I work within The Warren, a youth centre and charity in Hull. I’ve seen the effects of austerity on the youth and community support services here, to the point where we almost closed recently. Thousands of young people would’ve had nowhere to go if we’d shut the doors.
I’ve seen the young people we work with and how they survive, whether that’s through benefits or through getting a job from being in college, and how things have been cut and pressures have been put on them so they can’t afford to do certain things. That means they’ve got to drop out of college and then they’re in an even worse situation. I’m seeing people’s lives go downhill. I’m seeing people in situations where they’re committing suicide or attempting to because they see it as their best option.
I’ve managed to stay in my job. I’ve managed to pay my rent, to feed myself and stay reasonably on a level where I’m not struggling through poverty. I feel very lucky to have got through that, but at any point I could have lost my job. At any point I could be on the streets. I don’t ever take that for granted. To go through life thinking that at any point I could be on the streets or unable to afford to buy my tea is just horrible. It’s dehumanising and that’s what austerity does; it dehumanises people. While others get richer, other people die or take their own lives.
I’m passionate about young people knowing that everything is political. The price of your baccy, the price of your rent, how many bedrooms you’ve got and are allowed to have, it’s political.
I think it’s really important for people to vote and to get involved in politics. Social media can be a really evil place, but actually through instant news you can also make a change very quickly. I think that’s really inspiring for a young person to see that.
Where I work I see creative and socially active young people getting really pro-active, campaigning against things they don’t believe in. There’s a logo, there’s a campaign and they’re like, ‘We’re going to do something about it’.