– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

[cheering]

[applause]

>> Imagine you receive a food hamper.

It looks like this.

A loaf of bread, some apples,

a couple of potatoes,

some cheese,

a sandwich bag of pasta, and a few

high-sugar snacks.

Now, imagine this is all you had for

your child's lunch for the next 10 days.

This was the reality for hundreds of

thousands of parents across the UK in

January 2021,

when the free school meal scandal

exposed the truth about our welfare

system.

A system that lacks in care,

in dignity of choice, and in love.

With no experience of running a charity,

I channeled my anger from what I

witnessed in the free school meal

scandal,

and founded The Magpie Project.

I was 24 at the time, and that's when I

began my journey working with

marginalized 16 to 25-year-olds.

People who were my age,

maybe your kids' age,

but whose lives are so different.

People who lived through the care

system.

People who saw family members die and

were forcefully their home.

People who were homeless, sofa surfing,

not knowing where they'd sleep next.

And people who fled domestic violence

searching for safety.

These experiences make up the lives of

many of our members.

Many of whom would have come from homes

that would have received these meager

hampers as a form of government food

provision,

demonstrating to them from a young age

the lack of value they hold in the eyes

of our government.

And sadly, this devaluing message still

persists in the lives of many of our

young people today.

And it starts each morning

with a heavy knowledge that they may not

be able to access what is their basic

human right,

food.

In fact, in the United Kingdom, 68%

of marginalized young people will go a

whole day without food due to a lack of

money.

And when we take on referrals, we ask

our young people how the lack of access

to food makes them feel.

Angry.

Depressed.

Desperate. Like I'm in survival mode.

Embarrassed.

I feel like I'm not doing the best for

my son.

None of the respondents said, "It makes

me feel hungry."

Why?

Because food poverty is so much more

than feeling hungry. It's the experience

of poverty and the psychological impact

of being surrounded by a lack of

investment, by physical and mental

health challenges that truly affect how

our community of young people are able

to participate in society.

And until decision-makers truly

recognize the impact of the systemic

barriers enforced upon our young people

on a daily basis, we will never be able

to truly address the root causes of food

poverty

and of the mental health crisis faced by

our young people today.

Now,

we started Kicking in a supported

accommodation block in Bristol.

It has a 54 young people, each in their

own unit, able to access a journey of

support

from high-level through to independent

temporary living.

Dan says there's a living room, a pool

table, and a big communal kitchen.

It's quite nice, it's clean, and it's

got lots of paintings on the walls with

positive affirmations.

Lilly, our program director and I, go

and cook dinner there twice a month.

The idea came because we were struggling

with engagement. There was a lack of

consistent attendance to our supper

clubs and our cooking courses.

So, instead of asking people to come to

us, we decided we would go to them.

We purposely set no expectations. Just

cook with the community we support,

listen to what they have to say,

and build meaningful relationships.

We had a great first session. Five young

people came. Some stayed for the whole

time, others for 10 minutes. They even

said that Lilly and I are a vibe, which

is always a good sign.

As we were packing up, tension rose in

the room next door. People were

shouting, split across two rooms,

and two of the girls that we were

cooking with came back into the kitchen.

One was crying,

and the other was spilling with anger.

The house manager calmed them down and

took them to the room next door.

Lucy stayed behind.

Lucy's 19, 12 weeks pregnant, and she

tells us how much she hates the drama.

She remembers the first day she arrived,

she saw someone with a knife running

towards the security officer,

threatening them with information.

Police took them away.

At least it wasn't as bad as where she

used to live, she said. She would never

want to go back there.

Another day at home.

Two weeks later, we went back to cook

again and found out that one of the

young men that we were cooking with had

been threatened with a knife that very

night.

The incident was being investigated, and

the instigator was immediately evicted.

Another day at home.

These shared daily realities are very

common within all of our members.

Many of whom would have faced more

trauma before their 18th birthday than

most do in a lifetime.

Who might cope with or mask their

traumatic experiences

with signs that are too quickly and too

easily dismissed as antisocial behavior.

Fueling those negative stereotypes that

exclude them from opportunities that

harness their passions and their

talents.

