Students at School 21 in Stratford have joined Newham Voices to acquire an understanding of journalism and the community. In their second article Ibrahim Alom, Abu Miah and Sazzad Hossain report on interviews with students who are involved in the campaign for a national living wage.

School 21 is one of a number of local schools backing a campaign to support the minimum living wage. The students have campaigned and interviewed members of the public to identify how many people in the local area are paid the living wage.

The students uncovered a grim reality – the vast majority of people they came across are not getting paid enough to survive and, even if they are, they have no excess money to spend.

Talking to students at School 21, it is clear that many of them are involved in the project as the issue is quite personal to them.

One student said: “A lot of our families struggle to make ends meet so it is vital that we ensure that they and other families get the basics in order to survive.”

In Newham this is true for many families. According to the Office for National Statistics 33.8 percent of jobs in the Borough pay less than the real living wage. This adds up to around 23,000 workers in total.

Some students acknowledge that if this campaign is successful, they will benefit themselves. One said: “Our parents not earning the living wage affects us. We are therefore unable to buy necessities for school and we are not able to take part in enriching activities outside, such as martial arts.

“If our campaign results in change our parents may benefit and as a result we will benefit as well”.

The students’ claims are supported by the fact that about half of all children across the Borough live in poverty and are deprived of access to resources to help them with their studies and future prospects.

Overall, the students are extremely passionate about the campaign but many are far from optimistic that any serious change will be made.

One student highlighted that “We are just viewed as kids and our opinions on serious matters are often overlooked”. Another added that being undermined by adults will lead to “the campaign becoming a failure”.

However, there is also optimism that Newham will be a better place if young people engage in issues such as this. “Even if this campaign does not lead to direct success, it may bring more awareness to the cause which will eventually lead to change,” said another student.

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