Better Angels with Sarah Brown

This year, Theirworld launched the Act For Early Years campaign, calling on world leaders and global institutions to act to support the world's youngest children.  In March, Theirworld brought together a panel of experts to discuss at the critical issues around providing quality care and early learning for young children - and the burden that falls unfairly on women to plug the gap.  Sarah Brown, Theirworld Chair, was joined on an Instagram Live by Professor Dame Leslie Regan, the first women's health ambassador for England; Janet Mbugua, Kenyan media personality and gender equality advocate; Sarah Pascoe, a comedian, writer and actor, and Sanjana Sanghi, an Indian actor and Save the Children India's Youth Advocate for Education.  In this episode, the panellists share their own experiences balancing their careers with motherhood and discuss why affordable high-quality childcare is more important than ever.  

To celebrate the 100th episode of Better Angels on World Children's Day, Sarah handed over her hosting microphone to Andrew Jack, global education editor of the Financial Times, for a wide-ranging interview with her and her husband, Gordon Brown, about the state of global education.   Andrew asked Sarah and Gordon, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, about their motivations for advocating for children's education and what actions world leaders need to take to give all children around the world a quality education.   “If we could become the first generation in history where every single child had an education and where instead of developing some of the potential of some of the children in some countries, we developed all the potential of all children in all countries, then that would, in my view, make the biggest difference to our prospects and possibilities as a world,” said Gordon.   Sarah reflects on her career as an activist and shares her insights from working with youth activists, displaced families and global movements for change during her 20 years as founder of the global children's charity Theirworld.  

In November, the world will gather in Egypt for COP27, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, to discuss ways to tackle the climate emergency.   In this episode, Sarah Brown speaks with Keya Lamba, the co-founder of Earth Warriors, an organisation bringing climate education to curriculums around the world, and most recently, with the support of Theirworld, to schools in Zambia and Botswana.  Keya talks about how climate education empowers students to take action to make the planet safer and greener.   Sarah also speaks with Maria Mphanza, a teacher at Mnyaula Community School in Zambia, one of the schools about to begin Earth Warriors' curriculum, about her hope that the programme will help to combat deforestation in her community.  

Right now, 260 million children are not in school, and many more are in the classroom but not receiving a quality education. Let down by poorly trained teachers, outdated curriculums and lack of digital connectivity, they risk not reaching their full learning potential.  Next week, world leaders will debate solutions to this crisis at the historic Transforming Education Summit in New York during the United Nations General Assembly.   To mark the summit, Theirworld Chair Sarah Brown spoke with Jayathma Wickramanayake, United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, and two Theirworld Global Youth Ambassadors, Mathilde Boulogne and Yuv Sungkur, who will be attending the event.   The Envoy spoke about why it is crucial for world leaders to listen to young campaigners and offered advice to young people trying to make their voices heard.   Mathilde and Yuv discussed why they are supporting the #LetMeLearn campaign, and what action they hope world leaders will take to avert an education catastrophe. 

In the final episode of Theirworld's 20th anniversary special, Theirworld Chair Sarah Brown talks with Beatrace Ndisha Mwanjala, a Global Youth Ambassador from Kenya, about what needs to be done to ensure we meet the United Nations goal of inclusive and quality education for all children by 2030.  Beatrace shares some of her own struggles accessing education, including what it was like to walk long distances to school when faced with the threat from wild animals.  Sarah also speaks with Justin van Fleet, President of Theirworld and Executive Director of the Global Business Coalition for Education, about his hopes for the future, and the power of education to fight inequality.   “Education has the power to be a great equaliser,” Justin says. “It can be a rising tide that can lift all boats, and I think getting equity in educational access and then the quality of education delivery that all young people deserve, that's going to be the biggest challenge we're facing.”

In the third episode of Theirworld's 20th anniversary special, Theirworld Chair Sarah Brown talks with Motunrayo Fatoke, a Global Youth Ambassador (GYA) from Nigeria, about how forging powerful partnerships has helped to get some of the world's most vulnerable children back into school.   We also hear from Maysa Jalbout, Senior Advisor on Education in Emergencies for Theirworld, about her work supporting refugee education in Greece.   She is joined by Elias Bou Saab, former Lebanese Minister of Education, who collaborated with Theirworld on the double shift school system in Lebanon, which has helped provide education for more than 300,000 refugee children.    In the final part of this episode, Lorriann Robinson, Director of The Advocacy Team and a Theirworld consultant, talks about some of the practical tools people can use to help them advocate for quality education. 

