Past Work
There are six projects we have worked on that are either concluded or put on pause, for each of which we have undertaken more specific actions, such as helping out local charities, producing content to raise awareness, etc. Projects are generally concluded or paused when members move away, rendering in-person actions impossible (as in the case of the homelessness project), when some of the members active on a project become too busy to continue the project, or when other issues are found to be more crucial to prioritize.
Political Economy
September 2023–January 2024
Virtually all issues we face are at least partly down to an underlying structural issue: how society is structured, what are the processes of decision-making, how financial and other incentives function, et cetera. That is particularly the case for many of the projects we in TAP hold dear: homelessness, climate change, justice, even animal rights and relationships. All are affected by the distribution of resources, our systems of production, what values are incentivized by our economy, and the isolation, stress, and time constraints our economy puts on people.
It was therefore crucial for us to start a Political Economy project💚 We’ve begun by researching on 5 key areas:
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Corporations, Environment & Justice
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Economic Policies
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Political Education & Generating Change
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Political Systems
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Political Theories & Ideologies
​​—Zach
Savannah, Lynn, Wanmei, Zach, Theo, and Tom all took part in this project which was put on hold due to a reorganization of TAP's foci and priorities.​
Only fairly introductory research was conducted so far. Parts continue to be researched through the current agape research focus, and the rest remains high priorities for us but to be resumed when our membership/working capacity has increased.
Agathe, Gabrielle, Howard, Jonatan, Alessandra, and Karlo have all taken part in this project which Savannah led.
Ecology
February 2022–October 2022
The Ecology project focused on ways that we as humans can be more loving in how we treat the natural environment, for the sake of both the wellbeing of the natural world and the well-being of all people who depend on it. We explored and raised awareness about personal actions that can lessen each person’s environmental footprint and researched policies that might help move us toward environmental practices that better care for people and the natural world.
—Savannah
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In order to focus our efforts, this project has been put on hold. Our animal welfare project continues to tackle the environmental impacts of meat and dairy.
Improving Education
March 2021–May 2023
As many of our TAP members are current and past university students, the Education Project is partly inspired by personal experiences of an education system that fails to cater for the diverse needs of students. In particular, students with special educational needs and disabilities (SENDs), often unable to reach their full potential and marginalized due to inflexible, ‘one size fits all’ approaches to education.
The aim of this project is to raise awareness of the challenges faced by SEND students in a mainstream education, and identify ways we can influence provisions at the university level.
—Catherine
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Research into educational policies was discussed at length to identify the gaps and issues within the UK system. Teachers were also interviewed to gain their unique perspectives. The information collected was used to create social media posts to raise awareness on these topics. Unfortunately, due to members' availability, the collective decision was made to put this project on pause.
Credit: Nattanit Pumpuang
Eszter, Adele, Agathe, Bence and Jonatan all helped with this project which Catherine led. Phil and Rowan were helping with the policymaking part.
Callum and Zach contributed to this project, led by Jess, with some help from Victoria.
Parenting and Childhood
October 2021–July 2022
There is no doubt that the role of a parent is a challenging one. Many parents have doubts and concerns about whether they are doing the ‘right’ thing for their child(ren), and it can be difficult to navigate these questions alone. The Childhood and Parenting project aims to provide support for parents and to encourage the use of loving parenting techniques that will help foster healthy familial relationships. Currently, this project is on hold. However, in the future we hope to find and/or create tools for parents and produce podcast episodes on relevant topics.
—Jess​
Homelessness
January–July 2021
We started the Homelessness Project at the beginning of 2021, being conscious of the unhoused community's vulnerability to COVID-19, and of those made homeless as a result of policy failures during the pandemic.
Keen to help those in Lancaster, with many of TAP's members studying at the University at the time, part of our work involved volunteering with Lancaster & District Homeless Action Service (LDHAS), serving meals and helping with cleaning.
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From left to right: TAP members Zach, Gabrielle and Catherine. LDHAS workers David, Phil and Graham.
Aside from improving our cooking skills (the kitchen was rarely quiet!), volunteering provided an opportunity to hear about individuals' personal stories and the challenges they faced. As our project centered around tackling apathy and stigmas associated with the homeless community (particularly misconceptions around the causes of homelessness and the factors maintaining it), perspective from those on the receiving end of such stigmas as well as volunteers working closely with the homeless proved invaluable for our articles, social media posts, and other awareness raising strategies.
In addition to the concrete aid, it provided perspective. Perspective that allowed us to better understand and empathize with people's situations, and on that fact alone, I would strongly recommend such volunteering to anyone. LDHAS are always looking for volunteers. If you're interested, contact Phil Moore at contact@ldhas.org.uk or head to their website.
—Catherine
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Catherine, Tom, Eszter, Callum, Jess, Vito and Zach were all actively involved in this project.
Loving the Elderly
December 2020–March 2021
The Loving the Elderly project aims at finding ways to show love to the elderly, many of whom are frequently isolated, forgotten, and lacking love. It is currently in a dormant state, having no concrete undertakings at the moment.
—Gabrielle
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This project was led by Gabrielle.