Diary of a Working Woman
Passionate, hard-working, fearless Educationalist, Psychologist and mother, Johnette Barrett talks to a selection of working women who have gone through many challenging experiences, often having to undergo many conflicting roles. Johnette unravels the secrets of being a successful woman in today’s world.
Diary of a Working Woman
Future World Leader? 17-Year-Old Political Prodigy Shares Her Vision for a Better World!
Meet Niamh, a remarkable young powerhouse making waves as the Youth Mayor for Hammersmith and Fulham at just 17, and hear how her multicultural roots from Nigeria, Italy, and Ireland have sculpted her voice in the world of activism. This episode takes you on a journey through Niamh’s awakening to social constructs during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and how these pivotal moments fuelled her passion for identity and civil rights. Her story is one of inspiration, driven by her family's unwavering support in all her ventures, from politics to the arts.
We explore the transformative power of education in shaping young advocates, spotlighting programs like "Prison Me No Way" that bring real-world issues into the classroom. Niamh shares her insights on the contrasting experiences between state and private schools, emphasising the need for broader societal awareness among students. The conversation also highlights how youth councils can be instrumental in promoting civic engagement, and the importance of bridging resource gaps to ensure all students have access to these life-enhancing opportunities.
As Niamh balances her academic responsibilities with vigorous extracurricular commitments, her experiences underline the importance of diversity and representation in education. The discussion shifts to the political implications of education disparities and the need for inclusive policies that support every student. We round off by discussing the power of young voices in shaping the future, stressing the need for adults to provide platforms for these voices to be heard. Join us for an episode packed with wisdom and encouragement, aimed at empowering young people to pursue their dreams and make a meaningful impact.
A new podcast in which Johnette Barrett, educational psychologist, seeks out inspirational working women who have transformed their lives and that of others through their courageousness and compassion.
The conversations that follow are sometimes eye-opening, sometimes heart- breaking and sometimes humourous.
Diary of a Working Woman (DOAWW) is hosted by Buzzsprouts .com.
Email: diaryofaworkingwoman@yahoo.com
Instagram: doaww podcast
Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227789
Welcome to the Diary of a Working Woman podcast. I'm Jonette, your host On this podcast. I'll be speaking to women from all walks of life, of different ages, and the thing that they'll have in common is that they will work in some way or another. Their stories will be motivating, inspiring, empowering. I just know you're going to enjoy it. Please follow me on Diary of a Working Woman to receive all the latest episodes. Tune in Welcome.
Speaker 1:I am absolutely delighted to be joined today by my youngest ever guest on the Diary of a Working Woman podcast. The beautiful Neve is just 17 years of age, but she is so switched on. Neve is a remarkable, remarkable young lady who's achieved great things in her life already. So she's doing her A-levels. She's doing A-levels in English History Politics and she's also doing an extended project. And see if that wasn't enough, niamh was the Youth Mayor for Hammersmith and Fulham from December 2022 to March 2024, and currently she chairs the Equality and Diversity Board at her school. So, as said, she's a phenomenal young lady and she's going to be going places. She's already going places. We need to hear her story, because she's all about empowering young people to use the voice that they have been given. She's going to be sharing her personal story of how she's been able to use her voice and what support system has been around her to get her to use her own voice, but also she's been able to use her voice and what support system has been around her to get her to use her own voice. But also she's going to be talking about the importance of young people exercising their civil rights, for example, through, you know, freedom, personal freedom, or just understanding the law in terms of employment and understanding the law.
Speaker 1:So, please, please, please, you are on the floor. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to be here. I am absolutely delighted because, you know, I just thought you know this is called diary of a working woman. Yeah and um, you know, young ladies. You know you're already 17 and you're just embarking on your career, on your life, so it's a very exciting time. I remember being 17 myself. Won't tell you what I got up to. I'm sure you don't get up to any of those things. Never, never, never, never. Want you, first of all, to maybe share with our viewers and listeners how it all started. So tell us about your family setup, your heritage, your, your parents, what they do their aspirations just lay on the table. Get us a sense of who. Give us a sense of who you are.
Speaker 2:Okay, um pressure, not a small task so I well, my mom works in school and my dad works for the council, so they were both key workers during covid. So I saw kind of the impact that working class people have on, you know, wider society and they're also divorced, which I think has built a lot of my character in terms of kind of navigating that space with them as well and determination and kind of resilience. So I think that that has kind of been built into me from a younger age. I'd have to say where my interest in politics really started from was the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Huge thing, big topic, but I think for me I was never really aware of my race as a social kind of construct before, at least not consciously anyway.
