Transforming Our Futures

In this podcast we interview Duncan Law about the importance of community energy in local planning around climate change

In North London there is much controversy over the Edmonton Incinerator and their claim that using waste to make heat is a form of community energy. But is it and what really is community energy.

Well in this podcast we will be joined by Duncan Law the Policy and Advocacy Manager of Community Energy England to discuss community energy and its contribution to tackling climate change.

Community Energy England represents and supports those committed to creating the conditions within which the community energy sector can rapidly scale and grow across the country. Community energy includes the delivery of community renewables, energy efficiency, demand reduction and energy supply projects.

In this podcast we will discuss how community energy has developed in other parts of the UK and how it can do that in Enfield. Together with the help of Community Energy England it would be great to develop a Community Energy group in Enfield as part of the Enfield Climate Action Forum.

Local and community energy is becoming increasingly important and it seems essential that it should be included in any local authorities climate action plan

In this webinar we interview Roger McKenzie the Assistant General Secretary of UNISON and a candidate to be their General Secretary.

Here we interview him on the problem of institutional racism in society and the role of Trade Unions in combatting this.

We will talk about how years after the McPherson Report following the death of Stephen Lawrence racism is still widespread in our society. Roger believes that there is increasing abuse suffered by union members and public service workers who are migrants or who are Black, including himself.

How do we combat this and how do we go further and address the racial discrimination that there is in our public services, in companies and in the criminal justice system.

Recent opinion polls have shown the British public are more tolerant towards our diverse communities so why does racism still exist. This we hope to explore in this interview.

Theo is a cancer survivor has won the Rotary Young Citizen Award after being nominated by Enfield Chase Rotary Club.

Theo Sergiou, 19, was diagnosed with eye cancer aged two and, aged four, was told it was terminal. But the tumours stopped growing and although he remains partially sighted, Theo survived.

A UK Youth Parliament representative, the Enfield teenager is committed to community work such as tackling knife crime. During the pandemic, Theo has written to the prime minister about the lack of provision for children with special educational needs, who he says are suffering mental health problems and not getting an education.

He is passionate about reducing knife crime, Enfield being one of the worst boroughs. He was recruited to the Youth Advisory Forum which reports directly to the Cabinet. This is the first ever youth civil service body and Theo is the youngest person in British history to contribute to a No. 10 Cabinet meeting. He compiled an academic report on ‘Our Generations Epidemic: Knife Crime’ in the hope of producing a more accurate policy.

Theo was instrumental in forming the Youth Violence Commission document which was delivered to former Prime Minister Theresa May leading to a Knife Crime summit last April with a variety of professionals

Theo said: “As my motto goes, I don’t need a reason to do things, I need a reason not to. I hope this Award inspires other people to try the same outlook. With the recent outbreak of Covid-19, I draw even closer to these principles, knowing how precious life truly is. This Award has allowed me to reflect over my life experiences and have hope that growth behind barriers is always possible; never before has this message been so importance to us all”.

In this Podcast we interview Jasmine Sanders in our Conversation Across Borders series. Jasmine is the CEO of Our Climate based in Washington DC.

Our Climate mobilises and empowers young people to educate the public and elected officials about science-based, equitable climate policy solutions that build a liveable world.

In this interview we will discuss the intersecting effects of climate change and how they disproportionately impact communities of colour, the importance of youth climate change advocacy and the impact climate change has and will increasingly have on migration in the United States and around the world.

Our Climate empowers young leaders to advocate for equitable and science-based climate policy.

In this Podcast one in our “Conversation Across Borders” series we will talk to Veronica Polinedro about how Sweden dealt with the influx of migration that swept Europe after 2015

During 2015, a record 1.3 million refugees crossed into Europe. Between 2015 and 2016, more than 2.5 million people applied for asylum in the EU.

Sweden is considering a “Welcome Card.” Upon arrival in Sweden, asylum seekers place a request for asylum and get registered with the national migration agency. Registered asylum seekers receive one Welcome Card per individual (based on age) to be used during the asylum application process, as both an identification card and as a key to their case status.

