At Hold It Down CIC, we amplify unheard voices, strengthen communities, and create inclusive spaces for young people and families from underrepresented backgrounds to express themselves, heal, and lead. Based in Croydon, we support those affected by inequality, exclusion, and a lack of culturally safe environments.
Our mission is to ensure people feel seen, valued, and confident in shaping their futures. We achieve this through creativity, emotional honesty, and community-led approaches. Every story matters, and we build platforms that centre real experiences and lived truth.
We prioritise intergenerational connection and youth voice. Projects like Roots & Wings, a family-focused event funded by the National Lottery, respond to what local families and young people have told us they need: honest spaces for expression and a sense of belonging. These initiatives are shaped through co-design, especially with Roots & Wings participants.
Through storytelling, spoken word, digital media, and creative workshops, we unlock confidence and spark leadership. We meet young people in the community, wherever they are, and invite them to co-create change.
Inclusion is not a principle we add on; it is at the heart of how we operate. We stand beside young people from low-income backgrounds, those who have faced racism or exclusion, and families navigating deep generational divides. Our work is built on trust, cultural sensitivity, and meaningful relationships that foster genuine belonging.
We invest in what matters most: people. By nurturing local talent and strengthening grassroots networks, we lay the groundwork for transformation that remains meaningful, resilient, and enduring. Our approach is grounded, realistic, and responsive to the needs of our community.
Hold It Down CIC is a bold movement rooted in lived experience and driven by the urgency for change. We centre truth, nurture belonging, and cultivate a culture where connection, care, and courage are not just values, but lived actions. We hold space with purpose, elevate unheard voices, and move forward together—fearless, grounded, and unapologetically present.