Speaker 2:So I'm half Nigerian and also a quarter Italian, quarter Irish. I've got a little bit of a mix, yeah, just a little bit um, but yeah, so I've kind of been surrounded predominantly by my Nigerian culture, if I'm completely honest. Um, spending a lot of time with that side of my family, eating the food, going to kind of celebrations with them, the music, all of that kind of stuff, um, but then also at home we eat a lot of like Italian. We have see kind of like the more Irish side of our family, stuff like that. So I've definitely felt the culture from all kinds of different aspects.
Speaker 2:So for me that was just normal. I didn't think, oh, I'm a young black woman or a young black girl out in the world. I was just Niamh trying to, you know, go through the day-to-day. But I think that the black lives matter protest was a huge wake-up call for me in terms of making me realize how important skin color was. And I think you know from year seven my school was really good at kind of talking through pshc stuff and so part of that is looking at identity and where you fit in. But I'd never felt a need to place any emphasis on one culture more than another or my race more than you know my personality. It wasn't something that crossed my mind until it kind of was solidified for me that actually black people and ethnic minority people are targeted on a daily basis purely based on what people see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and so it's interesting because you're coming from that dual heritage, um perspective, and lots more than the dual, because you've got the italian yeah um, you're coming from it from lots of different perspectives, um, and then you have that rich culture at home, all those experiences interacting with different, you know cultures, which I'm sure has been enriching. But before we just talk a little bit more about your opportunities at school and you've already touched on some of those what were your parents aspirations for you and growing up? And have you got siblings?
Speaker 2:yes, I've got an older sister and a younger brother and I think my parents have always just pushed us to be the best that we can be and to be the best version of ourselves, and whatever it is that we're passionate about is whatever they want us to succeed in. So before I had any real kind of career goals, they were just like try a load of stuff. So I did ballet, tap, musical theatre, which I still really love to do. So I'm kind of still in like the theatrical kind of element. I do school plays and stuff like that. But yeah, they really just pushed me to explore loads of different really love to do. So I'm kind of still in like the theatrical kind of element.
Speaker 2:I do school plays and stuff like that. But yeah, they really just pushed me to explore loads of different things and see what it was that I liked. I would say that my parents were really good at kind of taking our lead on what it is that we wanted to do. So for me personally, I think I was always really good in school. So they kind of had the oxbridge ambition from, I think, about maybe year eight, year nine. But that was also partly because that was driven by me.
Speaker 1:I was like oxbridge, that's where I want to be, so exactly.
Speaker 2:so my parents really got behind that and kind of pushed me in that direction. Um, I have some relatives who really wanted me to go to med school but they are biased because they are like a whole family of doctors and I quickly realised that chemistry was not for me, so that kind of ruled that out as a profession. And then, like I say, I got kind of interested in social justice through Black Lives Matter protests.
Speaker 1:What was it about that? Because obviously you're telling your personal story. Your personal story is set against the backdrop of the covid19 pandemic, the black lives matters movement and, obviously, the economic depression that we've experienced in the country.
Speaker 2:So we've got a lot going on.
Speaker 1:You young people, you know, is it? What's the generation gen z? I think we're just a lot going on you, so it's great that you've got that ambition to go to Oxford, or you did. We'll find out whether or not that's still your ambition. But I want to hear more about you know the Black Lives Matter movement and how that was the almost wake-up call to acknowledge your ethnicity. Just perhaps see yourself through the lens of other people looking at you.
Speaker 2:Well, I think it was mainly social media, to be honest, and you know there's a lot of controversy surrounding it, but for me I've always found it to be quite a beneficial space, um, in terms of I think a lot of young people use it to gain information, and especially during lockdown, when you know you couldn't actually go out and see anyone. I think it it was really, really important. So I was on Instagram and I was just scrolling and this comes up on my For you page. It's been all over the news and I'm seeing, you know, reading the comment section and seeing people sharing their stories and explaining how racism isn't necessarily the big things, because I'd always been aware of this kind of concept of police brutality stop and search, you know. You look at events that happen in British history wind rush, all of these kind of things I've always known about, and I have family members and godparents from the Caribbean community, which I think is has a very special tie to Britain through things like wind rush etc. And so I've kind of always been aware of those things anyway. But it was the slightly smaller things and the, I guess, microaggressions and that kind of thing that I never really considered because there wasn't much else to do. I kind of just thought on my life and reflected on, you know, the people that I may have interacted with and the things that have been said to me and thought, oh, I didn't necessarily perceive this like that, but potentially there is that kind of element of you've judged me purely based on how you see me. And give an example of that, because obviously I was.
Speaker 2:I was out playing a laser tag with my cousins and they live in like near leeds, so it's quite a white area, and we were just kind of going around shooting people as you do, and one of the other players in the game said shoot all of the.
