June 13, 2024 • 13 mins
Do we vote for the benefit of others as well as ourselves? Can a 15-year gap in life expectancy between the wealthiest and poorest be addressed through elections? Sienna talks to Bevan Powell, Director of Inclusion for the Methodist Connexional Team, about being an architect of change and how political engagement by people of faith might help create a more equal future for all.
Further reading and action:
Apply for a postal vote (www.gov.uk)
Elections – Joint Public Issues Team (jpit.uk)
What do you want to see in a General Election manifesto? – Joint Public Issues Team (jpit.uk)
Find us on: * X/Twitter x.com/publicissues * Instagram instagram.com/public.issues * Facebook facebook.com/jointpublicissues * YouTube youtube.com/publicissues Find out more at https://jpit.uk/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello and welcome to 10 Minutes On, a podcast from the Joint Public Issues Team.
My name's Sienna. I'm a Joint Public Issues Team intern.
Joining me today is Bevan Powell.
Amongst other things, Bevan works for the Methodist Connectional as Director for Inclusion.
Thank you so much for being here with us today.
Could you just begin by introducing yourself? Tell us a little bit about you,
(00:24):
what you did before you became Director of Inclusion and And also,
for those of us who don't know what it is to be Director for Inclusion for the
Methodist Church or Connectional,
can you just explain a little bit about what that means?
Well, really great to be here, Sienna.
I'll start with my current role as Director for Inclusion and what that actually means.
(00:45):
So I think it's what it says on the tin.
I look at all the issues of inclusion and equality throughout the entire Connectional Church.
And helping the church to achieve its aspiration to become a truly inclusive
church where all are welcomed.
(01:05):
As you will be aware, we have a strategy, Justice, Dignity and Solidarity,
which really tries to pull all of our aspirations together under our diversity
and inclusion, equity, etc.
Through a number of recommendations, many of which have been implemented.
(01:27):
So many of your listeners would have undergone the EDI mandatory training.
They would have come across the equality impact assessments,
our inclusive language guide, etc. But all of this is to help with discipleship.
It's to help with the mission of the church. So these strategies shouldn't be seen in isolation.
(01:53):
They should be seen as tools to help us in our discipleship.
I'm aware that there's a lot of work that needs to be done, but also think it's
really clear that there's a lot that's being done within the Methodist church,
which is really exciting around this.
Why did you get prompted to get involved in local politics?
(02:13):
I think there's two things. One, my faith that I think demands,
you know, that we fight for justice.
I'm a Methodist, and at the heart of being a Methodist is that we are a justice-seeking church.
But my experience in the police and the Black Police Association,
(02:35):
demonstrated to me that change and societal change, big-picture change, comes through voting.
It comes through politics and government and local government.
And so I wanted to continue being an advocate for change, but not just being an advocate for change.
(02:59):
I wanted to be an architect of change as well.
And I wanted to support my local community that I've grown up in.
You know, folks that I've been to school with and support their parents, grandparents, etc.
I just felt a calling to drive that change.
(03:24):
And just to give an example, you know, in North Kensington, you know,
perhaps sometimes you don't see politics linked to life expectancy,
but in North Kensington, men have
a 15-year shorter life expectancy than men
in the south of the borough women have a
12 year shorter life expectancy and
(03:45):
that's been like that for decades now that's an
issue around health and adult social care and that's
definitely about politics and it's definitely a disparity that
I wanted to see eradicated and a disparity that I wanted focus on because it
had been like that for so long so really it was trying to ensure that the community
(04:05):
that my family was a part of or is a part of and friends and, and just, you.
Folks in the in the neighborhood that i was somehow able to
make a difference to their lives through representing
them in our local council that's
(04:25):
a shocking statistic i think you
see sometimes we these statistics are
seen in isolation rather than seeing that yes
they are part of you know a number of social
determinants that drive that but also political
will can change that and that's why
it's so important that we vote in
(04:49):
respect to where we find ourselves you know politics influences every single
person's life you know whether it's about you know waiting for an operation
or trying to get affordable housing or whether it's just you about community
safety or climate change.
(05:09):
I can understand the disenchantment that exists amongst some individuals,
but the only way to bring about change is through your vote.