And for this reason, I'm asking for

decision-makers, for funders, to take a

moment

to truly hear what our marginalized

youth are facing and experiencing.

Reflect on the impact

of the chaos,

the unsafe and insecure housing,

the feeling of being excluded and

uncared for,

all compounded by being undernourished

and often struggling with chronic

illnesses or pain.

Ask yourselves,

how can we support our marginalized

youth better?

I believe it starts with a consistent

demonstration of love and care.

No matter how big or small, we can make

sure that marginalized 16 to 25 year

olds recognize the light in themselves

that we see every time we're with them.

And I think it starts with food.

I grew up in Athens, a place where food

is so much more than just sustenance.

It's part of our culture, our identity.

And even though I didn't have the most

traditional Greek upbringing,

a community that food and cooking

creates innately became a part of me.

And as I've got older, I've realized

that the way I show love to my friends

and family is through food.

You're hungry? Oh, you're sad? I will

feed you.

You're happy? I will feed you.

It's about bringing people together,

making people feel cared for.

Which is why I named the organization

the Mazí Project. Mazí meaning together

in Greek.

Now, nearly 5 years later, we've come a

long way since that middle of the night

idea.

Through observing and listening, we've

developed a value framework that not

only recognizes the unconventional

circumstances of our young people,

but also celebrates the gentle and

caring interactions that we see them

share between themselves and with us,

as well as their determination to

protect one another.

At the heart of this value framework are

three core pillars:

choice,

consistency, and community.

One of the things that struck me the

most when I saw the physical meal

hampers was the lack of choice that was

enforced upon people in need.

The lack of choice in how one could feed

themselves

and how one could feed their child.

It felt like their dignity was being

stripped away.

And that became one of the first things

that I wanted to change.

Starting with our amazing milk kit

service,

where every other week we'll text our

members a selection of 20 seasonal

recipes.

They pick up to three

and each serves two people.

We will buy our ingredients from local

and small-scale producers to help create

a more resilient local food system, and

our volunteers will pre-weigh the

ingredients and deliver the box straight

to the members' door with some

easy-to-follow recipe cards.

One member said, "I'm eating more and

I'm eating better, so I'm less

depressed.

It's so nice to think that people took

the time to make this for me.

It feels like a gift.

And when you don't have family here,

it makes me feel like I'm less alone.

This member has been with us for 3

years.

Often, she hasn't engaged, but we knew

she came from an abusive background and

struggled with PTSD.

And sometimes I would display erratic

behavior.

But we stayed with her.

Throughout the multiple house moves,

disconnected phone numbers, and the lack

of responsiveness,

we were a constant in a period of

instability.

And one day, when we send out a

broadcast about what's coming up next in

our community kitchen,

she signed up to our Nourish and

Confidence Cooking Course.

She graduated from the course, got a

qualification,

and has since come to our supper clubs

and other community events, and even

offered to volunteer to help pack meal

kits.

Which brings me to the final pillar,

community.

Community building for us is about

creating a safe space,

an environment where people are

supported to thrive and participate.

Through our amazing meal kit membership,

our education, community, and outreach

events, we aim to tackle the feeling

most prominent within our young people,

the feeling of isolation,

of loneliness,

and of exclusion.

And we do this by showing consistently

that we are here. Our community kitchen

is here, and when they feel able, we

will welcome them with open arms.

Although the core of Mazí has stayed the

same,

what I've realized over the journey is

that it's not our food provision model

that is unique.

It is our community of young people.

It is being guided by the ever-changing

needs of our members, and not solely by

the desired outputs of funded councils

and governments.

It is prioritizing our communities

happiness, their voice, and their

confidence.

Some of the words that the young people

used to describe something with Maziwa

loved,

inspired,

I feel like I can be a better parent,

confident.

Food for us is our tool.

The catalyst that we harness to build

relationships and trust with a group

often difficult to engage and reach.

So today I'm asking, how can we invest

in our marginalized youth?

How can we demonstrate that they are

loved, that they are cared for?

Because this is a chance to break

intergenerational poverty and together

we can make every young person feel

loved through food.

Thank you.