Supported by

Young people SMASHING the poverty stigma
On Saturday 8th December, ThinkNation: Project Twist-It LIVE will bring young people and mentors from tech, arts, education, and business together to explore the how we can smash the poverty stigma many young people from diverse backgrounds experience in schools, in the media, online and in society.
Why does this event matter? For a long time in the US and the UK, two of the wealthiest yet most unequal nations on earth, the main story told about poverty is that it is an individual rather than a collective issue. That it’s somehow your fault if you’re young, and experiencing poverty. Project Twist-It, and ThinkNation, want to tell a different story. We believe that – together – we can construct a more hopeful, forward-looking alternative to the usual poverty narrative.
LIVE performances by:
The Evening Show
Hosted by Billie JD Porter (BBC 3, Channel 4) there will also be live performances from Louisa Roach (pictured) the lead singer of Liverpool-based band, She Drew The Gun, short films and performances from spoken word collective, The Warren, from Hull plus Battersea Arts Beatbox Academy.
We’ll also have Q&A session with invited panelists, plus all the AMAZING responses and talks addressing the BIG questions, created by young people over the day.
EVENING SCHEDULE:
Venue: The Gulbenkian Theatre
Doors open: 5:45pm
Event: 6pm-8:30pm
All subject to change:
6pm-6:05pm: Lizzie Hodgson and Mary O'Hara welcome you
6:05-6:10pm: Billie JD Porter opens the event
6:10-6:25pm: Project Twist-It film screening
6:25pm-6:30pm: Louisa Roach (She Drew The Gun - PICTURED) acoustic performance
6:30pm-6:35pm: The Warren Spoken Word part 1
6:35pm-6:45pm: Presentations by young people: How do we smash the poverty stigma online?
6:50pm-6:55pm: The Warren Spoken Word part 2
6:55pm-7:05pm: Presentations by young people: How do we smash the poverty stigma in the media?
7:10pm-7:15pm: The Warren Spoken Word part 3
7:15pm-7:25pm: Performance by Battesea Arts Beatbox Academy, tackling: How do we smash the poverty stigma in schools?
7:25pm-7:30pm: The Warren Spoken Word part 4
7:30pm-7:40pm: Presentations by young people: How do we smash the poverty stigma in society?
7:40-7:50pm SHORT BREAK
7:50-8pm Battersea Arts Beatbox Academy Film introduced by Conrad Murray
8pm-8:20pm: Audeince Q&A session with invited panel:
- Josephine McCartney (CEO of Kent Community Foundation)
- Kieran Cranston (young participant from Project Twist-It film)
- Dr Heejung Chung (University of Kent)
- Louisa Roach (She Drew The Gun)
- A young participant from the day (TBC).
8:20pm: Performance by Louisa Roach, She Drew The Gun
8:25pm: Lizzie Hodgson and Billie JD Porter wrap-up
8:30pm ENDS.
Host and panelists:
Venue:The Gulbenkian
Gulbenkian
University of Kent
Canterbury
CT2 7NB
Who's involved:
<Mentor>
<Participant>
Conrad Murray
Actor, Writer, Director, Rapper, Beatboxer, Singer & Theatre Maker
<Participant>
Ellie Lenk
Creative Learning Intern
<Participant>
Rawan Ammar
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Narrator>
Jodie Langford
The Warren Spoken Word Collective
<Mentor>
Kwame Boateng
Founder of Project Five Fifths
<Participant>
Archie Cross
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Didier
BAC Beatbox Academy performer
<Participant>
Max Long
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
James McDowell
BAC Beatbox Academy performer
<Participant>
Jasmine Ee
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Luke Murray
BAC Beatbox Academy performer
<Mentor>
<Mentor>
<Participant>
Carly Maling
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Mentor>
Alvin Martin
<Mentor>
Shaun Glanville
Development Consultant: Charities, arts organisations & social enterprises
@remotekey<Mentor>
<Participant>
Vivi Jorgensen
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Tom Page
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Freya Hodge
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Megan Wyrill
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Adam Wright
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Eileen Anima
BAC Beatbox Academy performer
<Participant>
David Adeyemi
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Mona Kurtolli
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Mikkaela Falshaw
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Reece Bennett
Student and ThinkNation young participant
<Participant>
Isabelle Hudson
Student and ThinkNation young participant
About Project Twist-It:
Project Twist-It is a multi-platform initiative that aims to shift the negative rhetoric around poverty in US & UK. By working with artists, writers and performers to harness the power of storytelling and by elevating the voices of people with lived experience, Project Twist-It hopes to foster a new kind of conversation around poverty.
Project Twist-It is conceived and driven by journalist Mary O’Hara and supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Visit their website ↗Regional media partner:
kmfm is Kent's radio station playing the biggest hits to the county. With nearly 200,000 listeners listening on FM, DAB, online and smart speakers, the station is home to the Hit List presented by Glen Scott each weekday evening between 1900 and 2200 playing the freshest new music and future hits.
kmfm is part of KM Media Group who reach over 1 million people weekly with a unique portfolio of newspapers including Kentish Gazette, kentonline, kmfm and KMTV.