Is there inequality in Kensington and Chelsea?

You may or may not have seen that Imperial Hub recently ran a social action #Resolution campaign. Well, a couple of weeks ago we were all over campus asking people to come up with a resolution for how they will contribute to making the world a better place in 2015. On the Monday I was running a stall where, in exchange for making a resolution, we gave people a free cup of tea or coffee.

One guy asked for some examples of resolutions that he could make. So I said: “Well it could be about cutting your food waste, starting to do some regular volunteering, learning about inequality in Kensington and Chelsea...,” which is where he interrupted with a laugh. “What do you mean inequality? Between the millionaires and the billionaires?”

Now you might be thinking, he’s right though, isn’t he? Doesn’t every other car driving around this place seem to be a Lamborghini? About a year ago, before I got involved with Imperial Hub, I probably would have been nodding along with you.

Studying at Imperial, it is easy to enter a bubble and not leave until you graduate three years later, when you will probably join a high-paid graduate scheme in the City and enter an even bigger bubble. However, once you pop the Imperial bubble you’ll quickly realise that your university is situated in a Borough facing some of the most serious challenges and social inequalities in London.

On one hand you have 45% of children living in poverty in the four most Northern wards of the Borough, on the other you have rows of empty properties owned by millionaires. The average income can go from £13,500pa to £100,000pa as you cross a road. There is a discrepancy of eleven years in the life expectancy of residents in the North and South of the Borough. Enough facts? I could keep listing them for quite a while.

I hope by now I’ve convinced you that there is a problem that needs to be addressed; if not, just google, ‘inequality in Kensington and Chelsea’ for some further reading material.

The fact is that as a University, we’ve been given a home in a place that we just aren’t giving enough back to, a home that frankly deserves a whole lot better than us.

How is it that so many young people from all around the world, with amazing skills and experiences, have come, lived in, and left Kensington and Chelsea, without even knowing about the serious problems that it faces? Students around the world have proved over and over again that they have such amazing potential to make a difference in their local communities, and I know that Imperial isn’t any different, so why isn’t it happening here?

Is it that students are not curious enough about where they live? Do they feel they have too high a workload to lift their heads from? Is the College not doing enough to get students informed and involved; there doesn’t seem to be much on the website other than a rather outdated page about volunteering? Or do students just not know where to even begin and get involved?

Whatever the reason, I think it’s time for each and every one of us to stand up, as individuals, and take some responsibility. We all need to take some time to think about how we can use our time at University to make a difference to our local community. People say University will be some of the best years of your life, and this is your chance to make them some of the most meaningful as well, so don’t let it pass you by.