Speaker 2:My cousins and I were the only black people. Yeah, so little things like that which I'd kind of never thought about. But also that thing of going into a shop, for example, and you've always got eyes watching you as you go around or you've got someone physically following you. I mean, just last week I went into a store and suddenly a woman appears next to me and I'm just walking browsing and she's just not saying anything to me, not said you know I can't, or hi, none of that, just tagging along and so things like that I never thought about or conceptualize in the sense of, oh, that's race, but the black lives matter, and particularly social media, and the response to that made me realize this is a thing that's very relevant to me, and I ended up joining a couple of like group chats and things like that where people were organizing protests and at the time, because I was about 14, that's wrong, my math is terrible I was about 11 12, 20 wasn't.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would be about 12 13 yeah.
Speaker 2:So my parents said you're not going to any protests because there is obviously that element of disorder and that's not an environment they wanted their child to be in, which, at the time, I was very upset about again a conversation. Yeah, I can definitely understand that. So for me it was just more about being there in a space where people were having open discussion about what can be done or what needs to be done or really the purpose of protest, and that kind of sparked my interest in activism as a topic, um, and yeah, that kind of spread out into looking at civil rights, looking at the criminal justice system and just fixing britain so here you have it, everyone.
Speaker 1:We have neve who is going to fix britain, so I'm gonna try with a kiss down there, right, yeah, and kemi, you better watch out because on the block, on the block so um, that passion for activism and that sort of awakening that you had, a cultural awakening, were you supported in school to be, you know, active and have that voice and to have that natural curiosity and wanting social justice? Did you find that the school were encouraging these sort of conversations and debates and discussions?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think it wasn't necessarily a thing of where I would go and be like I'm interested in this. Is there anything you can do to facilitate that interest? It was more like we'd have pshc sessions personal, social and social. Yeah, um, so it basically is is a space where you have lessons different from the curriculum, where you can learn about other things. So mental health is a really big one. My current school do like life skills sessions as well as part of that. So you do cooking, you look at cleaning, how you stock a fridge so basically, yeah, it's really important.
Speaker 1:I think my son will start on that as a PS. Yeah, it's really important. I think my son will start on that bit as a PSA curriculum.
Speaker 2:It's really important to prepare young people essentially for the outside world, where you don't have that kind of protectionist bubble. So as part of that, they had outside speakers come into the school. We learned about county lines. We had Prison Me no Way, which I loved. This happened in year eight because we were actually, I think, the last year group that got it because of covid and I'm not sure if it started back up again yet. But essentially they're an organization. They come into schools and they run a workshop for a day where they explain to you what life in prison is like. So they had two ex-convicts come in to talk to us and they said this is the crime we committed, this is the system we went through and essentially it was brutal. Don't do it. And then they also bring in a cell which they put in the back of a van, which is actually the same kind of dimensions as a real cell. What's the time? You? Prison me? No way.
Speaker 2:Prison me no way yeah, I mean I'd never heard of them before either, but like they're really really interesting. You know, from there, I think, the kind of crossover of that then straight into covid and then social justice like it all really just kind of hit you at once and that's where it kind of all grew from.
Speaker 1:So that experience, I think, was really it is really important for young people to kind of learn about, and I suppose in that sense we had discussion from the school, yeah, I think it's also, you don't mind me adding, I think it's also really good that and we won't mention the name of your school, but that the type of school that you go to, which is, you know, which, is a leading school, where I know that the vast majority of young people probably go on to university, and so you've got probably got a trajectory mapped out already in terms of you know, the types of professions that might, you know likely to go in, would have this project. Really, I can see the inner city schools, you know, where there's a a big gang culture in the community wanting something like this.
Speaker 2:But it's great that your school embraced this opportunity, which it was, because obviously all types of people from all different backgrounds and classes commit crimes and I think this is also been quite interesting in seeing the continuation across two different schools because obviously from well not necessarily, obviously, but from year 7 to 11 I went to a state school and I'm now in a private school and although they're very, very different in the way that they approach issues as in the prison me no way scheme was obviously in a state school. I don't know if they offer it to private schools, but that, um, so that's my point.
Speaker 2:So you didn't have that in your private school exactly, but we still have kind of that crossover of the general PSHC topics, but within that there are things that I guess are missed out because maybe I don't know, maybe they don't occur as a thought or you know there's a there's. I mean, there's so many things going on that some things kind of do get lost in translation. But yeah, so I suppose in that sense my old school definitely has supported my curiosity. They were also the ones who reached out to me about youth council. So the way that youth council works is they have a load of partnerships within the borough. So they work with schools, charities, like also the home schooling system in the borough, to make sure that all young people are included. And they reach out to everyone and they say you know, we've got elections coming up. Any young people who are interested there's going to be a zoom call next week join that. And then you know, gain some information.
