Heart of the Hood Paperback
HEART OF THE HOOD - a raw, powerful collection of truth-telling, memory and imagination from our community.
We are 4FRONT – young people rooted in Grahame Park estate in North West London, organising for healing and justice in the face of violence, abandonment and systemic harm. Born in 2012 from the pain of losing one of our own, 4FRONT was founded by Temi Mwale, then a teenager in our community, as a response to violence and harm. What began as a campaign for care and a fight for justice grew into a movement – a bold, community-led youth organisation that supported our generation to begin healing, navigate trauma, reclaim our power and build safety beyond policing and prisons. For over a decade, we have challenged the state’s reliance on punishment and created radical alternatives rooted in love, care and community. HEART OF THE HOOD is a window into our world.
Through storytelling, reflection, conversation, song, portraits, poetry and visual notes, we share what life is really like on estates in Britain today – where community grows through the cracks, where grief fuels resistance, and where hope is forged in struggle.
At its heart, this is a love letter to Grahame Park – a place so often overlooked, vilified or reduced to headlines, yet bursting with beauty, resilience and untold stories. It also holds a mirror up to estates across the country. It documents more than ten years of grassroots power-building and collective care, led by those most affected by systemic injustice. It is a testament to what we have created together – not just in response to harm, but in pursuit of healing, dignity and freedom.
Why this book matters now? After more than a decade of love, healing and resistance, 4FRONT is reaching the conclusion of this chapter.
This decision has been made with deep reflection and care. Over the past year, we have been bringing our work to an intentional close – honouring the impact we’ve made and the relationships built along the way. Now, 4FRONT joins a long tradition: becoming part of the cycle of movements that rise, evolve, and make space for what comes next.
HEART OF THE HOOD is more than a book. It is a living archive of resistance and remembrance. A legacy from the frontlines. A refusal to be erased, displaced or forgotten. A bold vision for the future – rooted in love, shaped by us, for us. From the heart of Grahame Park to estates across the UK, these are our stories, and we are the ones telling them. This is not the end, but a collection of moments, memories and visions that continue to grow. The struggle lives on. So does the hope.