The card is to ensure the well-being of asylum seekers during, and after, the asylum seeking application process, revise the asylum seeking decision-making process for the national migration agencies and  foster connection between asylum seekers, refugees and the local communities:

The story of the "Welcome card" began on May 20, 2016, when a team of experience designer, software developer, social entrepreneurs and business administrators came together during a 12-hour workshop to tackle the refugee crisis through design

Veronica is Polinedrio is a product UX designer working with transdisciplinary research and empathy to answer complex systemic challenges. In 2016, she founded The Welcome Card, where she lead product, design, and research. She has served as an advocate and coordinator for several community development projects, non-profit organizations, and start-up companies between the United States, Honduras, Sweden, and Italy. She is passionate about immigration and social dignity, designing solutions that build empathy and promote ethical practices for socio-politico-economical change within our communities

In this Podcast we will be interviewing Dan Scrimgeour who sometime before the Covid outbreak chose to live in China and is still there.

In this interview we will look at the experiences he went through as the pandemic started there and then spread across the globe. How did they handle it and what measures did they take. Did their institutional structure make it easier to institute track and trace than it did in the UK and how did they engage their own population.

There were differences of approach that are worth exploring and discovering if there are lessons to learn.

We will also discuss with Dan the re emergence of China on the world scene. China has always seen itself as the “middle kingdom” and perhaps is now reasserting itself as the “centre of the world.” What does that mean to us all?

In this Podcast we interview Despina Johnson of Enterprise Enfield about the work they do and about their future plans.

Enterprise Enfield is a not for profit enterprise agency offering information, expert advice, guidance and training to help people start new businesses as well as develop and expand established ones.

They run a number of activities including support for women entrepreneurs and also offer training webinars. They also work in partnership with other organisations like Love Your Doorstep in Enfield and the North London Credit Union.

They are about to open their new London Business Hub in Southgate and will tell us about their plans for that and also how they have coped and helped others during the present pandemic

In this Podcast Hannah Dyson will be interviewing Taemin Oh who is the Vicar of Saint George in Enfield

Taemin originally came from South Korea and Hannah will explore with him his journey to the UK, why he came here and how he came to be the Vicar of an Enfield Church.

Taemin is involved with lots of community action in Enfield and has been involved with the Felix Project as well.

It will be interesting to hear South Korean perspective on how we do things in the UK, how he’s had to adapt to life in London and Colchester.

In this Webinar Interview with Jo Ruxton we discuss the huge problem of plastic waste and its impact on the oceans of our globe.

350 million tonnes of plastic are being produced each year. This could weigh more than humanity, estimated at 316 million tonnes in 2013. 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year. If waste management practices don't improve, scientists predict this amount could increase tenfold by 2025

Plastics make up to around 75% of marine litter, although this can be up to 100% at some sites. Plastic in the ocean breaks up into smaller fragments called microplastics, which have been identified in commercial fish consumed by humans.

Jo Ruxton is the Founder Director and Producer of “A Plastic Ocean” the award winning documentary.  It’s been named by Sir David Attenborough as “one of the most important films of our time” and has ignited mass consumer awareness.

In this Podcast we discuss with Chief Gordon L. Wiborg, Jr the consequences of the George Floyd’s killing for race relations in America.

Chief Gordon L. Wiborg, Jr is a retired Police Chief in the United States and who is now President of National Judicial Conduct and Disability Law Project, Inc. (NJCDLP)

The NJCDLP was set up to examine abuse in the judicial system in the US and how it adversely impacts on minorities and specifically black people. Gordon with others have now set up the the Blue Sky and Golden Badge Projects involving an international support group for pro-reform law enforcement officers including prison correctional officers.

We will examine the need for judicial reform in the USA and how the Black Lives Matter movement has been a catalyst for this and for those like Gordon L. Wiborg, Jr who have campaigned for justice for those discriminated against by the judicial system.

We are joined in this Podcastby othersinvolved in judicial reform and these could nclude NJCDLP’s Executive Director, Dr. Zena D. Crenshaw-Logal; Mr. Maurice Morris, Golden Badge’s National Membership Recruiter and a former Deputy Sheriff as well as candidate for Sheriff in Lucas County, Ohio where he is the Safe Cop Coordinator for the National Police Defense Foundation;.