And so I'd urge everyone listening, ensure that you encourage others to vote
and obviously vote yourself.
(05:32):
I think for many people it can feel like a
vote's a really small thing to do and actually doesn't
make a difference but I really share your belief that
actually we politicians want like
they have an invested interest in listening to the people
who elect them and there and we
get to cast a vote for the future that we
(05:53):
want and the political leaders that we want and the
character of politics that we want and even though it's
one small way amongst many other ways we can
be involved in politics it's really important so i
definitely share that belief we
before the podcast we were talking about the work
that you're doing as deputy chair for a charity who provides
(06:14):
day center services for older people from asia
the caribbean and africa i'd be really interested to
hear a little bit about kind of your reflections on politics
and from the perspective of that particular community you know when we look
at older people in our communities particularly black and brown people that
(06:36):
there are huge health inequalities you know people from those
communities as they get older will suffer from.
Disproportionately from a number of chronic diseases,
hypertension, heart disease, et cetera, diabetes.
(06:58):
Disproportionately impacted by dementia.
And a lot of the times, these conditions are exacerbated by the fact,
individuals will present almost too late
and and so some of that is around
trust and confidence with some of our public services and
(07:20):
so there's a real need to to really drive
trust and confidence and to be proactive in
reaching out to you know
local communities you know black and brown
communities but also you know
communities where there are issues in
terms of you know socio-economic conditions
(07:42):
we know if you live in an area that's described as you know in the deprived
area they're going to be issues around education access to education access
to hospitals and GPS access around schooling,
et cetera, issues around crime and antisocial behavior.
(08:06):
I don't want to stereotype, but these are the factors that can impact more communities
where there are less resources.
So a lot of this can be addressed through local politics, but more importantly,
you know, as we're coming up to a general election, through party political,
(08:32):
you know, voting and voting for a party that you believe will represent your
views or the views of your community.
Now, you know, we spoke about apathy.
The only way for change is by ensuring your voice is heard or the voices of
(08:55):
your community are heard.
I love that idea of not just voting because of voting to make sure that your
views are being heard, but actually voting for the views of your community.
And churches actually and people I think who are involved in faith communities
are often connected to very different communities through midweek groups like food banks, etc.
(09:19):
And so thinking about the whole breadth of who the church is engaging with is
such an interesting, unique perspective in some ways that we as Christians can
take into the voting booth. Ruth.
Yeah, before we wrap up, I would love to just hear what your hope is for how
(09:40):
churches, for how people who are following Jesus might engage with this election.
And maybe if you think there's anything distinctive that the church has to offer
in this election, what that might look like.
I think the most distinctive aspect is that we believe that we're all made in the image of God.
And if that's one of the pillars of our faith,
(10:07):
then leading on from that is about equity to services, to housing, reducing poverty.
All of these various aspects of society
society and just the
fact that we want all people to flourish
(10:27):
we know we talk about welcoming church and that
we we want to have a church where all are welcome uh and and all are treated
fairly and with equity but we also want that in terms of broader society you
know that all have you know access to good quality healthcare,
(10:48):
that all have access to affordable housing, that our public services meet the
needs of our congregations and members of our community,
broader community, that in terms of education.
Every child receives the best possible education. So all of these things that
(11:13):
impact our lives from cradle to death,
a lot of that is driven by the services that are provided in terms of public services.
So I hope that all members of the church will vote,
will encourage family members who perhaps might be fed up,
(11:33):
you know feeling a bit apathetic that it's
important it's important that we all vote and ensuring that any members of our
community or families that haven't got id at the moment that that's sorted out
because for the first time in our electoral process you will need voter id.
(11:55):
I i love what you're talking about how actually as christians
we have this like perspective of valuing every
life and how actually we as christians
want to seek the flourishing or the like fullness
of life of all people i think
that's a lovely note to end on and if i can just like
kind of link back to something you said earlier i love how you talked
(12:17):
about how your calling felt like to be an advocate for
change but more than that to be an architect of
change and how actually by being involved in the
political process we can be part of
being architects for change so bevan thank
you so much for being on the podcast today it's
been really wonderful hearing from your experience as
(12:37):
we think about going into the election as we think about how
and why we vote for listeners a couple of
key bits of information if you're wanting to help your
church get more involved in voter registration or if you're interested in specific
issues check out jpits election website which is jpit.uk slash elections and
(12:58):
if you've enjoyed this podcast please share it around thank you so much for
listening and once again Bevan thank you so much for being with us today.
