Why do young people need a UBI?
UBI Lab Youth was the first non-geographical Lab in the Network.
They believe in a UBI could be a way to drastically improve the lives of people across the country and coming out of this crisis could be their generation's equivalent of the introduction of the NHS.
Here are five of the co-founders:
"A regular and continuous payment made by the state lays the foundations on which we can build an equal society."
Leo Holmes
I am passionate about a Universal Basic Income because a regular and continuous payment made by the state lays the foundations on which we can build an equal society.
With coronavirus plunging many young people’s futures into jeopardy, it’s down to the government to act rationally and invest in people.
The majority of the job losses suffered during this pandemic have been young workers who were previously employed on precarious, zero hours contracts.
A Basic Income will help these young individuals retrain, enabling them to pursue further education, retrain and up skill into lower polluting, higher income employment.
Beatrice Bannister
I support a universal basic income because it would stop money being the defining factor in my future. A UBI would allow people to choose how they want to spend their time and what they want to study based on their interests instead of how much they would get paid. A universal basic income would reduce the anxiety that money creates in today’s society.
As a woman, a UBI would also increase gender equality. It would repay women for the unpaid work they carry out (75% of all unpaid care work) and it would encourage men to share some of that work. It would also allow women to leave abusive relationships that they otherwise might be unable to for financial reasons.
"It would stop money being the defining factor in my future and reduce the anxiety that money creates in today’s society."
"The safety net of a UBI would give people opportunity to pursue work that really matters to them and that they are proud to do."
Nick Humberstone
A universal basic income is a transformational idea that will really change the way people think about work. I’ve recently become really interested in photography and videography, and had a few opportunities to do it as part of my work. It’s something I’m confident I’d love to do as a full time job. However without the safety net of a UBI, I’d be taking a big risk if I wanted to either complete a course, go back to university to learn more about it, or try and start my own business.
If I were to get to the point where I had my own business, a UBI would still be incredibly helpful. Without a UBI, I’d have to take almost every offer that comes my way. A UBI would allow me to occasionally turn down offers, when perhaps my mental health is struggling, if a family emergency occurs, or if I simply don’t agree with the values of an organisation. The security of a UBI allows me to make choices that are meaningful to me, and let me focus on the projects that I think will make the world a better place.
Lydia Godden
I believe the introduction of a universal basic income could help women leave abusive relationships where financial coercion is common place. If women were equipped with their own monthly payments it would restore their financial independence and provide them with more opportunity to leave their abusers.
Coercive control of financial resources within abusive relationships deprives women of the means necessary to leave an abuser. Financial dependence is a leading reason why many women often return to their abusive relationships multiple times before leaving for good.
In this way, a universal basic income could give women the vital financial independence they need to escape abusive relationships. It can ensure the safety of survivors by giving them the means to create a new, independent and safe life for themselves.
As a young woman, I believe a universal basic income could advance women’s rights and help many women within the UK.
"The implementation of a universal basic income will restore financial control in peoples lives and help alleviate poverty here in the UK."
“I support a basic income because it would go a long way in supporting young people struggling with mental health issues.”
Ronan Nagle-Weaver
I first became aware of Universal Basic Income when last year, I randomly stumbled upon a YouTube video reporting on a hopeful US Presidential candidate, who was ‘promising free money’ to everyone. I decided to click on the video with a healthy mix of skepticism and amusement. A few hours later I had truly fallen down the proverbial YouTube rabbit hole. I watched countless hours of videos of Presidential candidate Andrew Yang talking about his plan for a nationwide UBI over the following months. An idea that I initially thought was utopian, had transformed into something that I viewed as not only highly practical, but as essential for our progression into the 21st Century.
However, one thing that I noticed whilst following Andrew’s run, was that UBI was hardly discussed in the UK. After searching for UBI focused groups in the UK, I stumbled across the UBI Lab Network. I would then go on to become a cofounder of UBI Lab Birmingham and UBI Lab Youth. After seeing the disastrous impact of covid-19 on normal people, I’m more convinced than ever that we need a UBI in the UK.
The Official Launch of the Youth Lab is on the 26th of August 2020 at 7pm with Siân Berry - Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Jack Sargeant MS - Welsh Labour Member of the Welsh Parliament representing Alyn and Deeside, Ronan Nagle-Weaver - co-founder of UBI Lab Birmingham and UBI Lab Youth, Beatrice Bannister - co-founder of UBI Lab Youth and UBI Lab Womxn.
Join our event chaired by Leo Holmes - co-founder of UBI Lab Youth as we discuss further reasons why a Basic Income is pivotal for young people.
Please sign-up here - FREE to attend.