In the second episode of Theirworld's 20th anniversary special, Theirworld Chair Sarah Brown talks with Benedict Joson, a former Global Youth Ambassador (GYA) who supported Theirworld's 2015 #UpForSchool petition calling on world leaders to prioritise education.  The petition gathered 11 million signatures, making it the largest petition for education in history – and Benedict took a starring role, delivering the petition with global pop sensation Shakira to Gordon Brown, the UN's Special Envoy for Global Education.  Sarah also speaks with Ben Hewitt, Theirworld‘s Director of Campaigns and Communications who spearheaded the campaign, about how supporters travelled to some of the remotest parts of the world to collect signatures for the petition.   Sarah also catches up with June Sarpong, author, broadcaster and Theirworld Advisory Board member, who was an ambassador for this campaign. She recalls the optimism of the GYAs and their determination to bring about change.  

To celebrate Theirworld's 20th anniversary, we have produced a special Better Angels podcast series about the history and evolution of the charity.  In the opening episode of this four-part series, Theirworld Chair Sarah Brown talks with Dr Taha Khan, a former Global Youth Ambassador who was selected to support many of Theirworld's early campaigns.  Sarah shares how her daughter Jennifer, who died just 10 days after being born prematurely, inspired her to establish the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory to look into the causes and impacts of early birth.  We also hear from key figures from Theirworld's early days who helped develop the charity's commitment to supporting early years education and giving every child the best start in life. Guests include Dr Ian Laing, a former neonatologist at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh; David Boutcher, Senior Corporate Partner at Reed Smith who has been involved with the charity since its inception; and Dr Pauline Rose, Director of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge.  TW // Baby loss  Producer: Sarah Myles

In this episode, we hear some highlights from Theirworld's International Women's Day event and speak with some of the event's attendees about girls’ education and gender equality Theirworld hosted its 7th annual International Women’s Day event on Thursday 4 March - but went virtual for the first time ever, due to Covid-19.  Covid-19 has put the issue of girls’ education firmly in the spotlight. Now more than ever, it’s important that we come together to hear from those who are campaigning to break down the barriers facing girls and discuss how we can act to unlock big change in the coming year. Hear from inspiring women, including Maysa Jalbout, Global Business Coalition for Education Advisory Member. Hiba Zakka al-Jamal, Head of SKILD ; Zarlasht Halaimzai, Director and Co-Founder of RTI. And Unlock Big Change Award winner - Theo Sowa, Former CEO of The African Women's Development Fund. As well as Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Barrister and Director of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute. Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, Activist campaigner and founder Karma Nirvana. Tamara Box, Managing Partner, Europe and Middle East, and Senior Management Team, Reed Smith. Lorraine Candy, Journalist, Podcaster and parenting Author. Lorriann Robinson, Founder and Director, The Advocacy Team. Angela Saini, science journalist and author.  

In this episode, Jamira Burley, Theirworld's Head of Youth Engagement & Skills, talks to two remarkable young women who are doing incredible work on the ground to open up education to the next generation of female leaders.  Together we explore what the global recovery should look like, and why girls’ education needs to be front and centre.  Educating girls creates not only greater equality for women but fairer, healthier and wealthier societies with benefits for everyone.

Rangina Hamidi, the Minister of Education in Afghanistan, talks to Sarah Brown about growing up as a child refugee in Pakistan. She says she was faced with threats of acid attacks just because she went to school. Her parents decided to flee to America to enable her and her sister to have an education.   She says the struggles she faced as a child made her determined to fight against the injustices in the world.  

Sanda Ojiambo, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, talks to Sarah Brown about how businesses can take positive action to address some of the world's biggest challenges. Talking about climate change, she says that businesses have a choice: they can grow in a "GDP-led way" or follow "a green model of growth". "If [these decisions] are made correctly, we can avert what looks like a very bleak future in terms of climate," she says. She says that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented businesses and the United Nations with “a point of reflection” and an opportunity to reevaluate their priorities.

Danielle Green, a Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador from the United Kingdom, speaks to Sarah Brown about the importance of children receiving a good quality education. Danielle says: “It really matters that children have not just an education or appear in an educational space, but that what they're being taught is really, really relevant and important.” She tells Sarah that a good quality education helps children “take charge of their own destiny.”

