5 Minutes With Keziah & Aaliyah - Future Changemaker Panellists
The 2021 Future Changemakers
Keziah
I moved to London from Liverpool 7 years ago to pursue music and since graduating from my vocals degree in 2017, have worked as a session singer and on my own projects as well as writing for theatre and making videos amongst other things. I love visual arts, film and performance and have a passion for record collecting, too. Through my artistic practice I hope to move and inspire people and create work that makes a conscious difference in the world, even if in a very small way.
The biggest challenge I’ve seen amongst my age group and dealt with myself is trying to maintain good mental health. Thankfully, this is a subject that’s being spoken about way more openly in the public realm, with many people in pop culture being advocates for mental health awareness drawing attention to the issues, and organisations and workplaces being held accountable to be actionable in ensuring and encouraging the importance of mental wellness.
Although the societal attitudes towards mental health are progressing forwards, cuts to services and inaccessibility to the most vulnerable is an epidemic which has reached a tipping point during lockdown. This is something that worries me deeply, having suffered myself as many of those close to me have, too. Issues around mental health and wellness affect everyone in some way, whether directly or indirectly - so I believe it is a collective responsibility to ensure that the correct care and tailored support is provided to all people in our society so we can work towards living cohesively in a more caring and comfortable environment. Sadly this isn’t the case yet, but I’m ever hopeful and inspired by people leading grassroots organisations to make a difference in their local communities and beyond. I feel very lucky to have had a network and support system around me growing up to help me through difficult times and believe this is a crucial aid to recovery which so many people don’t have access to.
As I moved to Camden during the pandemic, I felt I hadn’t had a proper chance to really integrate with my community. I believe in community action and uplifting the voices of the unheard, so when I saw the opportunity with Camden Giving I knew it was something I’d love to have the chance to be part of. I watched my mum build her own charity (‘Evolve’, tackling substance misuse) from the ground up back in Liverpool when I was growing up and it was so inspiring seeing the unwavering passion and selflessness in her work. After many set-backs and struggles, she’s gotten to a point of leading an extremely well regarded organisation that’s accessible, educational & life-changing for many, with lived experience at its heart. She inspires me every day to play my part in working towards a better society and if I can lead by example and contribute even a fraction of what she does for people in my own life, I’ll be happy.
On a personal note, I am extremely passionate about LGBTQIA rights, women’s rights and supporting organisations that empower people of colour and focus on intersectional issues in society. I try and support and work alongside organisations that focus on these things as much as I can and I want to see more of a light being shone on the need for accessible LGBT+ specific services, especially for young people. Smaller organisations deserve to be platformed so people know they’re there, which could be helped by bigger more established companies and bodies elevating the grass-roots operations in under-represented communities.
I hope through Camden Giving’s Future Changemakers Programme that institutions will recognise how inspiring young people can be. It’s truly been an honour to be chosen as part of this panel and as the oldest participant, to see the next generation of young people inspiring change. I’ve been blown away by the group and hope this sets a precedent for other funding bodies to include young people in decision making processes, empowering them and letting their voices be truly heard. It can often feel like nobody’s listening. The young people of today are not represented by those in power, or seeing themselves reflected back and though we are beginning to see positive change, there’s still a long way to go. I believe that in order to best reach out to young people, organisations need to have more free and accessible services, sign-posting, work opportunities and to facilitate and nurture creative expression, particularly through mentorship opportunities where they can be inspired to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Keziah Hodgson - Future Changemaker
Aaliyah
My name is Aaliyah I am 22 years old and I am an international relations graduate. I enjoy keeping myself busy and making the most of every opportunity I get. Some of the most common challenges I’ve seen my age group go through is the lack of employment opportunities, for example work experience or internships. Also, the lack of mental health discussion and recognising organisations and services that can really help make a difference to young people. This barrier contributed to the fact that many young people were not prepared for life after education as they had not developed the skills that were required in a professional work setting. When it comes to coping with this challenge, from a young age I started to involve myself in various different opportunities whether that was extra-curricular activities in school, or the services provided by youth clubs.
One of the main reasons why I decided to be a part of the panel is because I wanted to give back to the services that had given me so much. Youth clubs were an essential part of life growing up it really helped develop my character, it helped me prepare for wider life and gain a lot of amazing experiences. When I came across the Future Changemakers Grant programme it made me think about how much these grants can contribute to the bettering of young people. From first-hand experience, I know how much youth services can provide and how they play a key role in shaping young people. This is why programmes like the Future Changemakers are so important as it helps keep these youth clubs going and providing the services that schools can fail to provide.
What is important to me is the betterment of young people whether that is academically, socially or mentally as they will be the future society so in setting them up it will inevitably develop a brighter future society especially for the future young people. In terms of change, I would like to see more recognition of mental health in young people and more employment opportunities. The most important thing for young people is self-development whether that’s a passion or a hobby that they want to pursue. To be able to do this, young people need a safe space where they know they can express themselves, and they need people who can understand them and help make them feel comfortable to do this. The best way for organisations to be able to do this, is by ensuring that they create opportunities that are suitable for all ages and gender. They need to understand the needs that different young people have and how they can provide projects that will help them.
The panellists at their final meeting, to collectively decide on who they award funding to.