During the pandemic, we organised online events every week and launched the Aye Campaign. We used online talks, Q&A sessions, resources and art to bring people together and offer learning opportunities for people who were suffering during the lockdown. When the lockdown started to ease, we decided to start organising in-person events again. We created meet-ups  where 20 to 25 people would come every month. We started talking to our audience and realised people wanted us to organise more activities as a way to fight loneliness and give them tools to overcome times of crisis. 

Today, we organise five free creative activities per month (Creative workshops, live performances, reading group and community screenings) and we are constantly running out of space. We also created free creative resources, using different art forms to educate and empower our community. The Spit it Out Podcast is a 6 episode series exploring themes of sexuality and consent. Each episode follows one person who tells their story, allowing them to talk about their experiences in intimate and anonymous interviews. We are currently finishing the second season exploring issues related to transformative justice.  We also created the Phlegm Magazine, which is a platform for people to express themselves through art that centres on difficult topics. We aim to educate and inform people about these topics, such as contraception, sex, trauma and depression. The zine is open to everyone to submit to and read, however we do aim to reserve this platform for a large diversity of artists, with emphasis on those in the LGTBQAI+ community, trans/enby/gender non-conforming and QTPOC folk.

 In June 2022 and 2023, we organised our Spit it Out Festival with more than 43 events (3 Exhibitions with 5 artists, 30 talks and workshops, 6 live shows with 60 performers, and 4 screenings with 7 filmmakers) across 18 different venues and we sold out 90% of the tickets. We know there is a strong need for safe, trauma-informed events in our community, because it allows people who are struggling with their mental health to find a sense of community and belonging thanks to art and creativity. 

We are painfully aware that despite a lot of festivals advertising around diversity and inclusivity, the number of performers from marginalised communities was still extremely low. Co-founder Bee Asha decided that it was more important than ever to use our platform to give opportunities to BPoC and Queer performers. She curated the Festival with this priority in mind which was a huge success, with 93% of collaborators being part of marginalised communities. We plan to push this forward for the upcoming Spit it Out Festival inviting intersectionality marginalised performers to showcase their art and create a space for learning about the experiences and needs of marginalised communities. 

 These events are important in supporting communities to come back together, celebrate who they are and start the conversation about topics that are important to them through art and creativity. We have already seen a huge response from people who want to tell their stories,  and contribute to the creation of a positive environment, where their lived experiences are heard, valued and they have the power to influence positive change, at a cultural, economic and political level. We feel we are part of a new wave of activism, that demands a more inclusive approach from those institutions, that continue to marginalise our voices and ignore our demands for equality. We want to use our voices and creative talents to fight for a future where it won’t be taboo to talk about gendered and/or marginalised issues, and stigma against mental illness will be eradicated.