T21 Alchemy
T21 Alchemy: Stories of Down Syndrome, Parenting and Belonging
Real talk for parents, carers and allies raising children with Down syndrome, SEND or additional needs; newly diagnosed, pregnant, or supporting loved ones. Also for theatre makers exploring how lived experience becomes performance.
Join Oneness Sankara -a Black British mum, playwright, SEND advocate- as she shares raw family experiences (not leaflets), communication breakthroughs, Black SEND realities, and her spoken word musical *T21 Alchemy*.
New episodes cover:
• Communication and language development
• Independence and future planning
• Parenting identity and relationships
• Turning real stories into theatre
If you've wondered "what does this journey actually become?"—this podcast holds that conversation.
*Early episodes (The Purpose Pod) cover personal growth. New T21 Alchemy episodes focus on Down syndrome parenting, SEND advocacy and theatre.*
T21 Alchemy
Beyond the Paperwork: Celebrating Our Extraordinary Ordinary Kids | T21 Alchemy
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Beyond the Paperwork: Celebrating Our Extraordinary Ordinary Kids | T21 Alchemy
Dragons on buses, bank card heists, hydrogen peroxide interrogations—this is the joy we're fighting for.
Host Oneness Sankara shares candid conversations with her son (who has T21), flipping the script from advocacy fatigue to family brilliance. While other episodes tackle systems and struggle, E3 centres the chaotic, funny, precious moments that make parenting magic.
What happens:
- Bank card heist: independence meets audacity
- Hydrogen peroxide deep dive + dragons on London buses
- Rock collections + "Mummy dashed me out!" origin story
- Singing Hands memories + www.singinghands.com phase
- T21 Alchemy play excerpt
- Why admin shouldn't steal childhoods
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro with son
02:30 Celebrating joy over struggle
05:15 Bank card heist story
09:40 Singing Hands memories
12:20 Apedemak conversations
18:45 Ordinary moments matter
20:30 T21 Alchemy play excerpt
22:15 Afro-touching moment
23:00 Don't let admin steal childhoods
Key Themes:
Extraordinary ordinariness - Joy amid advocacy - Kids' brilliance - Systems vs family time
Resources:
Singing Hands (Makaton) - Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Connect: @t21alchemy
Share your child's stories!
Supported by Arts Council England
T21 Alchemy podcast episodes and theatre R&D supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
#DownSyndrome #T21 #SENDFamilies #Inclusion #Parenting
Stay connected with T21 Alchemy: @t21alchemy @thepurposementor on Instagram