Pay, recognition, competition for opportunities... oh my! Somewhere along the way, the youth sector may have lost the plot on why it does this work in the first place.

In this episode of Be the Change Podcast, recorded to mark the second anniversary of The Forgotten Generation Podcast, Lily Mott chats with its host, Troy Njenje Mbanga, to talk about what's really missing in the youth and charity sectors today.

Troy traces the podcast back to a poem he wrote about disability and feeling unheard, and reflects on the last two years of conversations. But the heart of this conversation is his diagnosis of a deeper issue: a youth sector increasingly focused on pay, recognition, and competition for opportunities, when the real driving force should be connection, community, and genuine passion for change.

Troy and Lily unpack what it means to stay youth-led, what real youth power looks like, and why remembering where and why you started (as well as keeping the work fun) might be the key to avoiding burnout.

To get connected with Troy, find him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Listen, read, and subscribe to The Forgotten Generation Podcast and Blog:

• Wherever you get your podcasts: https://theforgottengenerationpodcast.podbean.com
• On Substack: https://substack.com/profile/411756950-the-forgotten-generation

Listen to my first interview with Troy here: https://bethechangepodcast.podbean.com/e/troy-njenje-mbanga/

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

What does creativity mean in a world increasingly shaped by AI? And how does creativity shape politics?

In this episode, Lily Mott is joined by Tom Spare, the creator of Spare a Thought and co-host of The Political Dispatch, to explore both of these questions.

Lily and Tom talk about what creativity actually means, why expressing the ideas in our heads can help us understand ourselves and the world around us, and what happens when we start relying too heavily on technology to do that thinking for us.

They also explore how AI is changing the creative industries, what this means for young people entering an increasingly uncertain job market, and why skills like communication, curiosity, authenticity, and critical thinking are becoming even more important.

The conversation then turns to politics. Lily and Tom discuss the growing role of humor, graphic design, storytelling, and social media in political communication, and why politics needs creative thinking to tackle some of the biggest challenges we face.

To get connected with Tom, find him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Listen, read, and subscribe to Spare a Thought:

• Wherever you get your podcasts: https://spareathought.podbean.com/
• On Substack: https://tomspare.substack.com/

Listen to The Political Dispatch wherever you get your podcasts: https://thepoliticaldispatch.podbean.com/

Listen to my first interview with Tom here: https://bethechangepodcast.podbean.com/e/tom-spare/

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

For climate activists, watching the impacts of the climate crisis unfold can bring a particular kind of anxiety: knowing what is happening, understanding what is at stake, and still having to find the energy to keep fighting for change.

In this episode of Be the Change Podcast, Lily Mott sits down with climate activist and refugee rights advocate, Natasha “Tash” Pavey, during the UK’s fifth heatwave of 2026 to talk about climate anxiety, rising temperatures, and what it means to keep taking action when the future can feel overwhelming.

Tash shares what it was like to start climate activism as a teenager, how her understanding of the climate crisis has changed as its impacts become increasingly visible, and why she believes community can be one of the most powerful responses to climate anxiety.

As the climate crisis becomes increasingly difficult to ignore, how do we turn our anxiety and frustration into action?

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Check out the following resources and organizations to learn more and get involved:

• Force of Nature: https://www.forceofnature.xyz/
  • Climate Cafés: https://www.forceofnature.xyz/climate-cafe
• #StopRosebank Campaign: https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/

To get connected with Tash, find her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Listen to my first interview with Tash here: https://bethechangepodcast.podbean.com/e/natasha-pavey/

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.