WORDS & IMAGES Harry Gay
In April 2025, the Museum of Homelessness is launching a youth campaigning collective. This project was born out of a frustration I’ve carried for years – watching young people, particularly those from working-class backgrounds, often being excluded from activism and campaigning spaces that claim to advocate for them. Through this collective, the Museum of Homelessness aims to break down barriers, providing accessible training, support, and a community for young changemakers fighting for housing justice.
A Personal Journey Into Campaigning
I first moved to London in 2014 after a short but chaotic stint in Brighton. During that time, I juggled multiple jobs while retaking my A-Levels and GCSE Maths. My turbulent late teenage years – including leaving my family home at 16 – had resulted in failing every subject the first time around. Securing a place at the University of Westminster to study, for me, was a major achievement. While not a Russell Group Uni, Westminster is known for its accessibility for working-class students, its large international cohort and as the first in my family to attend university, and having done so independently, I was proud to study there and excited to immerse myself in the work.
The Criminology course I chose centred on topics such as human rights abuses, state crime, and the injustices within our criminal justice and immigration systems. The university was a pioneer in criminology from the perspective of ex-convicts, which inspired me as it valued lived experience and emphasised that these voices should be at the centre of any research or social science that concerns them. My course was highly political, and we were learning about systemic failures by our government and criminal justice system and going out into the world on placements, working with people from backgrounds similar to mine. This work deeply resonated with my own experiences and sharpened my understanding of the inequalities I had already encountered in my life, as well as those experienced by people around me.
This work deeply resonated with my own experiences and sharpened my understanding of the inequalities I had already encountered in my life, as well as those experienced by people around me.
It was because of this work that I first became involved in activism and campaigning, attending various weekly groups to find ways to contribute to causes around queer and migrant rights. However, I quickly realised that many of these spaces were dominated by people with backgrounds vastly different from mine and the loudest voices in the room were often Oxbridge graduates with social and cultural capital that I didn’t know existed. At the time, I felt my best contribution was to listen, take practical roles, and leave discussions about Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto to those who had seemingly memorised it.
It took me a long time to recognise that my unconventional life experiences didn’t hold me back – they shaped my approach, my interactions, and my understanding of activism. My voice and perspective, rather than being less valuable than those from wealthier backgrounds, are often closer to the realities of the communities I work with. What I lacked in these early years was confidence, and that’s something I now want to help change for others.
The Museum of Homelessness: A Platform for Change
Since then, I’ve worn many hats: I’ve run shelters and youth programmes, worked in prisons and detention centres (in, not for), and engaged with local authorities. Post-pandemic, I somehow built a career in music and nightlife, unlocking another side of myself I never thought possible for someone from a working-class background like mine. Throughout my decade of working in both the campaigning and creative worlds, I’ve been aware of the Museum of Homelessness, an organisation that seamlessly blends my passions for justice, solidarity, and creativity. When they advertised a role for Creative Project Manager in 2023, I knew it was where I needed to be.
Founded in 2015, the Museum of Homelessness is led by people with lived experience of homelessness. Their community envisions a strengthened network fighting inequality and stigma, using creativity and action to drive change. This ethos is at the core of the new youth campaigning collective that we’re working on and we’re hoping that it will reach even more young people who are faced with barriers to accessing creative and campaigning spaces.
Breaking Down the Barriers to Activism
The stark class divide in the UK’s NGO and campaigning sectors is clear and highlights that this issue is particularly pressing. While data in this area is lacking, the available research paints a clear picture: class inequality in the sector is even more pronounced than in others. Less than 1% of the UK population has attended Oxford or Cambridge, yet a quarter of chief executives at charities have – which is almost double the amount of Oxbridge graduates that lead FTSE 100 companies. Furthermore, 65% of charity CEOs are graduates of Russell Group universities.
But this isn’t a problem that is only found at the top. A report by the EY Foundation found that working-class people are less likely to secure jobs in charities or NGOs than in the public or private sectors, with recruitment often favouring privilege over potential.
The stark class divide in the UK’s NGO and campaigning sectors is clear and highlights that this issue is particularly pressing.
I’ve personally felt this divide in activist and campaigning spaces—where class privilege often determines who is heard and who is sidelined. The youth leadership charity Reclaim released a report in 2022 titled Missing Experts, which emphasised that anti-poverty organisations and think tanks should be leading national responses to crises like the cost of living emergency. However, the lack of working-class representation in these spaces weakens their impact. Their CEO, Roger Harding, captured the sentiment well: “The charity sector should feel like home, yet for many working-class people, it doesn’t.” Nearly every person from a working-class background interviewed for the report felt that their sector had a class diversity and inclusion problem. This lack of representation and accessibility is one of the driving forces behind our youth campaigning collective at the Museum of Homelessness.
Launching a Youth Campaigning Collective
From April to June 2025, the Museum of Homelessness will run an eight-week programme for young changemakers with experience of homelessness, inequity and poverty who are passionate about housing activism and social change. This initiative is not just a training course—it’s a movement designed to:
- Build a community of young activists with shared experiences.
- Develop practical campaigning skills to engage with those in power.
- Collaborate on creative, impactful campaigns addressing housing injustices.
Our Approach
The programme is designed to be:
- Free and accessible – ensuring no financial barriers to participation.
- Flexible – allowing anonymous engagement without public-facing obligations.
- Empowering – led by experienced activists, with creative workshops and hands-on training to turn lived experiences into meaningful social change.
The programme will have 2-hour weekday evening sessions. By the end of the programme, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to lead their own campaigns and take direct action against housing injustice. Individuals can engage anonymously, with no obligation to take on public-facing roles, making it a welcoming space for all.
Led by experienced activists and campaigners, the programme will offer creative workshops and hands-on training, empowering young people to transform their personal experiences into meaningful social change.
A Call to Action: Join Us
Over the past decade, I have worked with young people facing homelessness, inequity, and poverty, witnessing firsthand how the housing crisis in London has escalated from unmanageable to critical. While research on these issues exists, opportunities for young people to take the lead in shaping their futures are scarce. Almost every young person I work with has lost someone close to them due to policy failures and the housing crisis. There is a deep sense of anger, and we aim to channel that into creative campaigning and direct action.
If you’re a young person looking for a way to take action – or if you know someone who should be involved – get in touch. We want this collective to be shaped by those who join it. Together, we can create real change. If you are unsure about your place in the collective, we encourage you to reach out – we want this to be a space where you feel welcome and supported.
For those who don’t fit the criteria to join, keep your eyes peeled for something big hitting the streets this year. As the collective moves into action, we’ll be launching bold and creative campaigns – be part of the journey!
Visit the Museum of Homelessness Campaign Collective to sign up or learn more.
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