Lee's story

"Before Cardboard Citizens I was literally doing nothing. I was just getting into trouble for no real reason, smoking cannabis and getting on the wrong side of the police.

I didn't really know what I was going to do with my life and I felt like I didn't have any real prospects. Once I got into the hostel system I heard about some workshops that were going on and I decided to see what it was all about.

My first Cardboard Citizens workshop was 'Writing for Performance'. At the workshop the staff were really nice and encouraging and they later invited me to write a play for them that was then performed at my hostel. After that I got invited to go to their Forum Theatre training, which was really fun because we played lots of different games and they made us act out different scenarios.

What I liked most about it was meeting all these new people that I would never have met if I hadn't done the workshop week. It was cool because there were people from all different areas and different ages but we all had something in common: homelessness.

I kind of got cast as an actor on the hostel tour by accident. I was acting in a community play when I busted up my knee just before the performance. I had to be put on crutches but I still made it to the performance in time. The director, Adrian Jackson, was sitting in the audience and was impressed that I still showed up with a bad knee and told me that I had a part in the hostel tour. We've even used my accident in one of the scenes in the tour.

I'm a bit nervous about performing in my own hotel because some of my mates might make fun of me. I keep telling them to come to the Cardboard Citizens workshops but I think they're worried about making fools of themselves. I hope that once they see our show it'll make them think twice about it, after all I'm the one getting paid as a professional actor!

Cardboard Citizens have given me so much; they have turned my life around in more ways than one. Not only have they helped me with my passion for drama and acting, they are also helping me find private accommodation and giving me great advice about applying to go to drama school."

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Cardboard Citizens, received £76,788 of funding from London Councils to reduce homelessness amongst young people.  Cardboard Citizens run theatre projects with, for, and by homeless and at-risk young Londoners to inspire, motivate, and build their practical and social skills.

Lee took part in a Cardboard Citizens workshop at his Look Ahead hostel in Victoria, then joined the company as a paid actor on Cardboard Citizens' 2008 Hostel Tour.