Sliding Scale

what is a sliding scale?

We have made a definition of 5 different groups, based on access to social, cultural and financial capital. We appreciate that many people's lives or experiences may fall outside of these categories and that people can change over the course of their lives. The point is not to make definitions which totally fit individuals, but to create a reference point for systems of redistribution.

why do we use one

Currently the only people who can access this type of learning are people with lots of social mobility (they can travel, move somewhere else for a bit) cultural capital (they find out about things, they feel welcome in most spaces) and financial capital (they can pay for courses, work for free and/or have money to live while they train). This means skills we feel everyone should be able to access, can only be accessed by a small group of people.

Our hope is that a sliding scale means people who have access to money pay more, which helps make it possible for people with less money to pay less. We have chosen bird names for our catagories to represent that we are in a shared ecology, regardless of our social, economic or cultural realities.

catagories

a. Thrush

Undocumented workers
Growing up in single parent working class household
Growing up with experiences of parents/caregivers with addictions
Childhood interactions with social services, mental health or prison system
Unpaid carer
Peoples who’s only access to paid work is precarious employment such as sex work, uber drivers, deliveroo, cleaning, zero hour contracts
Working class people with limited access to support networks such as family or friends (are on their own in emergency situations/crisis moments)
Unable to regularly meet survival needs

b. blackbird

Can reliable access support from family/community in crisis moments
Stable access to benefits
Stable rented housing, or ex-council right to buy property (generation specific)
Stable access to low paid work such as construction, nursing, cleaning, union jobs
No access to inheritance
Can regularly cover survival needs, has saving under £6k (allowed by UC)

c. blue tit

Working class people who have run successful businesses in things like trades or beauty salons
First generation university graduates
Income dependant professional people such as junior doctors,
Social & cultural capital but due to factors such as disability, gender, race, traumatic experience etc have less access to financial capital than the established middle class. Have less ability to transition up social class than established middle class.
Lifestyle is income dependant, however loss of income would mean different lifestyle choices not threatening survival needs
Can regularly cover survival needs and can often access additional things e.g. therapy, eating out, holidays, gym membership, cultural activities
Stable rented or mortgaged property
Has savings up to £20k or could access money for a deposit from family

d. robin

Intergenerational university education, access to elite universities

Professional, academic or managerial jobs with likelihood of increased wages over working life
Own property outright
Income from rent, investments or other things that aren’t their job
May have accessed private education
Savings, ability to generate savings, or ability to access family wealth over £20k
Always able to cover survival needs, regularly able to access additional things like therapies, holidays, education, cultural events, eating out

e. Sparrow

Intergenerational university education, access to elite universities

Professional, academic or managerial jobs with likelihood of increased wages over
Own one or more property outright,
Private education

Hereditary titles
High inheritance, large land such as estates, multiple properties or significant investments/financial sums

Organisations

In order to cover our overheads and pay ourselves we have a minimum charge out rate of £35 per person per hour, plus mileage (0.45pph) and materials for organisations with funding. If you are able to pay more per hour then it supports us to offer services for free to other organisations.
We are applying for funding to be able to offer subsidised or free courses to organisations
We can offer some workshops to un-funded grassroots organisations at reduced rates or free, please enquire for specifics.

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