Rachel de Souza
The Catalyst
Ideas with a spark, energy, range and the ability to start things.
Rachel de Souza is the Children's Commissioner for England, known for her commitment to improving the lives of children and young people. This interview highlights her focus on mobilizing support and addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable youth, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.
“So Nick, I think, I mean, having been a teacher, a head teacher, and a chief executive before I took this role, what you learn as you progress through those things is actually its influence and people listening to you that matter. It's not about some sort of formal control.”
“It's so interesting because I work for many years in Luton, in Luton Sixth Form College, and taught and loved and learned so much from working with some of the communities there where this was an issue and it was an issue for many young women I worked with.”
“So, for me personally, I think, coming from quite a working class community with very little money, you know, I'd only have one set of best clothes. There were times when I was on free school meals when particularly during steelworkers' strike, when my dad wasn't, there was no money coming in.”
“I mean, I don't think we should normalise that. I think we need to support them. This was not part of our childhood. And on the point of sort of adults telling you, that's why I think that 18 to 21 year old generation is so important because they can actually give the parents and their younger siblings the advice.”
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson — The Rachel de Souza One
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