Lola Ray has worked at Make (Good) Trouble for the past five years – since she was 17 – first as a volunteer, and in the last few years as a young reporter and producer. This week we’re saying au revoir to her as she jets off on her travels for the next year or so. 

Before she went, we sat down for a chat about her time with us, and her hopes for the future.  

Can you describe what it was like when you first started working with Make (Good) Trouble – what was your first day like?

It’s been five years since I started working at Make (Good) Trouble (MGT). It’s been two years since I’ve been working on a daily basis. I remember the first day. We were in [MGT co-founder] Daisy’s kitchen, and I didn’t really know anyone apart from Lotti [who is now a Project Manager at MGT], and we had such a fun day. I can’t even remember what we did, but I just remember going home to my mum and I was really buzzing and I said, I’ve just had the most amazing day ever! It’s so cool and we’re doing this and they’ve got all these cool gadgets and stuff. And I was like, oh this feels really right. I knew it wasn’t going to be a job at the time but then whenever there was something happening, I was like, I’m there. I’m doing it. I’m going to be a part of that because it just felt like, first, a thing that was giving back and it felt really good to do that. But also, it was done in such a nice friendly way and it didn’t really feel like work. 

Lola filming with Make (Good) Trouble back in 2018, when we were known as Brighton5.

And then when I started working properly, it was back at Daisy’s house with Lotti, making a film about the Holiday Activity and Food programme for East Sussex County Council. And then we moved to the office and that was like another first day. I feel like I’ve had quite a few first days with MGT because there have been so many iterations of it. It’s been great.

What is the best part of your job?

I think it’s the people. I think us as a team has been amazing. And I think our BBC Raising Teens radio show has to be one of my favourite projects. I mean, there aren’t any negatives to that project at all. I feel like it has some of the biggest outreach as well for us. One of the most powerful interviews I did was for Series 2, with a group of teens and they spoke to me about loneliness, depression and grief. It was really moving.

BBC Sussex Raising Teens presenter Guy Lloyd and teen reporter Lola Ray

Lola with Raising Teens presenter, Guy Lloyd at BBC Radio Sussex

How do you feel you’ve grown within the company? 

So much! Because when I started working with MGT properly, I hadn’t really done much, to be honest. I’d had a couple of jobs, I’d done lots of tele-sales work, but I’ve literally learned everything I know from you guys – from how to do a spreadsheet to what all the acronyms in this industry are! I really feel like I’ve learned about people and the relationships that you have with different organisations or working directly with young people. 

Lola filming for Make (Good) Trouble

I feel like I’ve been able to do a bit of everything, which is really nice, and it’s definitely what I needed to help me to know what I wanted and what I enjoy doing, to be able to have a go at everything to see what works for me, and also getting knowledge in all those areas. I don’t think many people get to do stuff like that. Here, every day is different. 

What next for Lola Ray?

I’ve learnt so much being here for the last two years, but I had delayed my travel plans because of Covid – and I just happened to fall into Make (Good) Trouble after that, which has been amazing – but it’s time for me to go and just not live in Brighton anymore and do something else.

In the future, I don’t know if I’ll go more into production or into mental health. We’ll have to wait and see. I might have high expectations of everyone else compared to MGT!

And I’m not leaving, I’m just changing direction. It’s been so special to be part of this. And that it is something that has completely changed my life. And I don’t think I would be where I am today without it because I’ve learned so much. It’s so enriching, and the next person to come and work here is going to be very lucky to be a part of a team. 

All we’ve accomplished, from starting in Daisy’s kitchen, not really knowing any of you, to five years later, it’s started me off in life, really. And I think if I’d worked anywhere else, I wouldn’t have been so enriched as I’ve been with Make (Good) Trouble.

Lola has been invited to join our Advisory Group, so she’ll continue to help shape the direction of Make (Good) Trouble in the years to come. Thank you, Lola! You’ve been amazing. Enjoy your travels x

Is it November already? This month has flown by! It’s been a busy month and we have lots coming up in the run up to the Christmas break…

One million children experienced destitution in 2022

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation published their latest report on Destitution in the UK. It makes for sobering reading. A million children experienced destitution in 2022, around three times higher than in 2017. What kind of future is this promising our young people if they believe that those in power don’t care enough about them to keep them warm, dry and fed today? They have produced an interactive map of destitution. Local to us, Brighton & Hove has a high destitution rank of four (five is highest). 

We support JRF’s recommendations of “a bold and ambitious programme of action to address destitution and its corrosive impacts” and their call for the government to increase financial support to “ensure everyone has a protected minimum amount of support”. 

