Focus on the positive

On Monday, UCL public engagement played host to a new type of event, funded by EPSRC and titled Focus On The Positive.

The idea is beautifully simple – six academics pitch a solution to a real world problem to an audience, who then vote for whichever cause they deem the most worthy. The winner then has £1000 to spend towards funding their solution.

While working on the London riots model with Toby Davies (which you can read more about in this article from Wired magazine) we realised how striking the links were between rioter involvement and deprivation and that the kids involved tended to come from the London boroughs worst hit by recent government cuts.

We thought the focus on the positive event would be the ideal opportunity to raise awareness about these links and the issues faced by young people in London from deprived backgrounds  – in particular given the recent cuts in funding to essential youth services. We decided our best chance at a lasting legacy from the funding would be to make a short film, and pitched our idea to the audience at the event on Monday.

I am incredibly honoured to say that our project won the funding on the night, and we are now in the processes of pre-production on our film, which I will be sure to post here when it’s ready.

In the meantime, the next Focus on the positive event will be held in Bloomsbury theatre on the 19th of June. You can find out more about the night here, buy tickets here, or contact Hilary Jackson more information