"Not a Jackanory" podcast schedule
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Date &
Time
16th of July
2025
5pm-8pm
Episode 1
Protests and free speech!
Without preaching, shaming, or assuming we discuss nationalism, free speech, and protests.
We will discuss -
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- Feelings about protests in the UK
- Impact of free speech, violent or counter-protests.
- Expressing unpopular views
🏠2. Homelife
- When views differ at home, how to cope.
- Should we hide our political views or defend them at home.
- Should older generations encourage free speech?
đź’¬ 3. The Things No One Talks About
- Right/Left-wing protests or movements?
- Fear of change, fear of losing culture, fear of being silenced.
- Uncomfortable topics
đź”— 4. Wider Impact
- Missing education to attend or support protests?
- When is free speech not really free speech?
- Being caught in the middle of different views whilst being true to yourself.
🌟 5. Strength & Survival
- Where do people go (online or IRL) to explore views without being judged?
- Staying grounded
🧠6. Moving On
- When certain movements or labels no longer represent you.
- How to agree to disagree and avoid fallouts.
Date &
Time
30th of July
2025
5pm-8pm
Episode 2
"Absent families matter"
The impact of growing up in families who are emotionally or physically absent
We will discuss -
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- Growing up without a traditional family or care system intervention
- Exploring grief — even when no one died
- The effects of rejection, or silence
🏠2. Homelife
- The pressures on those left behind.
- When siblings or grandparents step in.
- What “family” looks like when it’s not traditional
đź’¬3. The Things No One Talks About
- Blame game - Feeling angry towards missing members.
- Envy toward friends with “traditional” families
- When family want back in, how do to cope?
đź”—4. Wider Impact
- Struggles, linked to missing family members
- Risk of getting trapped in cycles (toxic relationships)
- What more can the system do to support young people in different family settings.
🌟5. Strength & Survival
- Learnings and teachings
- Building your own support system
đź§6. Moving on
- Rebuilding or refusing a relationship later in life
- Becoming the adult you didn’t have and changing the narrative.
Date &
Time
13th of August
2025
5pm-8pm
Episode 3
Road Man! Fact or fiction?
This episode dives into the myths, realities, pressures, and identities tied to the roadman image
We will discuss -
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- The “roadman” identity
- Pressures of being a Roadman.
- Mental health vs an expectation to act hard or unfazed.
- Is there space in that world to feel vulnerable?
🏠2. Homelife
- How do family members react if you dress or speak a certain way?
- Can home life push people towards the roads — or kept away from it?
đź’¬ 3. The Things No One Talks About
- Behind the drip, slang, and rep — the real person.
- Fake lifestyles or being targeted.
- How real is the loyalty, and how much is just survival or pressure?
đź”— 4. Wider Impact
- Are roadmen relevant?
- “looking the part”, Does dress sense influence behaviour or perception?
- Can the roadman label hold people back from jobs, education, or trust?
🌟 5. Strength & Survival
- What does real strength look like in the roadman world?
- Who or what can help those at risk stay solid or grow?
- Self care in an environment that feels mad.
🧠6. Moving On
- Feeling trapped in the roadman image — people won’t let you change?
- Evolving without losing respect?
- People saying you’ve “switched up” or gone soft?
- Message to de younger mandem - consequences
Date &
Time
27th of August
2025
5pm-8pm
Episode 4
Money, Hustle, and Class
From side hustles to systemic barriers, we explore the pressures young people face
We will discuss-
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- What does being broke really feel like?
- How does financial stress show up in friendships?
- Feeling ashamed to ask for help with money or is it a right?
🏠2. Homelife
- How does money (or lack of it) shape home life?
- Growing up watching parents grind to survive?
- Talking bills and budgeting when you're still young
đź’¬ 3. Things No One Talks About
- Side hustles and illegal income — why some young people feel it’s their only option
- The pressure to look rich when you’re not
- "making it" when people you love are still struggling
đź”— 4. Wider Impacts
- Class divides in school, work, and even friendships
- Why youth from working-class backgrounds feel locked out of certain careers
- Is social mobility real — or just something people say?
🌟 5. Strength & Survival
- Learning money skills.
- Building wealth, independence, or stability
🧠6. Moving On
- Choosing long-term over fast cash — how and when?
- What does financial freedom actually mean?
- What support would help us break cycles of poverty or hustle culture?
Date &
Time
TBC
Episode 5
"It's called banter"
The blurred line between jokes and harm. “banter” can carry racism, sexism, homophobia, or bullying disguised as humour.
We will discuss -
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- How does it actually feel when you're the punchline?
- The long-term effects of “laughing it off”
- Internalising shame, losing confidence, or masking pain
- Feeling isolated in a group because of constant jokes
🏠2. Homelife
- When the same jokes are made at home — does it make it better or worse?
- What if parents or siblings say "you’re too sensitive"?
