15 June 2017 - The Unusual Suspects Festival: Not Poor, Just Skint | Rethinking Poverty

15 June 2017 – The Unusual Suspects Festival: Not Poor, Just Skint

Posted on 01 Jun 2017   Categories: Event announcements, Past events Related Tags:  

We’re delighted to announce that we will be a part of The Unusual Suspects Festival from 14th-16th June. The festival is a unique set of collaborative, events, hosted by different organisations from a variety of sectors, across, different venues in a city.

The festival is a platform to bring together all voices in society to craft, solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges. Through an unusual mix of voices and audience, we can empower ourselves, challenge each other and ourselves to not only think and act differently and but to shift and change power dynamics in the capital.

The theme of the festival will be around shifting and changing of power dynamics. How can we empower everyone in society? Why is it important for us to be expose to the lived experiences and perspectives of others?

 

Not poor, just skint. Young people, money and economic inequality

Date: 15 June 2017
Time: 18:00 – 19:30
Venue: Ian Mikardo High School, 60 William Guy Gardens, London, E3 3LF

2.7 million 14-24 years olds live below the poverty line – that’s 30% of young people in the UK. Yet much of the language used when talking about poverty in the UK demeans those experiencing poverty, divides those trying to resolve it and does little to illustrate what life is actually like for the people experiencing it.

  • How do young people actually experience economic inequality and what effect does it have on their hopes for the future?
  • By including young people, can we have a better conversation about economic disadvantage?
  • Which policies are working for young people and which are not, and what action do we really want to see from government and others?

This youth-led session will bring together young people and decision-makers, throw in some poetry for good measure, and try to find some answers. Bringing together poetry and policy-making is meant to feel a bit bizarre – possibly outside of our usual comfort zones – but we think that’s a good thing! Crucially, young people get to lead the conversation and their agency is enhanced by working with decision-makers.

Intergenerational inequality is one of the big issues of the day, yet policy discussions all too often exclude the voices and experiences of younger generations. Led by members of local youth group, Spotlight, this event turns the usual policy discussion format on its head by putting the real experts – young people – front and centre.

The event is coordinated by Rys Farthing, an experienced social researcher and co-author of recently published Precarious Generation. She works with a number of youth groups across London and is a champion of youth-led policy making. Alongside Rys will be award-winning poet, John Akinde, who featured recently on Huffington Post UK and a young spoken-word poet, Tofi. Decision makers include representatives from Child Poverty Action Group, London Youth, The Equality Trust, British Youth Council, and others.  

We hope to welcome around 15 young people alongside 10 decision-makers/facilitators and as many unusual Londoners who wish to join us. The event starts at 6pm for 6.15pm

Register here to attend

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OUR CHALLENGE TO YOU! Help us make this session unusual! Bring along you mum, your dad, your child, your partner, your colleague or anyone else who would not usually attend an event like this. We need to start talking to people we know, and people we don’t, in a different way. Join us!

For more information about the festival and blogs outlining the purpose and inspiration for the festival, see the festival website.

Posted on 01 Jun 2017   Categories: Event announcements, Past events Related Tags:  

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