Rife Magazine, Watershed’s in-house online magazine for young people, will launch its first book Rife: 21 Stories from Britain’s Youth on Thu 11 July and will officially launch on Thu 18 July at Watershed.

Rife: Twenty-One Stories from Britain's Youth is an anthology of passionate young voices that has been curated by Nikesh Shukla, editor of the acclaimed bestseller The Good Immigrant, and Sammy Jones, written content Editor at Rife, an online magazine for young people run by young people and produced by Watershed.

It has never been harder to be a young person in Britain. One in four people under 25 are affected by mental illness and over half of the people under 25 have looked for advice on homelessness. University fees are rising, job opportunities are drying up, buying a house is out of reach for all but a privileged few. However, this generation is noticeably absent from opinion columns, comment pieces, and news reports in the mainstream media. Rife Magazine is here to change that with 21 powerful and passionate essays from writers under the age of 24 based in Bristol and beyond.

Having successfully funded the project through a crowdfunding campaign with Unbound, the book features essays which discuss money, mental health, sex, gender, race, equality, crime, education, politics and the future to name a few.

Editor and bestselling author Nikesh Shukla says:

“Rife: Twenty-One Stories from Britain’s Youth really highlights what Rife is about, supporting, amplifying and providing room for voices that need to be heard and usually aren’t.”

Hannah Higginson, Engagement Producer at Watershed says:

“The creative industries in the UK are growing but young people simply don’t see themselves represented in traditional media and Rife: Twenty-One Stories from Britain’s Youth is our way to change this. We want to support the next generation of creative talent through programmes like Rife, that promote inclusivity and reach out to young people on and offline, whether it be through a six-month paid internship or receiving support to turn their ideas into published content.”

Bristol-based contributor and teacher Alex Higgins says:

“Rife: Twenty-One Stories from Britain’s Youth has been a great opportunity to create something for young people by young people and to prove that we are still full of ideas and aspirations. We hope they’ll fill you with hope too!"

The book will be available to buy, priced £9.99 from 11 July from Watershed, from all bookshops and online.

About Rife – empowering and amplifying young people

Rife is an online magazine created by young people for young people so that their voices can be heard and their creative potential unlocked.

Using our unique position in the creative and digital ecology of Bristol, Rife nurtures young talent from diverse backgrounds and connects them to networks and opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. They get career options and we foster a more inclusive creative industry.

Rife is co-produced with young people and is part of Watershed in Bristol, a social enterprise and registered charity.

Supporting Watershed and Rife

Why does Rife need support? The total cost of running Rife is £177,332 per year. We have had support of gifts totalling £62,500 per year for three years from three philanthropists who are passionate about seeing Rife continue but we currently have a shortfall of £60,00 in our budget.

There are many young people who need our support and we are looking for individuals, companies, trusts and foundations to partner with us to support Rife. Find out more here.

“It’s so hard for young people to get their feet in the door, or even know where the doors are. Since being at Rife, my confidence has in general skyrocketed. I don’t feel like anything is impossible. I’m still working out where I want to be, but I’m confident about the future, in my ability and potential – and in a time of uncertainty and instability – that is invaluable”

Euella Jackson, Rife Alumni

Donate to Rife now

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