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Episode 4: Emma Shaw
Emma is one of the most eloquent and thoughtful advocates for the needs of working class PUL (Protestant / Unionist / Loyalist) communities at the moment. She has been doing community work in loyalist areas in East Belfast for two decades now, and now runs the Phoenix Education Centre, which works to tackle educational
under-achievement. She grew up in East Belfast in the 80s and 90s and left school at 16, just after the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement was signed. After juggling being a young single mum with community work, she went back to education in her 30s and graduated from Queens in history and politics. She is passionate about helping working class areas that can feel left behind, and about the need to give young working class people there better access to educational and work opportunities.
Emma talks here about growing up in a Loyalist community in the 80s and 90s, during the Troubles; and
then post-Troubles life as an adult, finding that while political attention turned elsewhere, the social problems of areas like hers continued on and even worsened in some ways. She emphasises to what extent problems in many working class PUL communities are rooted in class, and are shared with similar CNR communities. Social housing and more investment in community development
schemes are badly needed; but cultural issues matter too. Emma argues that lazy stereotyping and disrespecting of PUL working class people is part of the problem. She wants to see all communities and traditions genuinely respected and valued.
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By Simon RileyEmma is one of the most eloquent and thoughtful advocates for the needs of working class PUL (Protestant / Unionist / Loyalist) communities at the moment. She has been doing community work in loyalist areas in East Belfast for two decades now, and now runs the Phoenix Education Centre, which works to tackle educational
under-achievement. She grew up in East Belfast in the 80s and 90s and left school at 16, just after the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement was signed. After juggling being a young single mum with community work, she went back to education in her 30s and graduated from Queens in history and politics. She is passionate about helping working class areas that can feel left behind, and about the need to give young working class people there better access to educational and work opportunities.
Emma talks here about growing up in a Loyalist community in the 80s and 90s, during the Troubles; and
then post-Troubles life as an adult, finding that while political attention turned elsewhere, the social problems of areas like hers continued on and even worsened in some ways. She emphasises to what extent problems in many working class PUL communities are rooted in class, and are shared with similar CNR communities. Social housing and more investment in community development
schemes are badly needed; but cultural issues matter too. Emma argues that lazy stereotyping and disrespecting of PUL working class people is part of the problem. She wants to see all communities and traditions genuinely respected and valued.