Get out in nature for free!

🌿 We spotted the news that the RSPB is opening up its reserves free to 16-24-year-olds from 6 November in order to encourage more young people to connect with nature. We love this – we’ve long advocated for young people to get outside for their mental health. 

Raising Teens explores mental health issues affecting young people

We’ve just finished recording our fifth series of Raising Teens. It’ll be broadcast on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey in the new year. It’s another fascinating series covering access to mental health services, trauma, eating disorders, the transition from teen to adult, mental health and neurodiversity, and support in schools. In each episode, presenter Clare Cowan hosts a panel of experts listening to young people talking about their experiences. It’s packed with insights, advice and information about where to get support. We’d like to add a huge thank you to all the professionals and young people who gave their time, along with the brilliant team at BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey. And to the team at NHS Sussex for supporting it. We can’t wait for you to hear it!

If you missed any of our previous Raising Teens series, you can find all the links here.  

Our Daisy at the Brighton Summit

Daisy was invited to be MC at this year’s Brighton Summit. I was a very proud sister, seeing her up on stage entertaining the audience and keeping the show on the road. Daisy has written a blog post about her experience, so treat yourself to her round up here. It was an amazing event and as always a great place to make new connections. We’ll be back next year – as will Daisy as MC!

Coming up…

The Catalyst programme is running new creative workshops in November and January. If your young person fancies making a punk protest banner, step this way! The Catalyst gives young people the opportunity to work with creative artists and sign up for a mentor who will offer career and wellbeing support and advice. We’ve had some amazing feedback from previous participants describing how they feel more confident and have made new friends after attending Catalyst workshops.

We’re running a Christmas Holiday Club in December with the amazing folk at Dragon Drama and the South Downs National Park. The club is for young people in receipt of free school meals – and is free. All the details and link to sign up are here

Au revoir Lola!

Our big news is that our amazing Lola Ray is leaving us in November (that’s Lola at the top of the page) and heading to Australia. Among Lola’s many roles at Make (Good) Trouble, are young reporter for our BBC radio show, Raising Teens, and Most Significant Change story collector for The Catalyst project. We’re excited to see how she gets on in her next adventure. Lola will always be one of our Trouble-Makers, and we hope that she’ll be able to work remotely for us on new projects. Our aim at Make (Good) Trouble has always been to provide a springboard for young people to jump into their future armed with new skills and resilience. Good luck Lola!

That’s all for this issue. If you have any suggestions or news you think we should include in next month’s round up, please comment below or get in touch

Last Friday, I had the pleasure to be the MC at the Brighton Summit, held at the prestigious Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, at the University of Sussex. The theme for this year was HUMAN. My mission was to capture the hearts of around 400 delegates and move them smoothly through the excellent line-up of speakers, workshops and experiences, curated by the brilliant team from The Brighton Chamber of Commerce. 

If you haven’t been to the Summit before, I highly recommend it. It’s where collaborations and partnerships start and businesses are born. Back in 2017, I was a keynote speaker at the Summit and gave a talk about my experience running Liberty842, a London-based social media content company. My business life was thriving, but my home life was not. My daughter’s mental health was plummeting, and as a result, so was mine. 

So, at the end of my talk I pitched the idea of creating a new company – one that addresses the complexities of mental ill-health and puts young people in the driving seat of change. I counted 36 business cards from talented humans who wanted to collaborate. Make (Good) Trouble was born at The Brighton Summit.

The theme for the summit in 2017 was “Embracing the Unknown” – with a pandemic in the middle of our journey – we certainly did that. 5 years on and Make (Good) Trouble has worked with thousands of young people, parents and carers and professionals. We have secured long term partnerships with Public Health, Sussex Police, five local authorities, The NHS and most recently Save The Children.

So, it was on a nerve-wracking Friday morning, putting my makeup on in the dark, that I recited my lines or what I could remember of them, in preparation of holding court as MC for the day. I wanted to entertain, inform and cajole the audience into making good connections, ensuring they felt totally at ease whilst doing so. When asked what HUMAN means to me by one of the chamber organisers, I thought about our work in mental health. 

I decided to open with an adlib about having undiagnosed ADHD. Having ADHD is my superpower – it gave me the gusto to get on the stage and be vulnerable and funny (hopefully) at the same time. I asked the audience what would happen if ChatGPT had ADHD? Would it start writing, stop mid-sentence and start going on about something completely different? Marvellous!

