You’re Fried: The Realities of Youth Employment in the West Midlands - Exploring Power Dynamics and Inclusivity in the Legislative Theatre Project

A blog by youth co-creators

March 2025

*aliases agreed with the young people have been used to protect their identities. Some young people preferred not using aliases and instead being referred to as youth co-creators.

Intro

The following blog is taken from an interview carried out by a youth cocreators on the INSPIRE Legislative Theatre Project at the end of a session where they reflected on the aesthetics of oppression and put together both spoken word and sculptures to represent their reflections. One group reflected on the struggle to break free from systemic constraints and share their insights in the following blog.

Knowledge: Hello so today as part of the Legislative Theatre project, we did an activity where groups formed images and then had to form ideas to represent and think what these images meant to them and how to put them forward to the rest of the group. So, we just want to work with Group One right now we wanted to find out what that image that you made represented for you.

Quinn: Yeah, so the image was about aesthetics of oppression, so it was about the system of people trying to breakthrough and get free from the system.

Youth co-creator: Our act was essentially like about a boss and how we picture our boss like in a setting and stuff. So, it was like one of us being a boss, so they had power and I was like the employee who was being fired. And then we also had another member who was like the bystander watching all of this but couldn’t do anything. And so, it just kind of showed how those in power have obviously power, and they could do essentially what they wanted to do to those who don't have a lot of power or who are under them or under their authority and things like that. And yes, yes.

Quinn: We were talking about like masculinity and how typically when people think of managers and bosses, you think of men and when you typically think of higher up the stereotype, is it being men and a lot of masculinity.

Knowledge: So, would you say that masculinity is a thing, that when you take part in this Legislative Theatre project is something that you want to, you know, change and you know something that you want to see fixed by policymakers in some way?

Quinn: I think yeh, like inclusivity and just want to translate the stereotype of thinking that men are superior to women, and we just want to make everyone feel included.

Knowledge: Yes, so that you say that these are outdated views that are plaguing and adding on to the oppression that people feel, especially in places like the workplace or even in youth employment? And that part of the Legislative Theatre project you'd say that masculinity plays a heavy role in this?

Quinn: Yeh

Youth co-creator: It's like the image the first thing you think of when you think of CEO or manager or just kind of like those hierarchy spaces, you would typically think of like men in the spaces and men occupying those roles more than females. nothing towards obviously men, it's just like the way that they occupy that power needs that power, people are not safe with it in some type of way. Like obviously there some managers out there who you know, take care of their employees, take care of the people that they're supposed to be taking care of. But there are that minority or even sometimes majority who have used that power and have abused the power with those who look up to them and they're kind of like, oh, now you're going to get fired or now you're going to get, you know, reduced and they use their power in the wrong way.

Knowledge: So as a final question, is it a thing where you feel like if there was a more balanced mix between men and females in those spots and spaces and jobs that you know are higher up who have power and authority and make decisions, do you feel like that would upset the oppression and you know, make it a little lighter on the workers that you know really don't have any power?

Youth co-creator: I feel like it's not really about like changing all like female should be more CEOs or men should be more CEOS. It's just the idea of when you think of a CEO or manager you think -oh, they have so much power. I think it's just about them using that power in a more positive way and not abusing the power and abusing those who look up to them. So even some female CEOs treat their like employees bad, as some men do, some women treat them good. Some men treat them good. I think it's just that balance of having people who treat each other in like a fair and good way essentially.

Youth co-creator 2:  In the activity after that you created a sculpture. Do you think that these ideas link into the sculpture you created later where you talked about how people work together or how people should work together to like to break out of this bubble?

Youth co-creator: Yeah. I think like our sculpture was more like recording the society blocks, where obviously there's us lot in society and there's those people who are trying to get out the norms of society, if that makes sense?

Youth co-creator 2: Would you say that you gone through this or experienced this at all?

Youth co-creator: I think obviously as like a young person trying to like, look for work and stuff its easier said than done. There are some employers who want, like people with work experience or people with a good CV or people with a specific age or even specific gender. So, I think as a young person, it is hard to like to find a job. I've been like applying to so many jobs and it's like they're all saying, like, I keep getting rejected. Because it's like. I need more experience, or I need more things on my CV. So, it's like where can we get those experience from if you don't get a job if that makes sense. So, there's that cycle.

Youth co-creator 3: Here at the Legislative Theatre, we trying to improve experiences for young people so that how would you try to improve this here so that other people who can like benefit from your improvement?

Quinn: I think like just, it's not about having more of one gender than the other. It's about changing the stereotypes of when people think of men, they don't think of something bad. And when people think of women that I think of something motherly or caring, it's just about changing the stereotypes. We want people to think of men the same way they think of women to not be scared and to feel safe.

Youth co-creator: It’s about changing the changing the narrative. So, it's like right now the norm when you think of, let's say, CEO and stuff, you think of men, when you think of staying at home or domestic stuff, you think of women. So it’s like changing the narrative and making it more inclusive, not just to men and women, but just to like anyone whether its about age or gender or whatever it might be, so it's like it's all inclusive.

Knowledge: So yeah, I think that's all the questions we really have for you today. I appreciate you for your time. Thank you very much.

In summary

In this discussion youth co-creators spoke about issues of masculinity and stereotypes and a desire to change these outdated views and promote inclusivity, ensuring that both men and women are seen equally in positions of power.

By sharing their own experiences and opinions of trying to find work as young people the group also went beyond the issue of gender and felt that there was a need for inclusivity beyond gender.

Reflecting on their collaborations in the sculpture making activity in the aesthetics of oppression activity they spoke about the need to break societal norms and work together towards inclusivity and using power responsibly regardless of your gender.