Immediate help with basic needs- food etc.

2) Help with long term needs- employment, health, family relationships.

3) Something “to live for”- people to talk to, things to enjoy, a sense of purpose, shared goals, a role in building a better community for herself and others.

This prompted Kitt to ask:

“How can the Making Residency strengthen all types of support that BCC provides?”

Byker Community Centre has a proud tradition of Craftivism (activism through making, responding to and creating change through Making - from knitting jumpers for local homeless people, to making banners for Pride and, in 2017, holding the first Nasty Women exhibition in the UK).

Communities of local people, trustees, staff and volunteers at BCC, together with Kitt, decided to address the question “How can Making strengthen all types of support the community center provides?” by co-creating a "Making Manifesto" with composer Bridie Jackson. Here is is:

The Making Manifesto

(AKA Making Makes Us Marvelous)

We will joyfully make a mess (and always help with the tidying up).
We will make to solve problems and ask questions.
We will use our making to gather and build strength in our community, which is (and will always be) ‘round the corner and ‘round the world.
We will make generously and with gratitude; never forgetting to encourage and support people in their making. Never being closed to new people or ideas. Never forgetting to say “thank you”.
We will appreciate the many forms that making takes: from a cup of tea with a just the right amount of milk, to a rallying song that makes our point, to the dusty document in the back of a draw, that sits there quietly keeping us safe.
Our making should not be bad for the world: we will recycle and use materials that are kind to this our one and only beautiful Earth.
We will value our making, our makers and our supporters: By sharing, celebrating and rewarding what we do. Discussions, exhibitions, expeditions, socials, social media, writing, singing, thinking, having parties… the possibilities are endless.
We understand that making is relaxing and also tiring, so we will make, and also rest from making.
Every day we will remember that our making makes real change in the now and in the many nows to come.