Josie Long to launch charity to help student debt
April 19, 2011 9:59am by Such Small Portions
Comments (0)
Josie Long has setup a charity to help students hit by the hike in Tuition fees, according to a report in the Guardian.
The comedian is set to launch a charity alongside campaigner Neil Griffiths to help underprivileged young people tackle the debts they may build up during their degree and promote the liberal arts and humanities subject, which according to Long have been sidelined by the coalition government.
Speaking to the Guardian Long said: "I've always believed that higher education shouldn't make you have a massive debt at the end. It should be state–funded.
"I was thinking about how much my degree enriched my life, and how much it gave me for the future, in terms of learning how to study and read and research and think critically."
Long, who studied English at Oxford, speaks of her political re-awakening after participating in the London Word Festival’s 100 days to make me a better person project last year, since then the comedian has been an active campaigner against the rise in tuition fees, working with the group Uncut UK as well as participating in live TV political debates.
The new charity, which is named Arts Emergency, aims to both help alleviate debt, and mentor graduates. Arts Emergency has been launched on the deadline day for universities across England to apply for permission to raise their student tuition fee levels.
Up to 75 per cent of universities who have currently applied to raise tuition fee levels have opted to charge the maximum £9,000 a year to students.
Anyone interested in the charity can find out more by visiting the website www.arts-emergency.org, or following the twitter account @artsemergency.
Read the full interview with Josie Long in The Guardian here.
Are you a comedian?
Such Small Portions is an online magazine and networking site for the comedy industry. For more information about us click here.
If you are a member of the comedy industry and would like to sign up, register below...
Already a member?
Log in below.
