Do Young People Stand a Chance in Modern Britain?
Saturday 20th February, 2-3.15pm
The Music Room, The Storey
Download 'Festival of Questions' Programme here
Excluded from the minimum wage. Intense competition for internships on limited or no pay. What are the prospects for modern Britain’s under 25s? How probable is it that milliennials from low income backgrounds will move above such social and economic limitations in large numbers?
Speakers include Alvin Carpio, Kirsty Finn, Roxy Legane & John Urry (Chair).
Alvin Carpio campaigns for policy changes to address poverty. In 2015 he ran the First Job Opportunities programme. First Job Opportunities are jobs-with-training for people in poverty who have never had a job. The first major success was the use of a procurement model which states that for every £1m spent on public procurement, one first job opportunity is created. Now, contracts in total worth over £760m are implementing the model.
As a community organiser, Alvin led the Citizens’ Inquiry into the Tottenham Riots. This was the community-led response to the events that shocked England in the summer of 2011. This grassroots effort engaged 10,000 local people and led to jobs for young people and the suspension of section 60 stop and searches in the area.
Alvin advises governments and global corporations on leadership and social impact. He is an advisor to a €5 million research project that is examining the obstacles and opportunities affecting youth employment in Europe. He is currently advising the government of Trinidad and Tobago to support the establishment of its statutory National Youth Commission.
Kirsty Finn is a higher education researcher interested in everyday practices, personal relationships and emotional wellbeing. Her recent book, Personal Life, Young Women and Higher Education: A Relational Approach to Student and Graduate Experiences (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) examines the ways in which different patterns of engagement and interaction with higher education reflect and potentially redefine personal relationships such as family bonds, friendships and romantic and sexual partnerships. Kirsty has recently begun a new research project, funded by the Society for Research into Higher Education, looking at the changing pattern of student mobilities and how these relate to inclusivity, participation and environmental awareness.
Roxy Legane is Youth Activism Lead for Manchester-based charity RECLAIM Project which aims to empower working class young people to be seen, be heard and lead change. She has worked at RECLAIM Project for nine months, leading their first Greater Manchester activism programme. The programme looks to engage working class young people aged 14-20 from across the ten boroughs, supporting them to deliver campaigns on issues they are passionate about; amplifying the voices of working class communities. This week the cohort have released their 'Powerhouse Pioneers' manifesto, sharing their hopes for the future.
John Urry has worked at Lancaster since completing degrees in Cambridge. He is a former Head of the Sociology Department, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and University Dean of Research. From 2003 to 2015 he was Director of the Centre for Mobilities Research and helped to develop the ‘new mobilities paradigm' in social science research. He is now Co-Director of the Institute for Social Futures.
Sadly John Urry passed away shortly after this event, you can find his online condolence book at; wp.lancs.ac.uk/john-urry/
Presented as part of Festival of Questions [2.2.16-20.2.16]
This panel discussion is part of Day of Questions #2.
#myquestionis and #FestQ
Presented by Lancaster Arts in partnership with Modern Culture, & Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at Lancaster University, with venue partners The Storey and The Dukes