Speaker 2:And then you go off and you do your manifesto and you kind of go through the electronic process so in that sense, my school is always very good at fielding opportunities where they knew they were happening which I think is really important, especially as a state school, because they're quite underfunded, so they can't necessarily facilitate everything themselves, but it's important, I think, to have those connections to pass on to the students.
Speaker 1:The connections the opportunities, those partnerships and just belief in the young people to actually just say look, you know you could be the next prime minister, you know these are opportunities. So you're going into the private sector now with that wealth of experience behind you. So prison me, no way. Yeah. What do you think? What advantages do you think you've got over your current peers who have not perhaps been, you know, through that system, those who have been in the independent sector for all their lives, like, maybe?
Speaker 2:I think and this might come across as potentially quite harsh, but I think real world experience, because what I've noticed personally is that the private education system can be quite insulated and so there's a lack of awareness. I think awareness is the wrong word. There's a lack of tangibility to certain issues. So I think everyone is very aware of, you know, race and racism and race issues and crime and all of those kind of things, and there's definitely an interest there from the student body. So it's not like they don't care that's not what I'm saying at all, but there is definitely a disconnect in that it doesn't necessarily directly impact their lives.
Speaker 2:So in my school I went to school with students whose parents were incarcerated. I went to a school where you were hearing about people's life stories without realizing you were hearing about people's life stories, whereas I think in private school you realize that you're hearing about them and I think that that creates a very different perspective because subconsciously now when I meet people and I go out into the world, I've kind of got a perception of you know, maybe this is kind of the background you're coming from. So I actually want to hear your story and know what you have to say it's that divide, isn't it?
Speaker 1:that, yeah, definitely the two-tier school system has, unfortunately, because it sounds like very much the case of. You know, they know what's going on out there, but it's it's. It's happening to them. We're safe in our bubble, but it's happening to them that actually, you and your bubble will still have to interact with society at large. You know, understand and understand what's real. So you know, I'm glad, I'm glad that you're here so you can talk about some of that real stuff and, uh, you know that young people will be, I'm sure, really interested to hear. So that's a bit about about your schooling and about why you went into being the youth mayor, which is fantastic. What's the biggest impact that you think you made in that position? Because you served for quite a long time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we did. I think the first kind of half of my term was kind of a lot of just picking back up after COVID because, we came back, youth council hadn't met for ages because of the pandemic, so a lot of the work that we were doing was getting our social media up and running, getting our outreach up and running and trying to just really build the program. Um, and it really surprised me how little people knew about it, given that they're supposed to be, as because it's a. Well, we have the youth mayor, then you also have the member of youth parliament, and the member of youth parliament is a national kind of assembly where people from all over the country have youth ambassadors. They meet together in the house of commons once per term. They have a bunch of different sessions throughout the year. They create their own manifesto and say we're going to tell you, the government, what issue we have as young people. So the one that we were working on last, well, throughout my term there was a bit well, not like a bill, because obviously we're not actual government officials, but the youth equivalent surrounding free school meals, and so that was something that was really really important to us. And then, as so like I say, like this is supposed to be quite a big institution and very few people knew about it.
Speaker 2:So I think the biggest thing that I would say that I achieved during my term was definitely outreach, and I think in some ways, that is so much more important than potentially doing a particular thing when it comes to youth council.
Speaker 2:In in this specific sense, purely because I think it's important for young people to feel their voices are respected and they're heard and that was essentially what I ran on was the fact that I've been in situations where, you know, young people get dismissed all the time when they have really good ideas, simply because they're young, so they don't have life experience. We're not necessarily thinking about this is going to cost a million pounds of the government budget. We're thinking about we need this. Here's a solution, produce it, you know. And I think sometimes because as young people we have that simpler view, it means that I guess we don't over complicate issues and we don't think about why we can't. We think about why we can, and so I think making sure that young people feel validated in having issues and going to explore different things, I think was really, really important for me, and I think that I would say that I quite successfully. Well, I'd like to say I successfully yeah, job well done.
Speaker 1:That's that's. That's really good because, you know, often these days all we hear is the sort of negative side of young people. You know young people, you know the crime rate. They're doing this, they're doing that, they're disrespectful, and we don't see some of the good that some young people are trying to, you know, to achieve for their communities.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think also it's about changing that perception of young people Because, like I say, I think, partly because of the way in which I was raised, I had more of a holistic view of people. And young people are not bad. We're not, you know, criminals. We're not. We don't just act out because we feel like it. There are reasons behind this, you know. If you look at crime rates, it's not just because it's fun. Like that kind of lifestyle is incredibly dangerous, you know. It's not something that a lot of people choose to go into. They do it because they come from backgrounds where they're struggling. So some young people are going into gangs because they're trying to provide for families, because their parents are not making enough money.
