ThinkNation: Project Twist-It LIVE

<Participant>

Louisa Roach

Lead singer of She Drew The Gun

Louisa Roach is lead singer of Liverpool-based band She Drew The Gun, winners of Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent contest in 2016 and featured as part of BBC 6 Music at SXSW 2016. On Dec 8, Louisa will perform and also sit on the panel Q&A discussion.

<Narrator>

The Warren Spoken Word Collective

Spoken Word Collective

http://www.thewarren.org/

Coming all the way from Hull, young performers from The Warren's Spoken Word Collective will be reflecting on the four topics throughout the evening, introducing session with a mix of poetry and spoken word.

<Participant>

Beatbox Academy

Group of young beatboxers, singers and MCs

@BACBeatboxAcad

A collective of inspirational young beatboxers, singers, poets and MC’s, plus young musicians, all creating contemporary stories and narratives via Hip Hop, Grime, R&B and Dubstep.

<Host>

Billie JD Porter

Writer, filmmaker and TV presenter

@billiejdporter

Passionate about empowering young people and giving them a voice on issues that matter to them, Billie is a critically acclaimed writer, documentary film maker and presenter for organisations including BBC 3 and Channel 4.

<Panelist>

Josephine McCartney

Chief Executive Officer, Kent Community Foundation

Josephine is CEO, of Kent Community Foundation, an organisation committed to improving the lives of local people & communities, particularly the most vulnerable, isolated & disadvantaged. Previously, she was Director of Fundraising & Communications for Imperial College Healthcare Charity & has also held a variety of strategic positions with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

<Panelist>

Kieran Cranston

Apprentice

Kieran Cranston is an apprentice at vInspired, and also works with Hudl (youth development agency), training as an action learning set facilitator. An aspiring journalist, Kieran participated in our Project Twist-IT short film, sharing his ideas on how we can change the narrative around poverty.

<Participant>

Louisa Roach

Lead singer of She Drew The Gun

Louisa Roach is lead singer of Liverpool-based band She Drew The Gun, winners of Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent contest in 2016 and featured as part of BBC 6 Music at SXSW 2016. On Dec 8, Louisa will perform and also sit on the panel Q&A discussion.

<Panelist>

Dr Heejung Chung

Reader in Sociology and Social Policy

https://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/staff/academic/c-d/chung-heejung.html

Featuring in Project Twist-It film, Heejung is a Reader in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Kent’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. Her current research areas are subjective employment insecurity and the roles institutions play therein, and the role of flexible working on work-life balance of individuals.

<Mentor>

Danielle Emma Vass

Founder at Teach Programming CIC

@programming_uk http://www.teachprogramming.co.uk

Danielle is a software engineer who spends a lot of her free time either encouraging people to love creating things with code or crocheting small animals.

<Participant>

Conrad Murray

Actor, Writer, Director, Rapper, Beatboxer, Singer & Theatre Maker

https://www.conradmurray.org

Conrad is Director of the BAC Beatbox Academy. He is currently directing and writing a show about housing and class called 'High Rise eState Of Mind', and Co Directing the Beatbox Academy's 'Frankenstein'.

<Participant>

Ellie Lenk

Creative Learning Intern

Why I'm participating on December 8: "This event matters to me because I sit by every day and am bombarded with the problems that surround in our society and I would relish the opportunity to try and take a stand." Ellie is a 22-year-old drama student. She loves the arts and working with young people and is currently working creative learning as part of her year in industry.

<Participant>

Rawan Ammar

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on Dec 8: "As a young girl from a Middle Eastern background, growing up in a western country has enlightened me on the privilege we hold in our society - a society that is strikingly different to those in not only in war stricken countries like Syria and Libya... but also in our own country - the UK, those living in poverty live in a distinctly different world to ours."

<Narrator>

Jodie Langford

The Warren Spoken Word Collective

Jodie is a thought-provoking spoken word artist from Hull. She has risen to be one of the most distinctive voices in Hull’s burgeoning youth spoken word scene. Following jaw dropping performances on Radio 4’s The Verb and at BBC Contains Strong Language Festival and 53 Degrees North Jodie was quickly asked to join the brilliant group Women of Words.

<Mentor>

Kwame Boateng

Founder of Project Five Fifths

Project Five Fifths produce media & events, boosting engagement between communities. Kwame has directed & produced films on issues like Grenfell Tower & hosts monthly spoken word events with homeless organisation Streets Kitchen. He also founded Thinking About Brexit, a student-led think tank funded by O2’s GoThinkBig, aiming to find a positive vision for post-Brexit Britain.

<Participant>

Archie Cross

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on Dec 8: "There are people who have so much, more than they could ever NEED. We must learn more about poverty in this country, hear experts talking, and together make a difference." Archie lives with his grandmother in Canterbury, and is good at French and Spanish. He's interested in gaming (of course!) but also likes drama-related activities.

<Participant>

Didier

BAC Beatbox Academy performer

Didier is studying at South Thames College and is aiming to battle at the UK Beatbox Championships 2019.

