Founded in July 2020, Currentive is a publishing platform for young professionals and university students. From human rights to neuroscience, our articles aim to provide readers with high quality insights into today’s most important developments. We have two core aims, which we believe set us apart from other publishing platforms.
Meaningful expression beyond student journalism
We aim to be more accessible than student newspapers. A prerequisite to writing for many student publications is enrolment at a particular educational institution. This can exclude many talented writers, while also restricting the audience. Currentive takes a different approach: our assessment of submissions is based solely on the quality of the analysis. Our first wave of articles reflects this. Between them, our writers have studied at Cambridge, LSE, UCL, Warwick, Leeds, and Siena. We also encourage submissions from freelance writers. You do not need a degree – but, you do need an idea that is meaningful, thoughtful, or topical.
Combating the myth of youth apathy
Young people are sometimes perceived as apathetic – and not without reason. Poor voter turnout among the youth has been labelled a ‘global phenomenon’ (Sloam, 2016). The World Values Survey collected data from across 33 countries and demonstrated exactly this. While 60% of all citizens ‘always vote,’ this figure drops to 44% for adults under 30.
However, electoral politics is not representative of engagement. Young adults may be disillusioned with institutionalised politics, but they do participate in alternative political activities. Taken to extremes, the consequences of youth activism can be dramatic. As Nur Laiq (2016) highlights:
‘Young people have been the driving force behind the Arab uprisings, Occupy Wall Street and its satellite demonstrations, the anti-corruption rallies in India, the demonstration for political rights in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the protests for economic justice in Brazil, Chile, Spain, Greece and Israel.’
The problem, therefore, is not apathy. Instead, formal institutions do not meet young people’s desire to participate. Bennett (2008) explains that the concept of ‘citizenship’ is evolving. Older generations have a greater sense of government obligation. In contrast, younger generations favour forms of activism which have stronger connections to their personal values. This, in turn, explains their preference for informal and issue-specific modes of activism. In addition to protests, young people are the driving force behind movements like ‘Veganuary’ and ‘The Crisis Project.’ Even individually, lawyers, bloggers, novelists, and artists use their crafts as means to promote causes they believe in.
Currentive strives to be a platform that can be of assistance. We encourage people to write about issues that are important to them. Our first wave of articles embodies this. Shehla Khan draws on her family’s struggles in discussing access to education. Holly Supka talks about her experience as a writer while exploring the rulebook on political discourse. We also encourage young professionals to contribute to debates in their chosen fields, whatever this may be. We have published pieces by lawyers, criticising the legal aid regime and the Human Rights Act 1998. Their articles sit alongside that of a neuroscientist, who outlines the pitfalls of psychological research methods when applied to human sexuality. Regardless of the subject area, our hope is that young voices are not simply heard, but are actively listened to.
Currentive is not the only publishing opportunity available for young professionals. However, we do believe that the platform we are striving to create is unique: a professional environment, where young people of all backgrounds can meaningfully express themselves. If you have an idea that you would like to put out into the world, why not send us a pitch?