Speaker 1:Or the parents are missing or a parent might be missing.
Speaker 2:Exactly, there's a lot of factors that essentially all lead back to the government and the government not necessarily creating the best social environment for young people to be in.
Speaker 2:So I think that for Youth Council changing that perspective both of young people but of young people to be in.
Speaker 2:So I think that for youth council, changing that perspective both of young people but of young people for themselves, and, like you said before, you know, I think a really important part of the education system is making young people feel believed in, and I think having a teacher who has faith in you makes the world of difference.
Speaker 2:Because, again, not every young person has support from home so you're in school more often than not. So if you have people around you who say you know, stop messing about, put your head down, because I believe you can do this, then you're more likely to go on and achieve things than be another young person who's left by the wayside and is kind of written off. And I think that that's really, really important. And so for youth council in particular, my aim going into that was to try and change adults perspectives of young people, but change young people's perspectives of themselves, and I think in some ways for me that was more important than what the world thinks of us, because if you're ever going to do anything, it starts with faith in you so what's so different about you then?
Speaker 1:why would? Why would they believe you? What is it about you that they saw that they could identify with, so they could trust? Because it comes down ultimately to trust as well. You know, you need to be trusting the person who's trying to advocate on your behalf, right? So what was it in you in that role? Do you think that you were able to make that impact?
Speaker 2:well, I think you'd have to ask the young people where are you young people?
Speaker 1:can you write anything it needs to impact your life? Please write it. See the show. Love to hear. Yeah, I think.
Speaker 2:I mean for me. I'm a very passionate person, so if I set my mind to something, it's happening. It's happening, it's a done deal. Yeah, I said I want to be youth mayor and it happened. So I think that if you show people drive and determination, then they think that you can do things for them. And I think it's kind of like that belief again from teachers. They have a passion in you, they have an investment in you. So you start to think, oh, maybe I am this, maybe I can do that you've hit the nail on the head, need, yeah, that, that drive, that self-belief.
Speaker 1:You see, if you've got people who believe in you, which will, in turn, hopefully help you to believe in yourself, then that builds confidence, exactly. And whilst you are a confident person, you believe in you, who you are, you know where you're coming from, you know where you're going to, then naturally, you're going to inspire those around you, aren't you?
Speaker 2:Well, I'd like to host you.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm sure that you weren't. You know the youth mayor of you, know Hampstead and Fulham for so long because you didn't have any impact. Obviously, you've got a lot of personality and a lot about you in terms of empowering, so that's wonderful. So, diary of a working woman. So what does your normal day look like? Tell me, it's almost. You're doing a levels and you're sharing the racial stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, focus through what day looks like for you so day to day, 8, 25 till 4, that's kind of like what's on a day I get up at half five in the morning. I wake up really quite early. Yeah, so you did at half five.
Speaker 1:I like morning I wake up really quite early. Yes, you do at half five.
Speaker 2:I like to take my time getting ready. I just think it's important to set yourself up for the day.
Speaker 2:Definitely less than just skincare. I think it's important to set yourself up for the day, because if you feel good about you you're going to instantly have a more positive impact on the day. Yeah, school day starts 8.25 until four and then, like currently I'm doing the school play, so I'm in school till 6. I think I'm in till 10 next week. So depends kind of varies. Then, um, youth council meetings are every Tuesday, so I go to them a lot less now than I used to because a levels are so intense and you've got like revision, exams, coursework. But where I can I go to that and we've had a couple of other sessions throughout the week. So where I can be involved, I try to be. And we have monthly meetings for our diversity and equality committee and then we also have a sixth form committee meeting which I sit on also. So we kind of take issues from our year group and we feed them back there to the school captains and then the school captains take them to the appropriate members of staff. They also we also feed back to school council and we say these are some things that have come up for us. How can we change this within the school structure?
Speaker 2:And actually I think it's about a month ago, I had a meeting. Well, there were a couple of us who spoke to school governors about various issues, and I spoke to them about kind of race and diversity within my school and that issue. I think it was a lot about identity, and so I was speaking from a very personal perspective of I've come from a state school which was incredibly diverse. I'm now in an institution that is predominantly white. I think there's only one black member of teaching staff. So that was really strange for me, coming from the environment that I did. So those are the kind of points I raised. We talked about, I suppose, gender politics within the school and how was that received? It was received really well. I mean I don't necessarily know what the follow-up from that is, but I mean the governors that I was speaking to. It was a really, really good dialogue.
Speaker 1:A diverse governing body, or not really? Yes, diverse, that's interesting.
