During the final year of her degree studies at University of Sussex, Fabiola Franco-Palmier conducted interviews and recorded classes at Crisis Skylight, London E1, and produced Face Value: Art on the Airwaves, an audio exhibition exploring the hidden talents of people who have experienced homelessness (23'13"). 

The recording features new work by a few of the original Unknown Voices in addition to new voices. 

• Click the image on the right to hear Fabiola's project. 
• Email her directly for further information:  fabiola@fabfp.co.uk.

On-Line
Audio Recordings

The Recordings page features 32
click-to-play audio recordings
in which men and women
speak candidly and movingly about
their experiences of homelessness. 

Click on the image below
for the recordings page. 

Radio Programme

A radio programme about the Unknown Voices project is now available for broadcast.  The programme includes:

• interviews with members of the Unknown Voices team and with some of the women trained by them,
• recordings made during the course for training purposes,
• "behind the scenes" interviews with Richard Stevens (Fast Forward Grants), Leslie Morphy (Chief Executive, Crisis UK) and Richard Pace (Head of Crisis Skylight, London E1),
• illustrative extracts from the Unknown Voices interviews.

The full programme has a running time of 58 minutes.  It may be shortened or serialised to fit shorter broadcast slots.  Use the Contact Form at the bottom of this page to request further information. 

Unknown Voices

Unknown Voices is a project by
Women's Radio Group in association with
Exciting Writing teacher Paddy Gormley. 

The pilot phase of the project was
funded by GLE Fast Forward
and hosted by Crisis Skylight, London E1. 

Click on the images on the right
for the respective websites. 

The project was suspended during 2008, following the tragic, premature death of co-founder Julie Hill.  Click here or scroll down for a brief resumé of future plans. 

Phase 1 Objectives

The pilot phase of the project, completed in February 2008, had two objectives:

• to involve homeless and otherwise disadvantaged women in a training programme in which they could learn how to record and edit their own and other people's stories;
• to make digital audio recordings of the stories of other, similarly disadvantaged people, men and women, for presentation in this website. 

Some of the women who completed the initial training course in 2007 continued their training with further support from Women's Radio Group (WRG).   WRG's courses lead to units accredited by the Open College Network.

Phase 2 — How You Can Help

Whilst the first phase of the project is now complete, the organisers very much hope that the Unknown Voices project will continue to develop for many years to come. 

Specifically, we hope to:

• offer the training programme to further homeless and otherwise marginalised women;
• help other agencies to launch their own Unknown Voices initiatives using the template that we have devised;
• build the library of recordings presented on this website, perhaps extending it to other socially marginalised groups:  refugees, ex-offenders, etc;
• enable agencies and community workers to use Unknown Voices interviews to cathartic effect. 

Please contact Paddy Gormley to discuss opportunities for further development of the project or simply to comment on this website or the issues it raises. 

• Email paddy@unknownvoices.net
• or click here for contact form

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The Recordings

Copyright

The interviewees have generously given permission for intimate details of their lives to be presented in this website, in the hope that others may learn from their experiences.  However, the interviewees reserve all rights in their respective recordings.  No recording may be broadcast in any other medium whatsoever without the prior knowledge and consent of the individuals concerned. 

Contact Paddy Gormley directly if you wish to seek such permission.. 

• Email paddy@unknownvoices.net
• or call click here for contact form.

Postcard

Click on the image below
for a PDF of the postcard
which we are using
to promote the project. 

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Julie Hil, RIP

The Unknown Voices project was temporarily suspended in 2008 out of respect for the late Julie Hill, without whom the project would not have happened:  Julie died of cancer in July 2008. 

Unknown Voices project co-founder Paddy Gormley (pictured right, with Julie in November 2007) writes:

"We hope to continue the work of Unknown Voices as a lasting tribute to Julie.  In addition to our ongoing work with homeless people, we wish to extend the project to address other areas of marginalisation, including refugees, ex-offenders, people with disabilities and the long-term unemployed.  All offers of support, financial and/or in-kind, will be gratefully received."