A leading youth work organisation has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the marked cultural, social and economic divide that prevents young people in South Bristol fulfilling their potential.
Youth Moves said its Bridging the Gap campaign will aim to raise awareness of the gulf between areas in South Bristol and the rest of the city by providing data, telling real stories, lobbying local authorities, businesses, partners and communities to act.
The name has been inspired by the fact that generations of kids in places like Withywood, Hartcliffe, Stockwood and Whitchurch grow up never visiting the Clifton Suspension Bridge, or never once going into the city centre - even though it’s just a few miles away.
Read more: Why 100 per cent of Clifton students go to uni, but only 8.2 per cent from Hartcliffe
Youth Moves’ leaders said that was symbolic of what it described as a ‘cultural, social and economic divide in Bristol’ that needed addressing by the city as a whole and its leaders.
“In South Bristol, there are nine out of ten of the most deprived wards, ten times less the amount of people going to university, with a life expectancy gap of 12 years less than other parts of the city,” said a spokesperson for Youth Moves. “This runs incongruent to the global image of Bristol being a great success.”
The statistics are stark. Back in 2018, many in the city were shocked when Bristol Live revealed the stark educational inequalities that saw 100 per cent of 18-year-olds living in Clifton go to university, but only 8.2 per cent of 18-year-olds living in Hartcliffe and Withywood go to uni.
And in 2019, many in the city were shocked again when Bristol Live revealed young people at a youth project in South Bristol started a campaign to persuade council chiefs to introduce free bus travel for children, by explaining there were youngsters reaching secondary school age in places like Hartcliffe, Knowle West and Stockwood who had never once visited the city centre.
The chief executive of Youth Moves, which operates from a base in Knowle West with outreach youth workers across the estates of South Bristol, said something had to change. “We believe that talent is evenly distributed across Bristol, but opportunity is not,” said Ali Dale. “Everyone deserves the chance to become what they want in their future, but there are many barriers that young people face currently in our city.
“Youth work is about inspiring lives, and we want young people in South Bristol to grow up having access to all the amazing opportunities on offer in this thriving multi-cultural city.
“We want to do this by bringing the city together, from communities to charities to businesses, to raise awareness of challenges faced in this part of the city, and look together for solutions. So Bristol can be a city where no one is left behind,” he added.
“We are launching a series of conversations on film, podcast, a social media campaign and articles asking key questions and exploring ideas. We want Bristol to be a city for everyone - and our aim is to start Bridging The Gap,” he said.
Youth Moves said Bristol might be world famous for its suspension bridge, but some young people in south Bristol have never been - and that was symbolic of the issue.
“While tourists flock here from Europe, America and the far East to get a glimpse of Brunel’s creation, the first of its kind in history, not everyone living close by does,” said a Youth Moves spokesperson. “Working with young people from the estates of Hartcliffe, Knowle West, Stockwood and Withywood, our youth workers are increasingly finding this to be true.
“As lockdown eases and we have been able to venture further afield on mentoring trips, we are taking in the sights of the city, broadening horizons and offering new experiences to young people. But some youth workers have discovered that what Bristol is most famous for, has passed by many young people we work with. In the last few weeks alone there have been three similar situations,” he added.
Youth worker Levi Hodge, who features in a Youth Moves video to launch the Bridging the Gap campaign, said: “I took Blake there a few days ago, and he told me it was his first time. He’s 13. We took some photos; he was very excited. So we drove over the bridge, and then went back and walked it too.”
Levi said this was not unusual. “Lots of people may be surprised by this, but I am not really. It's very common, and you will find it with other well-known sites in the city too. It’s just not really in their reach or part of their life to do so. Lots tend to stay in their estate, so why would you go?”
Levi grew up in Knowle West himself, so said he can fully understand this. “I didn’t go by the time I was his age either. I think the first time I actually went to the bridge was as a staff member on a trip when I worked at Oasis Academy. It is pretty common for where we are from to be honest,” he added.
While visiting the Clifton Suspension Bridge might not be top of everyone’s list of things to do in Bristol, the bridge and the harbour and the city centre itself feels a world away from the estates of South Bristol, even though there are plenty of spots from the Northern Slopes or Dundry Hill where you can see the bridge and all the city centre landmarks. Levi said the phenomenon was a mix of reasons, but it showed the two Bristols.
“Well hard to say, partly getting there, if you have the transport, but as much to do with it being beyond their horizons,” he said, adding, “It’s a different world up there in Clifton, even though it's not that far away distance wise. People just tend to stay in their estates, maybe go into town sometimes.
“It is really important. Getting them out of their area, and taking them to see some of this stuff to see what's possible,” he said. “Blake was so excited, was amazed by it. His face was a picture. So it's up to us to show the famous parts of the city too. I mean why shouldn’t our young people have a taste of it too?”
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