Purpose Power

PURPOSE POWER

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E O N E

We talk to Eloise Skinner about social mobility, education, and why every young person deserves the opportunity to decide their own future

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confession: I don’t know how to introduce Eloise Skinner. You see, on paper there’s several options: Cambridge university graduate, successful former lawyer, author, teacher, existential therapist, founder

of two businesses making a difference in the education and social impact sectors. I could go on. And that’s without adding one-time member of an experimental monastic community established by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Enterprise Advisor for the Mayor of London’s education and careers strategy, and youth board member of the UK’s national social mobility charity, for good measure [we will, in the interests of time, save tarot reader and contortionist for another occasion].

In reality, the choice doesn’t matter too much. In the context of meeting Skinner to discuss social mobility in the UK, fairer access and inclusion for everyone, improving education and routes to work for young people, and social impact, they all contribute to her passion for the causes. And, rather helpfully, they’re all underpinned by a singular theme: purpose. Skinner is driven by the idea of integration, bringing all aspects of work and life together to live with intention, value, and integrity.

She believes it’s fundamental in education, in finding work that’s as meaningful as it is a source of income, and in creating equality and diversity in the opportunities available to all of us.

But first, that monastery.

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“It came about towards the end of my time

a product of her own life journey. “I was born

in law,” Skinner says, telling me how a year

on an East London council estate,” she says.

of soul-searching after five practising as

“My parents were musicians, so I was

a successful corporate lawyer awakened

exposed to a lot of music, art, and culture –

her own sense of purpose and giving back.

my first ‘business’ enterprise was teaching

“It’s basically an experiment in applying

piano to kids, and I loved reading, writing

ancient concepts around what it means to

and, basically, arguing with people… or, as

really live fully, to connect with what matters

we should call it, ‘debating and advocacy’.

in the most deep and meaningful ways, and

I wasn’t really ever inspired to be a lawyer.”

living to a set of principles you value and believe in, whether that’s how you help oth-

Skinner went to sixth form, and later univer-

ers, how you give back to the community, or

sity, in Cambridge where she studied law,

even something like living sustainably. It’s

graduating with triple first class honours.

extreme. Like, the most intense version of

It was, she says, an environment that ce-

spirituality and how you live out your beliefs

mented her thoughts on equal opportunity

about the world, your place in it, and the

in education, social mobility, and equality.

purpose of your life.”

“I always felt a little bit out of place,” she In principle, we suggest, it’s an idea not too

recalls. “I was surrounded by people who,

dissimilar from the global citizenship ethos

I thought, had far higher aspirations than

at the heart of sustainable development.

I did and it really opened my eyes to what

“Certainly the tradition I trained in, it’s very

was possible. I saw firsthand the power

much based on loving people in the same

of being in an environment where you’re

way you do yourself, giving back to the

told you can do anything and it struck me

community, and thinking about and caring

how unfair it was that so many never get

for others as you would for you or someone

that opportunity, especially in their forma-

you cared about,” Skinner agrees. “In the

tive years when they’re wondering what to

broader sense, finding that kind of purpose

do as a career or how to shape their future.

is crucial to living well, discovering and

It helped me realise the importance of role

accessing new opportunities in education

models in education who can practically

or in work, and understanding our place in

demonstrate what a job or an industry looks

the world.”

like, show what’s possible, and get young people to believe they’re capable of doing

“WE SHOULD ALL HAVE A FRESH OPPORTUNITY”

something if they want it.”

For Skinner, much of her own sense of purpose revolves around advancing diversity,

While at Cambridge, Skinner worked on the

equality and social mobility. It is, in part,

university’s Access Team to broaden access to students from a wide range of backgrounds and with a diverse scope of experience. She continued to work with other charities after

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E O N E

“I saw firsthand the power of being in an environment where you’re told you can do anything and it struck me how unfair it was that so many never get that opportunity”

graduating including Young Women’s Trust, an

throughout life, hurdles in education that

organisation tackling economic issues facing

lead to barriers to employment, and the

young women in the UK who, on average, earn

mental health and wellbeing impacts those

£5,000 less a year than young men of the

issues can create. It shouldn’t matter what

same age and are more likely to be in debt or

your parents or grandparents did with

struggling in the cost-of-living crisis. Skinner

their lives, whether or not they went to

donated the profits of her first book to the

university, what kind of career they had,

charity; profits from her second, The Purpose

or the level of income they earned. We

Handbook, went towards the UK national

should all have a fresh opportunity to

social mobility charity Career Ready, for which

create our own life story.”

Skinner is a Youth Board member.