Hello and welcome to 10 Minutes On, a podcast from the Joint Public Issues Team.
My name's Sienna. I'm a Joint Public Issues Team intern.
Joining me today is Bevan Powell.
Amongst other things, Bevan works for the Methodist Connectional as Director for Inclusion.
Thank you so much for being here with us today.
Could you just begin by introducing yourself? Tell us a little bit about you,
(00:24):
what you did before you became Director of Inclusion and And also,
for those of us who don't know what it is to be Director for Inclusion for the
Methodist Church or Connectional,
can you just explain a little bit about what that means?
Well, really great to be here, Sienna.
I'll start with my current role as Director for Inclusion and what that actually means.
(00:45):
So I think it's what it says on the tin.
I look at all the issues of inclusion and equality throughout the entire Connectional Church.
And helping the church to achieve its aspiration to become a truly inclusive
church where all are welcomed.
(01:05):
As you will be aware, we have a strategy, Justice, Dignity and Solidarity,
which really tries to pull all of our aspirations together under our diversity
and inclusion, equity, etc.
Through a number of recommendations, many of which have been implemented.
(01:27):
So many of your listeners would have undergone the EDI mandatory training.
They would have come across the equality impact assessments,
our inclusive language guide, etc. But all of this is to help with discipleship.
It's to help with the mission of the church. So these strategies shouldn't be seen in isolation.
(01:53):
They should be seen as tools to help us in our discipleship.
I'm aware that there's a lot of work that needs to be done, but also think it's
really clear that there's a lot that's being done within the Methodist church,
which is really exciting around this.
Why did you get prompted to get involved in local politics?
(02:13):
I think there's two things. One, my faith that I think demands,
you know, that we fight for justice.
I'm a Methodist, and at the heart of being a Methodist is that we are a justice-seeking church.
But my experience in the police and the Black Police Association,
(02:35):
demonstrated to me that change and societal change, big-picture change, comes through voting.
It comes through politics and government and local government.
And so I wanted to continue being an advocate for change, but not just being an advocate for change.
(02:59):
I wanted to be an architect of change as well.
And I wanted to support my local community that I've grown up in.
You know, folks that I've been to school with and support their parents, grandparents, etc.
I just felt a calling to drive that change.
(03:24):
And just to give an example, you know, in North Kensington, you know,
perhaps sometimes you don't see politics linked to life expectancy,
but in North Kensington, men have
a 15-year shorter life expectancy than men
in the south of the borough women have a
12 year shorter life expectancy and
(03:45):
that's been like that for decades now that's an
issue around health and adult social care and that's
definitely about politics and it's definitely a disparity that
I wanted to see eradicated and a disparity that I wanted focus on because it
had been like that for so long so really it was trying to ensure that the community
(04:05):
that my family was a part of or is a part of and friends and, and just, you.
Folks in the in the neighborhood that i was somehow able to
make a difference to their lives through representing
them in our local council that's
(04:25):
a shocking statistic i think you
see sometimes we these statistics are
seen in isolation rather than seeing that yes
they are part of you know a number of social
determinants that drive that but also political
will can change that and that's why
it's so important that we vote in
(04:49):
respect to where we find ourselves you know politics influences every single
person's life you know whether it's about you know waiting for an operation
or trying to get affordable housing or whether it's just you about community
safety or climate change.
(05:09):
I can understand the disenchantment that exists amongst some individuals,
but the only way to bring about change is through your vote.
And so I'd urge everyone listening, ensure that you encourage others to vote
and obviously vote yourself.