- When family or culture normalise toxic humour?
đź’¬ 3. Things No One Talks About
- When teachers or youth workers join in or ignore it
- Banter as a cover for racism, sexism, or homophobia
- The pressure to be “funny back” so you're not seen as weak
- When the bully is also your best mate
đź”— 4. Wider Impacts
- Banter as a tool for exclusion, control, or humiliation
- How “it’s just a joke” is used to silence people
- Normalisation of disrespect in school, online, or the workplace
- How casual language reinforces harmful beliefs
🌟 5. Strength & Survival
- Young people learning to set boundaries and speak up
- Turning pain into poetry, music, or performance
- Peer support: backing your friends when they’re targeted
🧠6. Moving On
- Rewriting what “funny” means in your circle
- What does respectful banter look like?
- Tools for calling it out without causing drama
- Creating safe spaces where everyone gets to laugh — not just survive
Date &
Time
TBC
Episode 6
"Trusting the system"
Why many young people don't trust the police, schools, or politics — and what that means for the future.
We will discuss -
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- How does it feel to grow up in a system you don’t trust?
- Have you ever felt let down by a teacher, police officer, or social worker?
- Does mistrust make you feel more anxious, angry, or detached from society?
🏠2. Homelife
- How do you talk about the police, schools, or politicians?
- Experiences that shaped how you see authority?
- Staying quiet about injustice at home?
đź’¬ 3. Things No One Talks About
- What happens when you speak out and no one listens?
- Why do some professionals say “we’re here to help” but don’t?
- Labelled as “aggressive,” “problematic,” or “disengaged” just for being honest?
đź”— 4. Wider Impacts
- How does lack of trust in the system affect access and outcomes for you people and communities?
- Why do some people avoid reporting crimes or asking for help?
- How does systemic bias show up in policies, rules, or funding?
🌟 5. Strength & Survival
- How do young people build their own networks of trust and support?
- Who do you trust when you can’t trust the system?
- Have you ever created change from outside the system?
🧠6. Moving On
- What would have to change for you to trust schools, the police, or government again?
- What does real accountability look like?
- Can young people be part of rebuilding the system — or do we need to build something entirely new?
Date &
Time
TBC
Episode 7
County Lines and grooming -Explores the hidden realities of young people groomed into County Lines drug trafficking, criminal activity, and exploitation. Broken trust, poverty, missing support systems, and how vulnerable youth are targeted and manipulated.
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- What does it do to your mind when you feel like there’s no way out?
- How does fear, pressure, or loyalty affect your choices?
- Can you ever fully relax or trust people after being involved?
🏠2. Homelife
- How do difficult home situations (poverty, violence, neglect) make young people more vulnerable?
- What happens when parents don’t know — or don’t believe — what’s going on?
- Can family protect you, or are they struggling too?
đź’¬ 3. Things No One Talks About
- What does grooming for County Lines actually look like?
- How are girls exploited differently than boys?
- Can you be a victim and get blamed for what’s happening to you?
đź”— 4. Wider Impacts
- How do schools, police, or social services miss the signs — or make it worse?
- What does it mean when communities feel criminalised instead of supported?
- How does this affect whole families, schools, and neighbourhoods?
🌟 5. Strength & Survival
- What does real resilience look like when you’ve been through this?
- How have some young people escaped and rebuilt their lives?
- Who are the real-life heroes — the ones that help, not judge?
🧠6. Moving On
- What support do young people need to break free and stay safe?
- How can we stop this from happening in the first place?
- What would a system built by us — for us — look like?
Date &
Time
TBC
Episode 8
Empoyment and Education- How young people from working-class or ethnically diverse backgrounds navigate school, college, and what it really takes to succeed when the odds are stacked.
🧠1. Emotional Impact
- How does it feel when you work twice as hard to get half as far?
- Does school or work boost your confidence — or drain it?
- What happens when rejection becomes normal?
🏠2. Homelife
- What pressures do you face at home when it comes to school or earning money?
- Are you expected to provide, succeed, or both — and how young?
- Do your parents understand your goals, or do they have different expectations?
đź’¬ 3. Things No One Talks About
- What if uni isn’t for you — but no one says what else is out there?
- Why do some young people feel excluded before they even apply?
- Do teachers, advisors, or employers ever make assumptions based on your name, accent, or postcode?
đź”— 4. Wider Impacts
- How do race, class, and privilege still shape who gets the job, interview, or funding?
- What barriers do you face even when you “do everything right”?
- Is the education system preparing you for life — or just for grades?
🌟 5. Strength & Survival
- What does success look like your way?
- Who or what has helped you push through?
- How are young people creating their own opportunities — from startups to side hustles?
🧠6. Moving On
- What would a fair and inclusive education or employment system look like?
- How can we open doors for the next generation?
- What advice would you give to someone walking the same path as you?