I AM NOT JUST AN ARTIST.
I WORK ON COMMUNITY THROUGH ADVOCACY
In October 2023, I joined a team at Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London (mainly among staff and students), who were working with Citizens UK (a people-power alliance for social change), pleading to Council and Government institutions for better solutions for Housing and Health Justice, London Living Wage and Climate Change. As an art school, our input was to use creativity to run workshops either to build awareness in our community or make creative material to be used in actions/ assemblies - look out for images.
What happened between October 2023 - May 2024?
Our Citizens UK-appointed organiser for Southwark was Albinia Stanley, who was present throughout our monthly sessions as a key contact in facilitating Citizens UK's methodology of community organising according to Camberwell College’s creative resources.
1. Housing action on the 11th of December 2023
London Citizens are asking the Mayor to take decisive action: tackle rough landlords, create new community land trusts and improve council housing repair and retrofit. In this collaborative effort, the Camberwell team crafted a giant quilt adorned with powerful slogans. Each stitch tells a story, and every piece represents a shared commitment to better housing conditions.
2. Festival for Community Organising (FFCO) February 2024
Since 2023, Camberwell College has brought the FFCO, which, through workshops, talks or screenings, facilitates a broader understanding of social issues within our community, themes usually chosen from Citizens UK campaigns related. During this festival, I served in assisting workshops, liaising with artists and doing administrative tasks to support the team at Public Engagement at Camberwell College.
3 London Mayoral Accountability Action April 2024
For the Mayoral Assembly, Camberwell was asked to produce banners representing the different area chapters (South London, North London, etc.) that make up London Citizens. The College invited the community to make banners (I joined and assisted the workshop) - led by artist Corbin Shaw
4. LLW Action at the National Theatre, London, May 2024
How much do you need to live in London with your basic needs covered? This action was performed with the help of different organisations, as Camberwell College of Arts, Empoderando Familias and English for Action, using creativity and a theatre performance to mimic what it is like to make hard choices, in precarious work conditions, that non-contracting workers have to go through in unsettling, unguaranteed hours jobs.
Later that same year, the National Theatre became another South Bank accredited London Living Wage organisation, guaranteeing that all non-contractors' work pays the London Living Wage.
My participation was in preparing and hosting this action with the support of Citizens UK and Camberwell College of Arts (see images). Additionally, in collaboration with designer Kait Berriochoa, I co-designed a zine for the LLW Action Day. Available to visualise here.
5. Award for Student Campaigner of the Year 2025
What is it?
The Arts Awards is an annual celebration of staff and students who have made an outstanding contribution to the UAL community; the awards ceremony is delivered by the Arts SU in collaboration with UAL’s Teaching and Learning Exchange. I was nominated by the team of people with whom I worked for the LLW Campaign. In May 2025, I won this award.
Here’s what my nominators shared about me:
“Bia has been a committed member of the Camberwell College Citizens and has made a huge impact on our Living Wage Campaign work where she was part of a Southwark team, including community members, to plan a Living Wage Action at the National Theatre. She co-designed a zine which was used to inform the public about the action and was brave enough to confidently chair the action outside the National Theatre with 50+ attendees on a busy Saturday on the Southbank. This action led to an incredible 1000+ uplifts for people's wages, meaning there was real world impact. She has continued to be invested in the campaign work, to broaden her knowledge of community working and leads with empathy and understanding. We are lucky to have her in the team".
"Bea has been instrumental to Camberwell College Citizens and the campaign work we have been doing. She has supported other students to get involved, as well as working collaboratively with the local community of Southwark to raise awareness of the living wage campaign and event took action on the Southbank - where she performed in front of the public. Bea has the capability to work with people sensitively and with great care, and I have watched her work with and support a wide variety of people from the community, where she has made a lasting impact on them".
How much do you need to live in London with your basic needs covered? This action was performed with the help of different organisations, as Camberwell College of Arts, Empoderando Familias and English for Action, using creativity and a theatre performance to mimic what it is like to make hard choices, in precarious work conditions, that non-contracting workers have to go through in unsettling, unguaranteed hours jobs.
Later that same year, the National Theatre became another South Bank accredited London Living Wage organisation, guaranteeing that all non-contractors' work pays the London Living Wage.
My participation was in preparing and hosting this action with the support of Citizens UK and Camberwell College of Arts (see images). Additionally, in collaboration with designer Kait Berriochoa, I co-designed a zine for the LLW Action Day. Available to visualise here.
5. Award for Student Campaigner of the Year 2025
What is it?
The Arts Awards is an annual celebration of staff and students who have made an outstanding contribution to the UAL community; the awards ceremony is delivered by the Arts SU in collaboration with UAL’s Teaching and Learning Exchange. I was nominated by the team of people with whom I worked for the LLW Campaign. In May 2025, I won this award.
Here’s what my nominators shared about me:
“Bia has been a committed member of the Camberwell College Citizens and has made a huge impact on our Living Wage Campaign work where she was part of a Southwark team, including community members, to plan a Living Wage Action at the National Theatre. She co-designed a zine which was used to inform the public about the action and was brave enough to confidently chair the action outside the National Theatre with 50+ attendees on a busy Saturday on the Southbank. This action led to an incredible 1000+ uplifts for people's wages, meaning there was real world impact. She has continued to be invested in the campaign work, to broaden her knowledge of community working and leads with empathy and understanding. We are lucky to have her in the team".
"Bea has been instrumental to Camberwell College Citizens and the campaign work we have been doing. She has supported other students to get involved, as well as working collaboratively with the local community of Southwark to raise awareness of the living wage campaign and event took action on the Southbank - where she performed in front of the public. Bea has the capability to work with people sensitively and with great care, and I have watched her work with and support a wide variety of people from the community, where she has made a lasting impact on them".