I thought I would write a short blog to explain the Hope Collective project hashtag for the Hackathons of hope, or Hope Hacks as they have come to be known.

Go find a copy of any report published into the problem of violence impacting young people from vulnerable communities, youth violence, as the establishment labelled it, and you will find a reference to needing to “reframe the narrative”. Just about every report published this millennium!

The problem is it is an establishment narrative that the establishment didn’t want to change in the least so the idea of “reframing” it just wasn’t on their radar. The establishment has an uncanny knack meanwhile of being able to amplify these reports and even call for the changes called for to be implemented. Then it does nothing. Not where the issues are primarily caused by an environment of poverty and inequality. Issues not resolvable during 4 year political cycles more often than not end up in room 101. Fact not fiction

The Hope Collective is going to reset the dial and rather than continue to force feed young people establishment conversations about the symptoms of poverty and inequality such as knife crime, drugs, gangs and county lines, it is going to engage them in much healthier conversations about what they think a fairer society might look like. One where poverty and inequality is resolvable and equal opportunities are afforded each and every young person regardless of colour, class or creed.

In a nutshell we are changing the conversation because the conversation needed to change and we might just cause a whole heap of trouble along the way. Good trouble. The right kind of trouble.

Find the hashtag live on twitter #ChangingTheConversation and please feel free to join in!

G