Palak Sharma, a Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador from India, talks to Sarah Brown about the challenges facing the education system in her country. She says that if the country is serious about advancing education for children, they must address issues around sanitation at the same time.  “The important task right now is to ensure that these two goals of education and sanitisation start working together in collaboration," she says.

Marianne Bitar Karam, Country Director at DOT Lebanon, a non-governmental organisation, speaks to Sarah Brown about the challenges facing children in her country during Covid-19. She says that the digital divide in Lebanon meant that many children were excluded from education because they were unable to access online learning materials during the pandemic. She also says that children in Lebanon were missing out on important lessons in social cohesion. "We've lost something important," she says. "School or the formal education setting was a reason for students and adults to come together and to accept each other, to listen to each other, to create connectors between refugees." Asked what motivates her, Marianne said it is her passion for her job, country and people that drives her to do what she does.

Obakeng Leseyane, a Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador, talks to Sarah Brown about the transformational impact of education on others. He says that educating even just one child has a "ripple effect" on their community.  Growing up in Rustenburg, South Africa, Obakeng was told that the only way to be successful was to become a platinum miner. He changed his fortune after receiving the highest educational scholarship in South Africa, something his family could have never dreamed of.  He now works in his community to help other children access education opportunities.

Theo Sowa, CEO, The African Women's Development Fund, talks to Sarah Brown about the rampant inequalities around the world which are depriving children of a better future.   She says that in the current situation, children who have benefited the most are those "who are wealthier and who are in economically secure situations." To help the most marginalised children across the globe, she says it is time to get  "radical about our inclusiveness.”  Theo says that good quality education for all children should be seen as just as important as basic needs like food, sanitation and shelter.

Annemiek Hoogenboom, Country Director, People's Postcode Lottery, tells Sarah Brown that "radical goals, patience and execution" are the building blocks for change. She also says that luck has a big part to play. She says: "When we admit that a big part of our success is pure luck, it makes us want to help other people more.“ Annemiek also touches on her mission to improve the plight of girls by advocating for their education. 

Sarah Brown talks to Emanuel "Boo Milton", about his work as a community organiser and youth advocate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. When Covid-19 struck, Boo created activity packs - called Spark Boxes - for children to ensure that they were able to continue their learning during the pandemic.   Talking about the power of learning, he says: "Education unlocks that special light that is inside all of us. I feel like all of us have a greatness that lies within us and education helps us articulate that.”

Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares, talks to Sarah Brown about the importance in developing countries of providing parents with incentives to send their children to school.  He says that health and sanitation programs which ensure children are fed and kept clean in the classroom help to persuade parents of the benefits of sending their children to school. Al Gurg said that instead of going to school girls in poorer countries are often made to stay at home to help with the domestic responsibilities while boys are sent to work to earn money for their families. He also argued that without quality education some of the greatest problems facing humanity, like COVID-19, will never be resolved.

John Goodwin, CEO of The LEGO Foundation, talks to Sarah Brown about the need to “redefine” play and “reimagine” learning.  He argues that play is often overlooked by society when in fact it helps children to develop important skills for adult life, such as critical thinking and problem solving. “Play is the way that children are naturally wired to learn and by subjugating it to the end of line means that children are really inhibited from having the opportunity to get the maximum learning opportunity,” he says. John also talks about the important role that education played in his own life, particularly teachers, who helped him to develop self-belief, confidence and resilience.

Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, speaks with Sarah Brown about the need for young people to vote - and to vote well - if they want to make a difference to people’s lives.    In the inaugural episode of this Better Angels podcast series, he argues that voting  is “the most basic and fundamental form of engagement” in democratic countries.   He also discusses the education crisis facing millions of child refugees around the world - a crisis which has been exacerbated by Covid-19.    Calling for greater investment in the education of young refugees, he says that  “education is as important for refugees as it is for anyone”.

Refugee camps in Greece remain overcrowded and unhygienic beyond imagination, but until Covid-19 struck new education centres were a daily lifeline for children who had fled conflict and persecution, many arriving after perilous journeys from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. This episode provides a glimpse into life in those camps and talks to the team behind Theirworld’s new report that offers a way forward out of the refugee education crisis. Sarah talks to organisations making a difference there, and to two refugees who shed their personal light on what those on the islands are going through. Sarah talks to Maysa Jalbout, author of the report ‘Finding Solutions to Greece’s Refugee Education Crisis’; Justin van Fleet, president, Theirworld; Abi Hewitt, CEO and co-founder of Love Welcomes; Tanko Doris Laure, refugee from Cameroon; Sanda Leslie, refugee from Cameroon; Josie Naughton, chief executive officer, Help Refugees; Naoko Imoto, education chief UNICEF Partnership Office in Greece.   Theirworld is a major funder of education on the Greek Islands – with the support of the People’s Postcode Lotteries and our many individual supporters – in partnering with Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF, UNHCR and many local charities and groups.

