Civil Society Futures

This inquiry is about the future – and future generations must be at the heart of that. Throughout the inquiry we heard many expressions of hope that young people will bring about change. That can only happen if civil society is connected to young people, actively shifts power to them, is accountable to them and trusts them. We set out to ensure that the insights of the next generation are properly heard, learnt from and acted upon. We spoke to Voices That Shake, an organisation that brings together young people, activists, educators and artists to challenge social and climate injustice, with a focus on addressing racial inequality.

This inquiry is about the future – and future generations must be at the heart of that. Throughout the inquiry we heard many expressions of hope that young people will bring about change. That can only happen if civil society is connected to young people, actively shifts power to them, is accountable to them and trusts them. We set out to ensure that the insights of the next generation are properly heard, learnt from and acted upon. We spoke to Voices That Shake, an organisation that brings together young people, activists, educators and artists to challenge social and climate injustice, with a focus on addressing racial inequality.

We meet Hasan from London Queer Muslims. They challenge the dominant narratives about queer Muslims, both in the LGBTQIA+ community and in the Muslim community. The group is a place for the discussion and practice of Islam without needing to debate whether it is ok to be Muslim and queer. As well as trying to build the power of queer Muslims in London, the group seeks to embody its ideals of inclusion in its own internal practices, by building connections and developing and sharing power among their members – often basing these processes on ancient Islamic traditions. Image: Pixabay - Afshad (CC0 1.0)

Allegations of sexual misconduct at Oxfam, Save the Children and the Presidents Club have dominated headlines this year. Is civil society doing enough to address sexism in the workplace? We spoke to 'Is the Third Sector Sexist?', a collective of women researching sexism and sexual harassment in the third sector, to find out more. Featuring: Elle, Hannah and Clare from 'Is the Third Sector Sexist?' collective.

As the Government has shrunk, pared back year after year in the name of austerity, civil society and the voluntary sector has been forced to step in and do more of the societal heavy lifting. With so many vital services planned and carried out by civil society, the make-up of the bodies that run these institutions continues to cause concern. Read more here: Featuring: Maurice is director of Media Diversified, Vice Chair of Race on the Agenda and is a social commentator writing regularly for the Guardian and other titles. Imran Sanaula is the CEO of the Patchwork Foundation. Civil Society Futures in collaboration with Media Diversified

James Hearsum from St Andrew’s Botanic Gardens (https://www.standrewsbotanic.org) talks about their struggle to find relevance, how you take on climate change locally, and how from Scotland to the Bedouin of Jordan it's often trust and relationships that matter most. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)