Speaker 2:It's a lot more diverse than I was expecting. There's pretty even split between men and women, which is really really good, especially given that my school's history used to be a boys' school and they haven't been a co-ed school for very long. But the split both amongst student body, teaching body, governing body, very 50-50. So on a gender level it's really good, and then I mean the governing board in particular, racially less diverse, but there is still. Do they say why that is? Well, interestingly, I was talking about the issue of having, I think, minority teaching staff, specifically from the Black community, and one of the biggest issues apparently is recruitment and encouraging people to actually go into both private schools but also education system, and I think that trying to get people to move into private schools is definitely a really big hurdle.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because they've been trying to do it for the last 20 years. I mean, it's one of those cyclical issues, isn't it really?
Speaker 2:because it's chicken and egg. You need more diversity to encourage people to come, to encourage people to come and be more diverse.
Speaker 1:We seem to be attractive in some way and nobody wants to go into a working environment where they're in. They're in a minority, really, because we know what can happen when you're in a minority. Yeah, so it is. It is really hard, but maybe do you think they're marketing hard enough. You know what's up.
Speaker 2:I mean it's definitely a follow-up conversation to be had for sure.
Speaker 2:I think there is definitely an effort being made to seek out the issues when it comes to identity and move towards solving them. I think that's and then I mean that's really important to have as a first step of actually you clearly have an interest in fixing these issues, you want to hear what they are and I think that's super, super important. It's just now keeping that moving and, you know, gaining momentum, which I'm not so sure about because obviously, as a student body, we don't necessarily hear about the inner workings as much so a levels beyond a levels?
Speaker 1:where are you hoping to study? Or you said, oxbridge, hopefully because I know that's changed yeah, I mean, what are you hoping to study?
Speaker 2:I'm hoping. I'm kind of torn between two unis um cambridge and warwick right pros and cons both really, really good unis and definitely both need a day trip to kind of see what I prefer.
Speaker 2:I'm applying for politics related degrees to all of my options. So I've applied for politics and international relations, hsps at Cambridge, which is human, social, political science, and at PPL at Warwick, which is politics, philosophy, law, so very different in terms, of course, content, I mean specifically with cambridge and warwick. Cambridge is kind of like sociology, anthropology and politics, whereas ppl is obviously more legal. You've got the philosophical ethics kind of element which is really interesting to me. Actually, I love that kind of interaction and I think what I really love about the PPL course is how every single one of those sections is very intrinsically linked to another. You know, politics is rooted in law, law is linked to ethics and so it's all kind of cyclical Interacting with each other in terms of what makes people do what?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and your intention ultimately, if you have got a goal for the beyond your degree, um I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm still kind of thinking about career options in the future. I've thought about going into politics, um, which I think would be very, very interesting, but to be a politician fresh out of uni is like would never happen, kind of. In between that I need to gain some sort of experience. So potentially thinking about studying law as well, um, in like a conversion course or something like that, uh, but also could go into like the civil service. I don't know the Welsh oyster, right yeah.
Speaker 1:That's an option for sure. You've mentioned politics as a potential direction of flow. If I don't know, what do you think of our new Tory leader, so the first black lady of a major UK political party ever?
Speaker 2:What are your thoughts? I mean first of all, congratulations to her. I think it's a really impressive achievement, Definitely.
Speaker 1:Do you feel proud? Nigerian heritage? Yeah, Got to get that one in there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I was really happy when she won, just because of what it means, I think, for black people and I think also women in particular. Yeah, and coming back to that idea of believing, you know I think it's so important to have role models in every field. You know there's a lot of black pop artists, movie stars, that kind of thing. So I think, you know, in the creative sector, you've got those role models, but I think it's nice, also in a political setting, to see that actually you are represented. So I, I, you know, I really commend her for doing it and and for getting that.
Speaker 2:I think I mean she's she said some things which potentially I may agree and disagree with, as is politics, but I think the most interesting thing that I want to pick up on in relation to education is the VAT on private schools, and I think that was a really interesting policy from the Labour government in their manifesto and was causing a lot of like stir during election season and now that they're implementing it, I think it's so interesting when you look at, you know, participation and democracy and all of those political things we're learning in A-levels. That I won't bore you with, but like I think it's really interesting to see kind of how mandates work, yeah, um and that kind of thing, but at the same time I definitely don't think that it bodes well for the education system.
Speaker 2:You don't, because some people think that you know they're trying to address inequalities there well, I think the only reason that I mean for me I argue that it's potentially not positive is because private schools often you look at them and think rich people, you know upper middle class, and they're the only people that go there, but actually there's a lot of working families that go to private schools and especially um independent, um scn schools, you know special needs schools I mean I'm on a bursary in my school because I come from a working class background and that's sponsored by people who invest in the school which, now that there's vat, may actually need that money to spend on their own children their own families
Speaker 2:so there's that element that's kind of reduced, but also those working class families that are literally scrounging for money to send their kids to a better education system now can't afford it absolutely, and what that actually means for the state sector is you have a lot more students who are now going to be flooding into schools because they cannot afford private education anymore, which puts further strain on state education, which means more money has to be spent there, more teachers, which should be going there anyway. I think that you know there is an issue for sure between private schools and public schools and there definitely needs to be an evening of that gap, but I'm not necessarily sure that FET is the way to get there simply because it affects the working class quite significantly, and I think that that has kind of been omitted from the Labour government's perspective.