Sarah Brown explores the themes of the new Penguin paperback How to Go Work, and its subtitle, the Honest Advice No Else Ever Tells You, with authors Lucy Clayton and Steven Haines. Initially recorded just before lockdown for young activists and those starting out on their careers, Steven and Lucy then added an interview about how the coronavirus crisis is requiring all of us who are lucky enough to still be working to re-evaluate the value and impact of what we are doing. Steven draws on his extensive campaign experience at Save the Children, and Lucy on her background in advertising and ethical fashion, to provide valuable advice in this challenging time to be starting out in the world of work, or beginning a new job or project.

Sarah Brown talks to guests at Theirworld’s sixth International Women’s Day event, where women from all walks of life, with a few men dotted around, gathered to talk and share their experiences, contacts and ideas on how to unlock big change for girls and young women. We hear Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian finance minister and World Bank managing director, nearly moved to tears as she accepted our first Unlock Big Change award. We hear from other inspiring women, including Jo Brand, self-proclaimed ‘comic, writer, mother and super-model’; Amrit Kaur Lohia, musician and Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador; Sophie Walker, chief executive of the Young Women’s Trust; Yvette Cooper MP, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee; Leena Nair, Chief HR Officer at Unilever; Rosemary Leith Berners-Lee, co-founder of the Web Foundation; Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, mathematician and co-founder of the Stemettes, and not forgetting, of course, Theirworld’s very own Jamira Burley, who hosted the event.

This is a special edition of the Better Angels podcast where we talk to iconic changemakers around the world. This episode has been recorded for the People’s Postcode Lottery – for everyone who plays it and everyone who works there supporting both the players and the charities – at Theirworld we want to say thank you and share some of our stories from our Better Angels interviews so you can hear about the impact that your support makes. Here you will hear from global leaders from the United Nations, European Commission, Africa, and Lebanon, from the Theirworld leadership team, our ambassador Nick Sharratt and if you listen to the end how well known actors like David Morrissey, Sir Patrick Stewart and David Tennant add their voices to our campaigns and causes they care about. Theirworld’s vision is to end the global education crisis and unleash the potential of the next generation. Five years ago, while nearly half of the world’s out-of-school children were caught up in conflict, its aftermath and natural disasters around the world, big change was needed. This meant addressing large-scale structural change as well as determining what works on the ground - from school transport and nutritious meals to trauma counselling and effective teaching for refugee children. The players of the People’s Postcode Lottery have enabled Theirworld to tackle new areas of involvement, push our campaign worldwide and get right up close to the decision-makers who can unlock that big change and create a brighter future for millions of children. We believe that the trust that the players, and the team at People’s Postcode Lottery, have placed in Theirworld has made a difference to our goals. And we would like to share with you some of the perspectives on how we go about addressing the global education crisis Contributors (in order of appearance) Sarah Brown Chair, Theirworld Graça Machel Global advocate for women’s and children’s rights Wanja Maina Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld. Jamira Burley Youth engagement advisor, Theirworld Amina Mohammed Deputy Secretary-General, the United Nations Annemiek Hoogenboom Country Director, People’s Postcode Lotteries Christos Stylianides Former European Commissioner for Humanitarian and Aid Crisis Management Melissa Fleming Head of Communications, the United Nations Elias Bou Saab Former Lebanese Minister for Education and Higher Education Justin van Fleet President, Theirworld Nick Sharratt Children’s illustrator and author Yasmine Sherif Director, Education Cannot Wait David Morrissey Actor and UNHCR ambassador David Tennant Actor Sir Patrick Stewart Actor Shazia Ramzan Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld Kainat Riaz Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld Better Angels is presented by Sarah Brown. The producer is Ben Hewitt, and it is edited by Warren Borg of Worgie productions. February 2020.  

