Run Dem Crew
Formed in the winter of 2007 by DJ, poet and writer Charlie Dark, as an alternative to more traditional running clubs, Run Dem Crew has grown from a casual run around the neighbourhood with friends to a large and multifaceted organisation with fingers in many creative pies.
Committed to change and the upliftment of the next generation RDC works closely with young people across London providing mentoring and advice along with the opportunity to explore London in a safe, unique, positive and supportive environment.
Run Dem Crew actively sought to breakdown insecurity barriers people had about running across areas of London where they didn’t feel safe. Starting in east London around the Newham/Hackney borders there were new parks and marshes being restored through the Olympics. RDC was a method to help bring people to green spaces who might not otherwise have the social freedoms to do so.
As well as exploring the streets of London the Run Dem Crew also celebrates the diverse urban environment that surrounds the 1948 space with workshops, films and events.
“I just fell in love with running. I started running to get fit for a theater role and I just loved it. I was running around London late at night, making mixtapes, rediscovering London and seeing it in a different light with different smells, different scents, meeting different people and I wanted to share that with as many of my friends as I could. And basically the idea for the crew came through that. Also, it was a way for my friends to physically meet each other at least once a week. Whereas before it’s always been these virtual relationships, social media relationships, where we just follow each other around the world via our Twitter accounts and our Facebook accounts. I just wanted to be like, you know, “my man’s cool!” I actually want to see him. And that’s how it came about.”