The Dispossessed.

If you read the Evening Standard this week you will see they have been highlighting the huge wealth divide within London as a pre general election story, emphasising the lack of attention this issue is receiving from all political parties. And if you live in the real world you will already know everything they have to tell you.  They talk about the 'hidden deprivation' in London, but it is far from hidden. The pricks that work there obviously commute from their 5 storey Georgian homes in Knightsbridge to their plush central London offices, socialising in supposedly upper class areas such as Islington with their blinkers on! You just need to look around any area in London to witness the extreme poverty and deprevation a vast percentage of Londers are dealing with.

As much as I HATE the naivety of such journalists I also have to commend them for bringing to light a massive social issue that we can all help resolve. Yeah I know some of you may read the articles about young Londoners and like most of the commentator's on the website blame the parents. But we can not hold these young people responsible for circumstances under which they have no control.
The recession has left alot of people jobless, but it also means a lot of young people can't find jobs because of the lack of vacancies. Reading their stories made me feel extremly grateful for my poorly paid job! And also made me realise what I can do to help. As mentioned in the ES, we could all dedicate not only financial help if possible but also our time. There are hundreds of agencies in desperate need of volunteers, it could be something as simple as giving up 2 hours a month to take a teenager to an art gallery (for which you will be paid expenses) or volunteering at your local youthclub 2 evenings a week. But whatever help you can give will be just that, a helping hand to dispossessed young people. 
I don't want to sound preachy at all here, but I realised I can piss and moan all day long about the injustices young Londoners face or I can actually do something about it, so after writing this I am going to fill out my volunteer application form.
If you fancy getting involved in something check out the links below or check out your local councils website-
V Inspired 
Volunteer London

Centre Point 

Do It

Gumtree