Max Kenner, founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative in the United States, discusses the impact of prison education with Sarah Brown. As he says, ‘nothing does more to create a sense of hope and purpose in otherwise desperate places than the opportunity to learn’.  A leading advocate for his cause, Max’s programme enrols jailed men and women in academic courses that culminate in a degree from the prestigious Bard College in New York.  He has a battle on his hands to make the case for prison learning in a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world, which sees 630,000 prisoners released annually, only for nearly 50 per cent to end up back in prison within five years.

In something of a first for Better Angels, Sarah talks to husband & wife advocates for change - Dan Snow, the popular TV presenter and historian, and Edwina Grosvenor, philanthropist and prison activist. They discuss their passion for speaking up for under-privileged people and how understanding the past informs their activism and awareness.  Edwina’s charity strives for positive change in the justice system, while she is also a founding investor and Ambassador of the Clink Restaurant chain, which trains prisoners for work in the catering industry. She talks about how a visit to a prison drug rehabilitation unit at the age of 12 inspired a career supporting prison reform.  Her work has taken her all over the UK and around the world, visiting different models of criminal justice and witnessing first hand examples of best – and worst - prison practice.  Dan Snow discusses the need to appreciate the complexity of people’s pasts and personal stories when assessing how to pursue social justice and reform. Known as the History Guy, Dan is one of the most familiar faces on television in the UK. He now hosts his own digital history channel and podcast, History Hit, a seemingly endless source of programming about fascinating aspects of history. He began presenting for the BBC soon after leaving university, and went on to front countless series and programmes on key moments in British and global history.

Young activists share their ideas on campaigning to end the global education crisis. Sarah speaks to four of Theirworld’s Global Youth Ambassadors, inspiring young campaigners. They share their passion for helping children around the world gain access to education and talk about the important role education has to play in providing life skills that will serve them long into the future. Wanja Maina is an inclusive education campaigner from Kenya whose mother carried her several miles each day on her back to school because of her disability. She ended up with a Master’s degree and a commitment to see others get into school and learning no matter what barriers they may face.  Javita Nauth is an American-Guyanese Global Youth Ambassador from Guyana who focuses on Early Childhood Education. One of her major projects is reconstructing  eco-friendly and earthquake resistant schools in rural parts of Nepal Badly affected by the 2015 earthquake. Pavel Sarwar, originally  from Bangladesh, is now living and working in Malaysia. He is a tech entrepreneur and education campaigner who co-founded Youth Hub, a non-profit platform for young tech entrepreneurs that runs school coding and initiatives for girls and young women in ICT. Jocelyne Jeannot has been a Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador since 2014. She works at the American-Pakistan Foundation as the Director for Community Engagement, and is also a published, award-winning photographer

Sarah talks to remarkable campaigner and inclusion expert Vibhu Sharma about how to bring more children and young people with disabilities into education. Sharing the difficulties she went through at school, Vibhu speaks about making sure that others do not have the same experience. They discuss what makes education truly inclusive, for children with or without a disability, or young refugees or children living in conflict situations This interview was recorded in September 2019 during the United Nations General Assembly in New York This episode of Better Angels was edited by Warren Borg, Worgie Productions.

June Sarpong MBE, writer and broadcaster, takes over as guest host, talking to Justin van Fleet, President of Theirworld and Executive Director of the Global Business Coalition for Education. Justin describes how a trip to Bolivia as a teenager inspired him to work in education, and how education is providing hope and a degree of normality to thousands of young people trapped in desperate conditions in refugee camps on the Greek islands.  They discuss Theirworld’s #WriteTheWrong campaign to provide an education to the 260 million children around the world who every day are denied a place in school. This podcast interview was recorded in New York in September 2019 during the United Nations General Assembly. This episode of Better Angels was edited by Warren Borg, Worgie Productions.

Sarah talks to activists at the heart of the Extinction Rebellion campaign, which seemed to burst out of nowhere in the spring of 2019 with its demand for action to end the world’s climate crisis and ecological emergency. In the midst of new actions in London, Clare Farrell, Will Skeaping and Dr Deepa Shah discuss how the movement has made its mark, and how traditional campaigning methods were failing to influence governments.  Clare Farrell is a fashion sustainability expert and co-founded Extinction Rebellion out of horror at the cost of fashion production to people and the planet. Will Skeaping is a former advertising executive, and co-editor of The Extinction Rebellion Handbook: This is Not a Drill. Dr Deepa Shah is a London GP and member of Doctors of Extinction Rebellion. This podcast interview was recorded on 8th October 2019 at Soho Radio with thanks for the studio use. This episode of Better Angels was edited by Warren Borg, Worgie Productions.