“IT’S ABOUT BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS” “I wanted my books to contribute something

The challenges of social mobility and its

more,” she says on joining the charity, “really,

impact on areas like education and employ-

to be more purposeful. I was inspired to help fix

ment continue to be very real. In 2023,

the challenges young people face including social gaps that start early and endure C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E O N E

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“I was inspired to help fix the challenges young people face including social gaps that start early and endure throughout life, hurdles in education that lead to barriers to employment, and the mental health and wellbeing impacts of those issues”

the UK Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)

According to the IFS: ‘Previous work has

and the Nuffield Foundation launched

shown that intergenerational income mobility

a sweeping review into inequality and inter-

in England was lower for those born in 1970

generational mobility in the UK, addressing

than those born in 1958. Using administrative

areas including income, health, wealth,

data on the most recent birth cohorts for

and opportunity, not just between rich and

whom earnings data are available, we find no

poor but by gender, ethnicity, geography,

evidence of recovery from that decline.

age, and education. It found that children

National estimates of mobility of cohorts born

from poor households were finding it harder

in the late 1980s look very similar to those of

to move to higher income brackets than

the 1970 cohort and education inequalities

40 years ago, and that parental income had

continue to be the dominant mediator’.

become a stronger predictor of the income people born from the 1970s onwards could

The UK government’s Social Mobility

expect by the age of 28.

Commission published its State of the Nation

2023: People and Places report on social mobility across the UK in September 2023.

It found it ‘worrying that social mobility 06

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E O N E

challenges,” says Skinner. “A lot of what Career Ready does is based around building people’s worldview in a way that’s different from their current perception, about shifting mindsets, and mentoring programmes – don’t underestimate the power of having someone in front of you as a young person who has been through the same challenges, is from the same background, and can show you it’s possible to succeed. There’s also practical help: things like resources, employer-led programmes, workplace experiences, and insights and information. It’s all about breaking down barriers.”

“PURPOSE IS FUNDAMENTAL IN EDUCATION” As well as consultancy and mentoring work for charities, Skinner runs two businesses – outcomes not only depend on who your

One Typical Day and The Purpose Workshop

parents are, your education, and your skills,

– focused on education, purpose, and living

but also where you grew up’, recognising

a full and meaningful life. One Typical Day,

21% of lower working-class young people

which she developed during time spent

are not in employment, education, or train-

training at Oxford University’s Venture

ing – a figure significantly higher than all

Creation Programme is a content creation

other socio-economic groups.

programme that helps students figure out their first careers and demystify the future

Career Ready helps to empower young peo-

world of work. It works with the Careers

ple, giving their talents a platform to flourish

and Enterprise Company, the Mayor of

from. It works with young people, schools,

London’s selected careers provider, to build

and colleges who face barriers in education

a portfolio of digital resources that’s shared

and employment that often means these skills

across a network of London schools and

go undiscovered.

educational institutions.

“It’s such a multifaceted problem, and consists of several deep-rooted and persistent C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E O N E

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“It’s so hard to even predict what the future

class plans and guide personal development

careers environment looks like; how do

for students. Giving young people the space

students begin to prepare for that?,” asks

to find that sense of purpose is fundamental

Skinner. “In that context – and this is where

in education. Often we do what we know,

learning and work integrate so well with

or what’s relevant to the environment we

purpose – we’re trying to help young people

grow up in, which is one of the challenges of

focus on a set of career values instead of

social mobility. How we bring this to school

a specific job, to know what they want out of

depends on the age group but it’s broadly

the world of work, and to understand there’s

about introducing certain questions in a way

flexibility and fluidity there. It goes back to

that’s practical. It’s often a part of a career

changing mindsets and showing, with real

class, where it’s quite a natural fit into

examples, that people the same as many

workshops and career planning, but it can

of these young people from disadvantaged

be about personal development too – all of

backgrounds have built a career based on

these kinds of questions are invaluable in

these kinds of values. Inspiring like that is

terms of mental health and wellbeing.”

one of the most powerful things you can do.”

Skinner has a decade of experience in the The Purpose Workshop builds on many of

social impact space, particularly in education

these themes. Through an approach based

and social mobility. In her view, a long-term

on existential analysis and logotherapy –

and sustainable evolution of the education

a form of psychotherapy focused on the

system is necessary to tackle many of the

future and our ability to endure challenges

challenges young people currently face.

through a search for purpose – it helps

“From the perspective of things like social

people from all walks of life, not just school,

mobility and purpose, there needs to be

navigate life. “Everyone should have these

a shift to a broader, more varied and flexible

kinds of ideas and processes accessible

approach to careers and work,” she says.

to them,” says Skinner. “It’s something we

“That’s even truer today than ever. We’re

have a tendency to shy away from – we

seeing young people go into jobs that didn’t

might not always want to know the answer

exist five years ago so there’s a practical

or be prepared to face something that can

education piece there, but also the need to

fundamentally change our lives.

develop an understanding that it’s about designing a future that’s meaningful or which

“The Purpose Workshop is about finding

reflects who the person is and their values.

a way to introduce many of these themes in

Whether it’s companies, charities, businesses,

a positive way that’s not intimidating,” she

or any other scheme that’s helping young

explains. “We do that in businesses, charities,

people into work, we have to show them there

and in schools that work with us to create

are alternative paths, that they shouldn’t think they’re not capable, and that there are many ways to reach their goals.”

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“It shouldn’t matter what your parents or grandparents did with their lives, whether or not they went to university, what kind of career they had, or the level of income they earned”

And with that, my time with Skinner is up.

But not before she tells me how, in the face of climate change and the threats we collectively face around sustainability, discussions like this around purpose and its practical impacts are more important than ever. So much so in fact that she’s actually in the midst of a master’s degree in existential analysis. There goes our intro… eloiseskinner.com

L E A R N MOR E

thepurposeworkshop.uk onetypicalday.com

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