Real voices

I knew I was transgender from about the age of four, even though the word did not exist then. I knew I was a girl, even though I had a boy’s body. You couldn’t talk about how you felt, tell others you were really a girl, when everything about you said the opposite.…Read more

Sharing means saving future generations; if we offer better education, children can grow up to be good human beings, making a positive contribution to the world. When my best friend was 11, he dropped out of school to work. He spent his money on drinking, gambling and smoking. I was lucky, my father encouraged me to study. …Read more

We crowdfund rent though reoccurring micro donations for people who are denied access to housing because of their immigration status. Some people are forced to cross borders regularly; they arrive in this country and are not entitled to work or get housing benefit, their access to housing is non-existent. It forces people into homelessness and destitution. …Read more

Following the publication of The End of Aspiration by Duncan Exley, Alice Harper, a recent graduate, speaks about her experience of expectation, aspiration and finding a job after graduation. Having attained an education to be proud of, I had high expectations of myself as a graduate. It turns out that being able and willing to Read More

Early in my career when I was a rookie reporter, a good while before I began writing about poverty, a conversation took place that keeps coming back like a niggling alarm on snooze.…Read more

I was born in Chelmsford in Essex and grew up in Heybridge, near Maldon, on a council estate with my mum. I remember a girl who went to my school. Her parents were both artists and they talked about her going to university. It was worlds away from my life. I wasn’t told that I could be anything.…Read more

Its been five years since my book was published, I can tell you it is such an exciting moment when you open that box from Policy Press with brand new gleaming covers of books with your name on it arrived.…Read more

I graduated two years ago in Philosophy and Film studies. Whilst the destined occupation for such a degree is philosopher-cum-filmmaker, becoming an entrepreneurial Uber driver seemed the next best step.…Read more

I am a Deliveroo worker and organiser of couriers in the gig economy. This blog outlines what work in the sector currently looks like and the possibilities of what it could look like. …Read more

Gregory Fredrick Watson was my cousin. We became like brothers when I turned 16. Facing depression myself, I found Greg intelligent, having dealt with many issues himself growing up. Unfortunately, he committed suicide last winter, aged 26.…Read more