Comedian, Writer and Actor Rosie Jones joins Sarah for a conversation on what drew Rosie to comedy in the first place and the representation of people with disabilities on TV and in the media. Inspired by the passion for her call for disability, inclusion and equal rights, Sarah jumped at the opportunity to speak to Rosie during the Edinburgh Fringe 2019, where Rosie’s sold-out one-woman show entitled ‘Backward’ provoked the question - “Am I backward, or are they?”   Sarah and Rosie discuss the impact and legacy of the London 2012 Paralympics as a platform for not only athletes, but presenters with disabilities, and the need for more representation of disabilities on British TV outside of disability-focussed programmes. Rosie also highlights the need for more education around disability, and her aim is to get her story out to raise awareness of different disabilities. She is also very funny (Rosie that is, not Sarah!)

Sarah looks back at 3 years of conversations with extraordinary Better Angels Sir Patrick Stewart, Caroline Criado Perez, Sarah Corbett, Theo Sowa CBE, Jamira Burley and Peter Tatchell. This one-off Greatest Hits episode revisits different campaigning styles, why these remarkable campaigners are advocates for change in their field, and their incredible journeys. Join Sarah and experience a sample of the magic moments where these incredible activists tell us how they’re taking down barriers and opening up opportunities for the most vulnerable and marginalised people. Caroline Criado Perez is a writer and feminist activist and one of Britain's best known campaigners for women’s rights and visibility. Jamira Burley is a youth activist and social justice advocate, fighting to create sustainable and systematic change to improve the lives of young people across the world. Sir Patrick Stewart supports various social issues including progressive politics for fairness and social justice, addressing domestic violence with the charity Refuge, and being a powerful advocate for a better understanding of the mental health issues faced by our war veterans. Peter Tatchell is a British human rights campaigner, fighting for LGBT rights and supporting indigenous groups of people suffering unfairness in marginalised territories. Sarah Corbett is a professional activist and founder of Craftivist Collective - a social enterprise that combines craft and activism to engage people with social justice in a non-confrontational way. Theo Sowa CBE is CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund and is an advisor on a range of international issues with a focus on social issues.

Slay in Your Lane Authors Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené join Sarah to discuss the success of their first book as a best-selling guide to life for black British women, and their newly published book Slay in Your Lane: The Journal. Yomi and Elizabeth explain the intentions of Slay in Your Lane steering Black British women to find role models, share advice and build stronger connections with each other and in their wider working environments. They also tell Sarah how their project developed, how it hit home with some many women and how they see Slay in Your Lane developing into a movement beyond their expectations.  This episode takes us into more depth on the initial idea, explores how their language focuses on activism, and how they wanted to share the achievements and advice of prominent Black British women whilst adding their own views and recommendations for achieving a balanced and successful working and personal life. Yomi is an award-winning journalist writing for The Guardian and many other media titles, and Elizabeth is an award-winning marketing manager and is a columnist at the Financial Times.

In this new series of the Better Angels podcast, host Sarah Brown is exploring how different personality types call for change. For the final episode of this series, Sarah speaks with Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Change at Save the Children Kirsty McNeill, who is leading teams to galvanise the public and influence policy makers on humanitarian action, global development and help for children here in the UK.

In this new series of the Better Angels podcast, Sarah Brown is exploring how different personality types call for change. In this episode of the series, Sarah speaks to a range of guests about the new styles of campaigning, ones that look different to what we usually see and don’t always start with big budgets. These campaigns are often down to one person, affected in a personal way, which can launch some of the most innovative ideas. First we hear from James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand, co-founders of Oscar’s Book Prize, an annual prize for the best books written for under-fives, awarded each year in memory of Oscar Ashton. Sarah talks to James and Viveka about their young son Oscar, who passed away 2012 when he was three and a half years old and how Oscar’s Book Prize has grown over its six years of operation. Next, Sarah speaks with Ivan Rosales, a campaigner whose own immigration status gave him insight into the experiences of those living in limbo right now in the United States, as undocumented young people. Using his experience, he founded the New York State Leadership Council, an organisation that empowers immigrant youth to drop the fear and challenge the American immigration system.  Sarah then speaks with Carys Afoko, co-founder of Level Up, a new feminist organisation launched at the start of 2018, with a mission to build a community of feminists who can work together to end sexism in the UK. Paul Divakar, a renowned Dalit activist and former General Secretary of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, based in Delhi, speaks with Sarah about a personal trauma that inspired him to act. Finally we hear from Kirsty Mcneill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Change at Save the Children, who is leading teams to galvanise the public and influence policy makers on humanitarian action, global development and help for children here in the UK.