Speaker 1:They're probably looking at numbers, though, and as opposed to percentage of working class families that do go on to independent schools, is quite small, obviously, in comparison to the numbers who are in, you know, in the state sector anyway. So you know, is it a leveling off of the playing field? Yeah, it's very controversial, but you know, it's great to have your views as a person who's experienced both yeah, I mean, I think, school systems.
Speaker 2:I definitely with my old school in particular. It was a phenomenal state school and I could genuinely talk about it for ages, about how much I loved it, because it provided me with every opportunity that I had.
Speaker 1:Bursary on the back of it. You know as well, you know Exactly. I'm sure they were very, very sad to lose you. They were looking very favourably at your school at the moment. You were off the top of the top.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean they provided me with a lot of the support that I needed whilst I was there, which has meant that I can go on to think about all the things that I want to pursue. That said, being in a private school has provided me with opportunities that I never had residential trips, trips abroad, um, and that's a lot of extra.
Speaker 1:I mean it's just not fair really. You've got all these opportunities. You didn't have them and you've gone through them. Maybe you know the opportunities aren't as great. Some schools, their budgets are a lot bigger, they can stretch further and offer those competitive opportunities that independent schools can't.
Speaker 2:I mean yeah, I think it's interesting because, as a politician who is head of state in terms of, you know, government and policy and having to do all of these different things, you do kind of look at it as more of a numbers game. Yeah, I'm not in politics and I don't know but yeah, I don't have kind of all of the information and the knowledge and the expertise that they have.
Speaker 2:But I think that the way that I look at politics is not just a numbers game but a people's game and I think that okay, let's say that for the sake of the argument working class people make up only five percent of the private education system. That's still a really significant thing. And a lot of schools my current school in particular are working to broaden their um bursary and scholarship schemes, which, with things like vat, won't necessarily be able to do, and I think that potentially unpopular. Well, I mean, they've definitely been unpopular recently, but the labour government have said things in their you know, their um budget that they've released which are incredibly unpopular with the working population, and I think it's a very interesting time. There are interesting times.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to go too deeply into this definitely in interesting times. And, as we sort of draw to a close, if Keir Starmer was sat here with you right now or, you know, kelly, both of them sat down what would you like to say to them in terms of um young people and what the main challenges are for them today, the main issues for them?
Speaker 2:yeah, I think I mean we've touched on it already but definitely disparity between different social classes really impacts young people and I think that if we can get the government to close that gap and provide the same opportunities to all young people, then they will be able to aspire to different things, that will gain new experiences, that will maybe push them towards entrepreneurial careers or legal careers or whatever it is that they're interested in. Having that kind of space for them, but also the arts and that investment there. I think I would also say creating more forums and more, again, funding for spaces where young people can express themselves and feel as though they have an impact. Because when you look at things like the pandemic, that was awful for young people, for primary age children, it was really difficult in terms of development, um, reading ages all of these kind of things coming off the back of the diet they're shocking.
Speaker 2:It's terrible. Um, and then if you kind of, as you move up the age group young people who were in secondary school you know very sociable time, you go out with your friends after school, all of these things overnight shut off, like I remember one one day I was out with my friends, we were having fun, you know, going, getting food and doing all these things. The next day, literally I'm saying goodbye to my friend on the corner of my road because we're not going to see each other for who knows how long. And that system there was no consultation of young people and looking into actually how is that going to affect them on both a cognitive level, but also on an emotional level. But also on an emotional level.
Speaker 2:And I think creating a system where government works more closely with young people is super, super important in terms of guaranteeing and ensuring our future. And I mean, even if you move up to older young people, uni ages, the cost of uni tuition is going up. That means that for a lot of people they're looking at student loans and saying no, thank you, no, because I can't afford that. Yeah, I'm not in a situation where that feels tangible or aspirational to me and that's a real problem because Britain I mean it benefits Britain to support young people and to invest in young people, because we are the future and we're going to be the workforce that takes over. If you don't have people going and getting those degrees or going into the art sectors, then we're going to grind to a halt and we're going to be in a very, very difficult position.