<Participant>

Max Long

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on Dec 8: "I want to show how seious poverty is in this day and age. I hope to gain more knowledge and get people's voices heard, highlighting how it affects us." Max is a student at UCA with interests in animation and digital illustration, currently being taught how to create his own narrative and animation.

<Participant>

James McDowell

BAC Beatbox Academy performer

James is currently writing music and lyrics, planing to go to drama school.

<Participant>

Jasmine Ee

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on Dec 8: "Poverty within the system leads to further problems like reinforcing stereotypes, homelessness, crime, addiction and mental health problems. I think we need to reinstate the idea of community, which we seem to have lost more recently." Jasmine is currently studying Engineering, Maths and Art and hopes to pursue a career in engineering.

<Participant>

Luke Murray

BAC Beatbox Academy performer

Luke is in his second year of College studying performing arts.

<Mentor>

Michael Forrest

Creative Technologist

@michaelforrest https://grandpodcast.com/

Michael is a creative technologist with a digital agency background. Creator of “Happiness” and “Good Habits” apps as Good To Hear. Video producer and cohost of “Michael & Ivanka’s Grand Podcast”, a weekly exploration of all facets of humanity, searching for ways to make a positive social impact.

<Mentor>

Jonathan Wakeham

Screenwriter

@jonathanwakeham

Jonathan is a stage and screenwriter. He is the co-founder of the LOCO London Comedy Film Festival, which champions playful, political and provocative new comedy and new talent, and teaches screenwriting at Pinewood Studios. Jonathan is a trustee of Camden People’s Theatre and Arts Emergency, a charity that supporters and mentors young people with low incomes but high ambitions.

<Participant>

Carly Maling

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on Dec 8: "So much of the narrative shows poverty in a negative way with no hope. We need to empower people to make a change." Carly is an artist and a student at UAL wimbledon college of art.

<Mentor>

Alvin Martin

LinkedIn

To follow!

<Mentor>

Shaun Glanville

Development Consultant: Charities, arts organisations & social enterprises

@remotekey LinkedInhttp://www.shaunglanville.co.uk/

A development consultant working with charities, arts organisations & social enterprises, Shaun has lectured on fundraising & the business of running an arts organisation. A former theatre practitioner, he was co-founder and long-standing chair of Camden People's Theatre. Currently chair of Arts Emergency, Honorary Treasurer of the London Bach Society & trustee of the David Nobbs Memorial Trust.

<Mentor>

Billie Sequeira

Engineering Technician - BAE Systems

@billieseq LinkedIn

Billie first became involved with ThinkNation as a young speaker and has now come full circle to be a Mentor. "ThinkNation gave me a voice and opportunities to learn new skills which I now put into practice in my employment at a large Engineering company in Kent."

<Participant>

Vivi Jorgensen

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Vivi is currently studying Film & Television at Canterbury College. Her interests include watching short films on YouTube by filmmakers and reading graphic novels.

<Participant>

Tom Page

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I am participating on Dec 8: "Although poverty doesn't effect me I do feel as if the whole subject is very confusing for young people as there isn't just one definition of poverty that everybody goes by." Tom is currently studying Film and TV at Canterbury College and hopes to enhance his knowledge with editing through university so that he can specialise in his career.

<Participant>

Freya Hodge

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on Dec 8: "From this event I would hope to gain a change to some people’s perspective on poverty and I would like them to come out feeling like they can make a difference. Even if just one person come out feeling like this, at least I've made a difference." Freya loves acting and is interested in nature, especially marine life. She also has four, rather comical, chickens.

<Participant>

Megan Wyrill

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I am participating on Dec 8: "I think the issue [of poverty] is one that is often over looked or misjudged, especially in how it effects young people. So giving those it effects a positive platform to share their experiences and message with a large audience will be really beneficial." Megan is currently studying Film and TV at Canterbury College.

<Participant>

Adam Wright

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Info to follow!

<Participant>

Eileen Anima

BAC Beatbox Academy performer

Eileen is currently working on her singing and songwriting.

<Participant>

David Adeyemi

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on Dec 8: "I hate the stigma surrounding people from poorer areas as “dumber” or “less capable". We need greater representation & exposure to the lifestyles of those from less well off socioeconomic backgrounds in the entertainment industry. Also university’s must be more accessible to those from poorer backgrounds." David, 17, an aspiring writer and storyboard artist.

<Participant>

Mona Kurtolli

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm participating on December 8: " I would like to expose society to how people live in poverty. It matters because not many people fully understand... and how they cope with it." Mona is originally from Kosovo and is currently studying media at Canterbury College.

<Participant>

Mikkaela Falshaw

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Info to follow

<Participant>

Reece Bennett

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Info to follow.

<Participant>

Isabelle Hudson

Student and ThinkNation young participant

Why I'm partipating on Dec 8: "I would try to create a story that makes the audience think and question poverty. I’m passionate about writing and getting my voice heard through writing." Isabelle studies creative writing and journalism at Canterbury College.