In this Better Angels interview special, host Sarah Brown speaks with James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand, co-founders of Oscar’s Book Prize, an annual prize for the best books written for under-fives, awarded each year in memory of Oscar Ashton. Oscar’s Book Prize champions the vital importance of reading to young minds and as Chair of Theirworld, who recently mobilised a global campaign for investment in early learning and pre-primary education, Sarah understands the importance of advocacy such as this. Invited this year to be a judge of Oscar’s Book Prize 2019, Sarah talks to James and Viveka about their young son Oscar, who passed away in 2012 when he was three and a half years old and how Oscar’s Book Prize has grown over its six years of operation.

In this new series of the Better Angels podcast, Sarah Brown is exploring how different personality types call for change. In this episode of the series, Sarah speaks to a range of guests about the Voices of activism.  First we hear from Scottish actor David Tennant about his work supporting various charities, including Comic Relief and Worldwide Cancer Research. Sarah speaks to David about how to best use his well known voice for a good cause. Sarah then speaks with Omotoke Titilope Olowo, a Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador from Nigeria, who represented her country and the charity at the United Nations meetings in 2018. Sarah speaks with Omotoke about her work as a special needs therapist at a school in Nigeria, and how her work shapes her campaigning voice. Next, we hear from Kim Polman, founder of Reboot the Future, a non-profit organisation that aims to use the Golden Rule, 'treat others as you would wish to be treated,' to inspire, unite and hold to account leaders and citizens to build an increasingly compassionate and sustainable world.  Finally, Sarah speaks with Natasa Pantelic about her work as a local councillor in England, and how she is finding a voice to make a difference in her local community. 

In this Better Angels Interview Special, Sarah Brown speaks to Caroline Criado Perez, a writer and feminist activist and one of Britain's best known campaigners for women’s rights and visibility. Starting with The Women’s Room project, a national campaign to call for female experts to be better represented in discussion, Caroline then took on the Bank of England, who were at risk of removing the only other female face, apart from the Queen, from British banknotes. This lead to the Bank of England announcing Jane Austen would feature on the £10 note. In 2018, Caroline’s latest campaign culminated successfully in the instillation of the first ever female statue, of suffragist campaigner Millicent Fawcett, in London’s parliament square, opposite The House of Commons. Ever engaged as a feminist activist, Caroline works now to inspire and explore women’s participation in the democratic process, and has just published a new book Invisible Women. Building on her interview in The Noise of Activism, you can hear Caroline’s full interview here, and explore what inspires her work.

In this new series of the Better Angels podcast, Sarah Brown is exploring how different personality types call for change. In this episode of the series, Sarah speaks to a range of guests about the Noise of activism, and how the volume of a protest can help it reach audiences fast and with impact. First, we hear from British journalist and feminist activist Caroline Criado Perez about her work with The Women’s Room project and her campaign against the Bank of England, when they were at risk of removing the only other female face, apart from the Queen, from British banknotes. Sarah then speaks with education development practitioner, youth advocate and Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador Gideon Olanrewaju, about Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative, an organisation he founded in 2014 to ensure access to quality education for those in rural communities across Africa. Finally, we hear from Inna Modja, a Malian musician and activist for women and girls rights and climate change. Sarah speaks with Inna about her Great Green Wall project with the United Nations, her upcoming documentary film which saw her take a life-changing journey through Africa and her concept of the African Dream.

Listen to Sarah Brown in conversation with Sarah Corbett, Claire Heuchan and Stuart Beveridge with special episodes of their interviews from the Quiet Activism podcast Claire Heuchan is the award-winning black feminist writer who blogs under the name Sister Outrider.  

In these interview specials, listen to Sarah Brown’s extended interviews with guests from the Quiet Activism Better Angels episode. Stuart Beveridge, who has been blind since birth, works for Seescape challenging large technology companies to improve their accessibility and better communicate what features they offer.

In these interview specials, listen to Sarah Brown’s extended interviews with guests from the Quiet Activism Better Angels episode.   Sarah Corbett is a professional activist and founder of Craftivist Collective - a social enterprise that combines craft and activism to engage people with social justice in a non-confrontational way.