Changing hearts and minds - Class Divide Podcast
The Class Divide podcast was always going to be a very personal project for me. It was about the place I grew up in, in part about my own school experience, and it was the first time, after many years of making radio and podcasts, that I really put my voice onto something. But it was mainly about change, change of hearts and minds that inspires change, which I’ll come back to later.
At the heart of the project were a bunch of stories that I don’t think have been told in the way we ended up telling them. What do I mean by that? If you’ve not listened to the podcast, spoiler alert. I grew up on a council estate in the east of Brighton, and without going into too much detail, I didn’t do too well at school. I wrote a note in my big project notebook right at the start that the balance of voices in the series had to be weighted toward people with actual experience of the stuff we were talking about. Not only that, the majority of the people working on the series should come from a council estate or working-class background. That’s what I mean when I talk about us telling stories in a way that doesn’t usually happen. I won’t bore you with stats on how many people from my background end up making things like podcasts; let's just say it's not that many, and it’s one of the things that makes me work 12-hour days on a regular basis to try and change this lack of representation.
The other thing that was essential to me was to embed a core story throughout the whole series, something that would hit at the heart of the issues we were covering. It took me ages to work out what that was - as with all things worth working on, it was a painful process, but when I realised what that core story was, everything started to fall into place. I say that, it took another 15 months to piece together the stories with the help of a brilliant exec producer Eve Streeter, my twin brother Simon, and collaborator Carlie Goldsmith.
There is a quote that I remember, but can’t seem to find now, but it goes something like this, ‘don’t describe, hit 'em in the heart’. That was my motto, one of my guiding principles throughout the series production. It’s the thing that people have commented on the most, the mix of detail, facts, stats, all held together with a compelling story. It’s something I try to bring into all of my work in some way.
I wasn’t the only one that left school with little to show. It turns out thousands of young people that grew up on the same estate as me have suffered from a multitude of failures of the education system, and still do. And it is this fact that I really want to draw your attention to, because it is the change that needs to happen to fix this that is the whole reason we embarked on the series.
The listening stats only tell a bit of the story. The most important outcome is the change that comes about from a piece of work like this. The Class Divide campaign wants a number of things to change, the biggest being catchment boundaries and school admissions, along with pushing for free school travel and cheaper uniforms. But even more than those things, Class Divide wants a shift in thinking, in mindsets, so that when policy is being designed for education, the people in places like East Brighton are at the forefront of people's minds, and they have the knowledge and understanding to make choices that lift those people up, rather than hold them back.
“Class Divide’s podcast about educational inequality in Brighton & Hove is a gripping and profoundly moving piece of work. It exposes bad legislation, policy and decision-making at both national and local level which have conspired to mean the attainment gap for children from some of the most deprived wards in the country has remained stubbornly the same.
In thoughtful conversations between individuals and families affected by the situation and others involved, the podcast teases out its long-lasting impacts for individuals, the City and society at large. It is thought-provoking and full of colour, stories, research data and constructive exchanges. It’s relaxed tone and gentle pace means that while many of the reflections are painful to hear, it is always easy to listen to. I laughed and cried. Importantly, it explores several ways in which the school system can better serve working class children, those with complicated home lives and who have experienced trauma.
Lifting the lid on a little-discussed taboo on how our education system currently fails certain working class communities, this podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in equality, education or the future health and wellbeing of our nation.”
I can’t say too much about what changes could be on the horizon; I’ll update this post when I can. But, along with the other campaigning work the Class Divide group is doing, the podcast has caused a massive change of heart and mindsets in local policymakers. In fact, Class Divide is working nationally now, sharing their knowledge with teachers, schools, and other education organisations, so they can change hearts and minds too. The work has also inspired one of the core people in the story to make his own podcast - going a tiny way to rebalance the lack of working class people involved in storytelling - this feels like an amazing outcome to me, and I want to do more to support others from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to do this kind of work.
A few years ago I wrote about Fieldwork’s mission ‘To help people notice things that inspire change, amplify good and enable amazing things to happen”. I really think the Class Divide podcast is a living and breathing example of that mission.
Listen to the podcast here.
If you need some help with storytelling or you have a project in mind, I’m always open for a chat.