The exemplary keynote speakers showed their humanity, through emotional, funny and uplifting stories sharing their journeys to success, including Jens Knoop, from Knoops (best hot chocolate I have ever tasted!), forensic scientist and author Professor Angela Gallop, CBE and finally Lord Simon Woolley, author, cross bench peer, Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge and one of the UK’s most high-profile campaigners for social justice, co-founder of Operation Black Vote. I was bowled over by Simon’s humanity as he held my hand on stage and thanked me, which took me by surprise and made my day! 

I learnt so much on Friday that will further inform our business going forward. I ate delicious food and made loads of connections which are still flooding into my inbox as I write. 

Do come to the Brighton Summit next year, where I’ll be on stage again as MC, making more good trouble.

On-stage selfie at the Brighton Summit 2023: Karen Dobres, Lord Simon Woolley and Daisy Cresswell. And Daisy introduces Simon onto the stage at the Brighton Summit – and is surprised (and delighted) as he holds her hand to thank her for her support.

Main image courtesy of The Brighton Chamber.

First up, apologies for the missing August round up. Holidays got in the way! The good news is that we’re back and have a bumper issue for you covering the news over the last few weeks! So grab a cuppa and dive in…

In this month’s post:

  • Teen wellbeing is still declining, with the cost of living crisis and post pandemic fall-out likely to blame. 
  • School absences are on the rise – perhaps it’s time to listen to young people?
  • Being human – why we’re really looking forward to the Brighton Summit

How are our teens?

We’ve spent the last couple of weeks talking to young people for our upcoming series of Raising Teens (broadcast on BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey this autumn). Every conversation we have with a young person gives us a better understanding of their needs and issues. It means we can work together to find ways to help. We’ll have more details in next month’s post.

As I was putting the finishing touches to this post, the Education Secretary announced that they’re planning to ban mobile phones in schools in England. They say it’s to address behavioural and mental health concerns. Much of the news about children and young people in the last couple of months has centred around a drop in happiness and wellbeing. The effects of the pandemic and cost of living crisis has been huge. The BBC published a poll last month that highlighted many of their concerns. It made for fascinating reading. 44% of girls and 24% of boys said they feel unsafe on the streets, over a quarter said they feel anxious most or all of the time – exams, school and peer pressure were the top 3 reasons. On the plus side, 66% said they felt positive about the future. 

We covered some of these issues in previous episodes of Raising Teens – and young people and professionals shared some great advice. Listen here: Raising Teens: Personal safety and Raising Teens: Anxiety.

School absences are on the rise

There were plenty of news articles about the rise in persistent school absences. 

“22.5% of pupils were recorded as ‘persistently absent’ (defined by the Department for Education as missing 10% or more of possible school sessions). This equates to around 1.6 million pupils.” (House of Commons Research Briefing, 29 September 2023) 

When looking for reasons why, some point to a change in parental attitudes since the pandemic. Schools Week reported today that there’s been a rise in home schooled children that perhaps points to disaffection with the school system. Whatever the reason, many families are struggling to cope and it’s hitting the poorest hardest – “37.2% of free school meal eligible pupils were persistently absent compared with 17.5% of pupils that were not eligible” – with a knock-on effect of lower attainment for those absent pupils. A recent IPPR paper looked at the need for wholesale changes in education to make it fit for 21st Century needs. In particular, they argue that a shift is needed in our school system – one that moves from “a system that disempowers young people” to one that “gives young people voice and agency.” We agree that it’s time to listen to young people. Their feedback is vital to inform the future of education. 

If you’re worried about your child’s school attendance and need help, take a look at Not Fine in School. It’s a great resource for parents and carers worried about their children’s school attendance. It was set up by parents who have experienced these issues. 

Human: Looking forward to the Brighton Summit

It’s been 5 years since we started Make (Good) Trouble (five years! Time flies). It started from an idea Daisy (my sister and co-founder of MGT) put to an audience at The Brighton Summit. We had an overwhelming response. Five years on, and we’re back at the Summit with Daisy as MC! It’s a great event and we’re really excited about this year’s theme: Human. The focus is on human resilience, courage and kindness, on human centred businesses. This is at the heart of MGT, building human connections between young people and parents, carers, families and the professionals who are trusted with their care. We’ll cover some of the debates, issues and ideas in next month’s round up.

Help and advice

We’ve been adding to our Help & Advice pages over the summer, so if you need somewhere or someone to turn to, take a look. The pages are full of great resources and organisations, many of whom we’ve worked with over the past 5 years. If you have any great resources you think we should add, let us know.

Till next month! Keep well. x

P.S. The image at the top of this page is from our August summer club – participants had been helping with pruning and conservation in the South Downs National Park. The SDNP team, MGT and participants showing the fruits of their labour. ♥️