Young people celebrate new podcast with support from local MPs

Young Londoners were supported by local politicians including Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, and Nickie Aiken, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster.

Published: 10/05/2022

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The podcast ‘Burning the Village’ explores the issues young people face in society today. 

Both MPs were interviewed for the podcast exploring topics such as why young people resort to violence to get themselves heard and what could be done to make a change.

At the launch event, they were also joined by Leroy Logan MBE, who was interviewed on the podcast, and mental health activist António Ferreira, who joined the young people in a lively panel discussion. 

The podcast was funded by our Young People’s Fund which was launched back in 2019, to support grassroots community groups who put the voices of young people at the centre of their work.

Working in collaboration with Creative Media Network and WADUP, we supported the young people in the creation of their podcast which explores their experience of the pandemic, focusing on themes including violence affecting young people, mental health and social media and comparison culture.

The event was hosted by the young people involved in the podcast, Sneha Mervana and David Adesanya, at Darwin Court in Southwark. 

Sneha, aged 25 from Brent, said: “I found the project through a friend within my network. Finding this project meant I could combine my passion for radio and storytelling to create an impactful podcast. Even if sharing my experience helps just one person, that would mean the world to me.”

Dr Leroy Logan MBE said: “It is great to see how season one has been built upon by season two of ‘Burning The Village’ podcast, which shows the young people having a clear sense of purpose and common identity in the issues that affect their communities, with a desire to make positive and sustainable changes they all want to see.”

Our CEO Ian McDermott said: “This podcast is a great example of young people acting as leaders in their communities and engaging with local MPs to get their voices heard. The Peabody Community Foundation and the Young People’s Fund supports youth-led projects which put young people at the heart of their work. We would like to thank Neil Coyle MP, Leroy Logan MBE, Nickie Aiken MP and all the others involved in this podcast for their ongoing invaluable support.” 

At the event, we also celebrated the successes of the many young people who have been supported through the Young People’s Fund. So far, we have worked with 16 organisations to award more than £150,000 to fund local projects which focus on tackling violence affecting young people, including this podcast.