(05:32):
I think for many people it can feel like a
vote's a really small thing to do and actually doesn't
make a difference but I really share your belief that
actually we politicians want like
they have an invested interest in listening to the people
who elect them and there and we
get to cast a vote for the future that we
(05:53):
want and the political leaders that we want and the
character of politics that we want and even though it's
one small way amongst many other ways we can
be involved in politics it's really important so i
definitely share that belief we
before the podcast we were talking about the work
that you're doing as deputy chair for a charity who provides
(06:14):
day center services for older people from asia
the caribbean and africa i'd be really interested to
hear a little bit about kind of your reflections on politics
and from the perspective of that particular community you know when we look
at older people in our communities particularly black and brown people that
(06:36):
there are huge health inequalities you know people from those
communities as they get older will suffer from.
Disproportionately from a number of chronic diseases,
hypertension, heart disease, et cetera, diabetes.
(06:58):
Disproportionately impacted by dementia.
And a lot of the times, these conditions are exacerbated by the fact,
individuals will present almost too late
and and so some of that is around
trust and confidence with some of our public services and
(07:20):
so there's a real need to to really drive
trust and confidence and to be proactive in
reaching out to you know
local communities you know black and brown
communities but also you know
communities where there are issues in
terms of you know socio-economic conditions
(07:42):
we know if you live in an area that's described as you know in the deprived
area they're going to be issues around education access to education access
to hospitals and GPS access around schooling,
et cetera, issues around crime and antisocial behavior.
(08:06):
I don't want to stereotype, but these are the factors that can impact more communities
where there are less resources.
So a lot of this can be addressed through local politics, but more importantly,
you know, as we're coming up to a general election, through party political,
(08:32):
you know, voting and voting for a party that you believe will represent your
views or the views of your community.
Now, you know, we spoke about apathy.
The only way for change is by ensuring your voice is heard or the voices of
(08:55):
your community are heard.
I love that idea of not just voting because of voting to make sure that your
views are being heard, but actually voting for the views of your community.
And churches actually and people I think who are involved in faith communities
are often connected to very different communities through midweek groups like food banks, etc.
(09:19):
And so thinking about the whole breadth of who the church is engaging with is
such an interesting, unique perspective in some ways that we as Christians can
take into the voting booth. Ruth.
Yeah, before we wrap up, I would love to just hear what your hope is for how
(09:40):
churches, for how people who are following Jesus might engage with this election.
And maybe if you think there's anything distinctive that the church has to offer
in this election, what that might look like.
I think the most distinctive aspect is that we believe that we're all made in the image of God.
And if that's one of the pillars of our faith,
(10:07):
then leading on from that is about equity to services, to housing, reducing poverty.
All of these various aspects of society
society and just the
fact that we want all people to flourish
(10:27):
we know we talk about welcoming church and that
we we want to have a church where all are welcome uh and and all are treated
fairly and with equity but we also want that in terms of broader society you
know that all have you know access to good quality healthcare,
(10:48):
that all have access to affordable housing, that our public services meet the
needs of our congregations and members of our community,
broader community, that in terms of education.
Every child receives the best possible education. So all of these things that
(11:13):
impact our lives from cradle to death,
a lot of that is driven by the services that are provided in terms of public services.
So I hope that all members of the church will vote,
will encourage family members who perhaps might be fed up,
(11:33):
you know feeling a bit apathetic that it's
important it's important that we all vote and ensuring that any members of our
community or families that haven't got id at the moment that that's sorted out
because for the first time in our electoral process you will need voter id.
(11:55):
I i love what you're talking about how actually as christians
we have this like perspective of valuing every
life and how actually we as christians
want to seek the flourishing or the like fullness
of life of all people i think
that's a lovely note to end on and if i can just like
kind of link back to something you said earlier i love how you talked
(12:17):
about how your calling felt like to be an advocate for
change but more than that to be an architect of
change and how actually by being involved in the
political process we can be part of
being architects for change so bevan thank
you so much for being on the podcast today it's
been really wonderful hearing from your experience as
(12:37):
we think about going into the election as we think about how
and why we vote for listeners a couple of
key bits of information if you're wanting to help your
church get more involved in voter registration or if you're interested in specific
issues check out jpits election website which is jpit.uk slash elections and
(12:58):
if you've enjoyed this podcast please share it around thank you so much for
listening and once again Bevan thank you so much for being with us today.
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