Why does RECLAIM talk about class? Isn't it an outdated issue? Expand “I've always known I was working class. I'm just not ashamed of it now” Salford Boy, 2015 We are proud to be leaders in discussing leadership and community pride through the lens of social class. Whilst class and social mobility continue to be contentious topics, 60% of Britons currently identify themselves as working class (not in line with occupation but values) and young people more than ever are limited by their childhood circumstance. Class won’t go away. Whilst the dream of a classless society is a distant utopia, it is important that as an organisation working with young people from working class communities, we have honest conversations about class, particularly in making young people aware of themselves within a wider societal context. Typically, the language around young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds is discouraging and to some extent demoralising. RECLAIM move entirely away from this discourse, referring to young people as being simply ‘working class’. As a strengths-based organisation, we believe that the use of disempowering language is detrimental to leadership development.
What is leadership inequality and the class ceiling? Expand RECLAIM nurtures talent that may otherwise be hidden. Leadership potential exists in young people regardless of postcode or income. However, as discussed in numerous reports about the ‘class ceiling’, working class young people face extra barriers to developing the skills and networks to becoming successful leaders.
How does RECLAIM define 'working class'? Expand Class is a complex combination of social, cultural and economic factors. RECLAIM understands working class communities as areas characterised by low income; high proportion of social housing or rental properties; under-resourced community infrastructure; and little access to influence or powerful networks.
Why is it important to support working class young people to become leaders? Expand "19 Prime Ministers have come from one school in the UK". RECLAIM's Disruptive Leaders Campaign, 2015. Young people from some parts of the country are born into privilege and achieve positions of power and influence. The likelihood of a young person from a council estate scaling the same heights is drastically reduced. We believe that our current leadership demonstrated across business, politics, media, judiciary, higher education - in fact everywhere, is pitifully unrepresentative. We are working to ensure that we have a new generation of young, bold, ethical leaders; ready to step forward as talented individuals but to lead for the collective, for social good. We waste the talents of so many by not shining a light into marginalised communities and providing opportunities and skills development to the young people living on council estates but dreaming of careers at Westminster. A postcode should never dictate potential.
What is Disruptive Leadership? Expand Often, the word ‘disruptive’ paints a picture of a troublesome, rowdy or undisciplined individual but it also has a second definition, one that we at RECLAIM prefer; to be innovative or ground breaking.
Why do working class young people need a specific programme? Expand Too few young people from working class communities achieve their personal and career potential and their views and experiences can fail to reach an audience and to have influence. Their communities have been written off through negative stereotyping and they see few ‘people like me’ at the top. Our young people are closest to the issues and tensions that exist in those disconnected working class communities, free-falling and without support. Read more about why we know our work is important and urgent here. Bringing young people together based on a shared sense of solidarity is powerful – when we openly talk about the barriers which we face, we have an increased ability to break them down together.
Why does RECLAIM work with young people at such a young age? Expand Targeted, wraparound programmes to support young people are generally focused on young people who are already engaged in negative behaviours: early intervention is crucial to catch young people before they fall through the cracks. All too often services focus on diverting young people, rather than building their latent skills. Our LEAD Programme works with 12-15 year olds. These are key formative years for adolescents, a time of great change as they navigate increasing pressure and responsibility at school (and at home) and form behaviours and skills which will shape their adult lives. RECLAIM requires these young people to be brave in their actions and often challenge the behaviours and decisions of their peers in their local area. Raising self–confidence and belief in young people as they start making significant lifestyle choices means that the programme can have a positive outcome on the young people at a crucial point in their lives. Read more about our impact here.
What is RECLAIM's strengths based approach? Expand RECLAIM re-defines leadership: demonstrating that the 'disadvantages' faced by young people who face the greatest challenges in pressurised communities can be inverted into powerful 'advantages': unique skills, resilience, and strong local leadership. We focus on ‘character skills’ and resilience in our work to promote social mobility. This approach complements and enhances the work done in school to build ‘hard skills’: RECLAIM is playing a central role in ensuring young people’s lives are not defined by the place/situation in which they grew up.