Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Pride as new book gives young people their say
ABOOK of essays created in Bristol and amplifying the voices of Britain’s young people has been published this week.
Rife: Twenty-one Stories from Britain’s Youth draws on issues affecting young people across the country, including many from Bristol, with essays covering topics such as renting, education, mental health, sexual assault and racism.
An open call was put out for pitches almost two years ago, specifically targeted at young people aged 18 to 24 with something to say about an issue that has affected them.
Each piece was selected by editors Nikesh Shukla – a writer, editor and founder of the magazine Rife, based at Watershed – and Sammy Jones, 28, who was given her start in writing by the Rife internship programme and now manages the scheme.
Sammy said: “Just holding the book in my hand makes me so incredibly proud – thinking of all the hours and thought that have gone into it is quite overwhelming.
“We received hundreds of pitches and so the hardest part of the process was probably deciding who we were going to go with. There were so many ways in which this book could have looked different, but I’m really thrilled with the final product.
“It’s been around two years in the making, so to know it’s about to go
out into the world is quite strange, actually. I thought I’d be more nervous, but what this group of young writers has created is so vital and so poignant that I’m just really excited for people to finally read it.”
She added: “Although some of these essays were written more than a year ago now, I don’t think they’ve ever felt more timely. These are voices that we so rarely hear from, but they have such important things to say and a unique perspective on issues that affect all of us.”
The book was funded through Unbound, a website offering a publishing model based around crowdfunding. With more than 700 backers pledging their support for the project, the team were given the freedom to create the anthology they had visualised.
The book’s title is itself taken from Rife magazine, which aims to tell the stories of young people aged between 18 and 24 – particularly those from backgrounds that are not frequently represented in the media.
As well as helping budding writers and filmmakers find a platform from which to share their opinions, Rife also mentors young people in order to develop their skills and give them access to the creative industries.
Since launching five years ago, Rife has trained more than 30 paid content creators through its apprenticeship scheme, all of whom have since gone on to work in a creative role.
Sammy, who grew up in Bristol and worked in retail before going through the Rife apprenticeship, said: “We are so used to seeing the same types of people in the media – white, middle or upper class, university educated. There’s a distinct lack of diversity across the creative industries as a whole.
“It means we’re missing out on so many points of view that should be heard, which turns into a self-perpetuating thing as people from those backgrounds start to feel as though a job in media isn’t for someone like them and so those creators are completely discouraged.
“Rife was designed as an antidote to that, to not only share the voices of young people but to increase their confidence and show that there is space for them in media and that they are able to write, pitch, edit, do everything that comes with the industry.
“As someone who went through an apprenticeship scheme myself, I know how vital programmes like this are for widening access to creative jobs and I’m extremely proud of what we are continuing to achieve.
“To have Rife cemented in print in this way is such an amazing culmi
Just holding the book in my hand
makes me so incredibly proud
SAMMY JONES
nation of everything we have done, but also a reminder of how much more we have to do.
“Bristol’s young people deserve to be heard, and we’ll keep working to make sure those opportunities are there for anyone with something to say.”