Speaker 1:So they definitely. You're absolutely right. They definitely need to start listening more, don't they? I mean, with the increase in the number of young people being diagnosed with all sorts of mental health issues, you know, and medical health issues, it just seems that, you know, within this precarious time, with young people staying at home much longer than they would normally, you know, in their 30s, you know, just not being able to get a job after actually going to, you know, do a degree, you come out, you can't get a job, not least a job in the, in the subject that you studied at university. So it is a very, very hard time, I think, for young people. But you are doing amazing things. I am really proud of you. I'm sure your parents, I mean, is there anything you'd like to say to your parents now in terms of opportunities or in form?
Speaker 2:um, I mean, I'd just say thank you to them genuinely. Like my mum has always supported everything that I wanted to do. My dad's kind of had my back as well and and they pushed me to be the best version of myself. Genuinely, there's an opportunity. Why don't you do that? Is there something you're interested in? And then if, in typical teenage fashion, I just grunt and say they're like, but why like, let's have kind of conversation and and and really think about what it is you want to do and where they can. They've provided every opportunity for me. So I'm very lucky young lady.
Speaker 1:I have and I've got a lot of gratitude to them, nurturing it, and that gratitude you know it's not. You're doing a selfless act, in a way. In advocating for young people, you want to give back to your community.
Speaker 2:Definitely. I think a lot of the values I have is because they've been instilled in me by my parents. I definitely wouldn't be half the person I was if they weren't my parents, and I think that the environment that I've grown in, like I said at the beginning, has taught me a lot about myself and the things that I believe in and the things that I stand for, and one of those things is providing space for other people in the sense of and this is again kind of linking to my term and as youth mayor, I didn't want to say I'm going to be your voice. I said I want to provide space for your voice, and I think that's another thing which is really different potentially between the way that adults potentially view their connection with young people. Sometimes it's like, okay, I'm gonna say what young people want. No, we can say what we want. You just need to provide that space for us and clear a field so that we can do that.
Speaker 1:And I think, yeah, giving back and and that kind of attitude that I have I owe definitely to my parents well, you know, that's just amazing and I hope today you'll agree that I've tried to create a space for your voice today and get mine a bit muted, more than usual, just for you, just to hear you, because you know, um, with my educational background. Again, you know, one of the things that I always maintained when I was a school leader was that young people don't know how young they are. Young children when they come to school, they have a voice, yeah, they have a view, you know, need shaping and everything, but they have opinions and we do need to create that space. We do need to give them an opportunity to become the person that they're detested destined to become, leaving them. We need to nurture them, encourage them and give them the opportunities and they won't all have the wealth of opportunities that you've had.
Speaker 1:You've been a lucky young person but they will have opportunities. But they need people from school, from in their home lives, that believe in them, that can support them. And it's not all about money. You know some of these things. It's not about the money, it's about people. It's about people and investing in them and connecting with them and believing in them definitely.
Speaker 2:I think the other thing that I just wanted to add about creating a space for young people is, a lot of the time when you think about having discussion, you think about people who articulate themselves in a professional way, but young people, we use slang, we talk differently. If you're from North London, south London, east London, west London, you know just on, even on that small scale, never mind if you open it up to the rest of the country. And I think that it's about understanding that because a young person is speaking to you in the way they know how does not mean they're not any more articulate or any more opinionated or any less intelligent than anybody else. And I think that that was another thing that youth council I think really helps to do. Uh was create a space for young people to speak. And you know, we did presentations to the counsellors, we went to events and any young person who wanted to was able to speak. Yeah, it wasn't just people who'd been doing it for a really long time, or people and articulate and yeah, yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:You know, if you, if you spoke using slang, and that's that's the way that you know how to speak and communicate with people. That's not any less valid it's definitely not than anyone else's voice.
Speaker 1:I think that's a really good um message out there. No matter where you come from, no matter what your experience is, you have a voice as a young person. It's important, yeah, you are important and it's important that you let the adults know what it is that's going well for you in your life, what's not going so well, and that there's a joint problem solving. Focus really in making the next life, the next world, better you know your generation and the generations to come.
Speaker 1:So you know I'm going to say thank you so much. You've been absolutely amazing today. Thank you for that lovely sunny smile and for all the intelligence. You've got some really intelligent ideas and I know I don't have to even wish you well. I know, niamh, that you know your name's going to be up there in lights, because if you're achieving all of this at such a tender age, I know you're going to achieve amazing things in the future as well. So everybody, look out for her name's, niamh.
Speaker 1:She's going to be making some ripples out there so thank you and thank your parents for allowing you to come and share your views on the platform. So thank you so much, but take care, and that's it for now. Thanks for tuning in to diary of a working woman. I hope you found this episode as motivating and uplifting as I did. Please follow me at at do a podcast on TikTok and Instagram. For now, I want to say bye, bye, and keep striving to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be, wearing all the many hats that working women do, sending you love.