In 2024, Ideas Matter partnered with the Battle of Ideas festival to programme and present a range of discussion forums and events, particularly involving young thinkers. Living Freedom, Debating Matters and The Academy featured widely in the UK’s premier free-speech festival, enabling more young people than ever to discuss and debate issues important to their lives.
Ideas Matter stall at the festival’s ‘Ideas Market’
From the new and exciting ‘Young Freethinkers’ event and panel discussions, to volunteering and hosting promotional stalls at the ‘Ideas Market’, over 500 young people took part in the planning and participation of the festival. With over 3,000 people in attendance, this was a great opportunity for participants to debate and discuss cutting edge, contemporary issues, longer-term political trends and a range of debates relating to freedom, democracy and culture wars, as well as a huge opportunity to network with some of the UK’s most interesting political and social thinkers.
Young participants from Living Freedom, Debating Matters and The Academy were integral to the development and delivery of debates on:
(De)socialised on YouTube?
Young people are increasingly growing up online. To some, this conjures up images of anti-social boys spending hours on YouTube in their bedrooms, for others YouTube offers a renaissance of online public intellectuals prepared to challenge woke orthodoxies.
Gen Z: how to become a dissenter
In times of social, political and cultural malaise, dissenting voices are vital for invigorating public life. Young people have often been thought of as the source of counter-cultural ideas, but has this changed? Are young people today more conformist or is there a culture of self-censorship? How can we make the case for dissent?
Young Free Thinkers mixer
Today, many tried and tested solutions to the issues facing society have been found wanting. But there is also hope. Whether it’s securing free speech for all, energising civic life, creating a renaissance in the arts, or rethinking predicaments on housing, the economy and innovation, new initiatives are springing to life and making their mark.
Debating Matters showcase: Smartphones should be banned in the classroom
Smartphone use has been linked to a range of poor educational outcomes and mental-health problems, leading to calls for an outright ban in the classroom. But others see smartphones as an important educational tool or argue that blaming smartphones may mean we may fail to address the real problems faced by young people today.
Is anti-extremism a threat to liberty?
From misogyny to Islamophobia, eco-terrorism to the far right, how do we make the case for liberty and free speech when so much is seen through the lens of extremism? How helpful is it when almost anyone can be labelled extremist? And where does the boundary lie between resisting intolerance and tolerating all views and ideas.
Equality law: freedom’s friend or foe?
It has long been accepted that the fight for equality and freedom march together in lockstep, but today some legal protections pose thorny issues related to freedom. Have we tipped over from justified laws against discrimination, to using the law to pursue overly restrictive, partisan, divisive ends? Is it time to repeal the Equality Act?
Is Western civilisation under siege?
Many describe today’s problems as ‘civilisational’, while everything from Islamism to China is seen as a threat to the West. Closer to home, many view Western ideas like democracy or free speech as problematic. Do we need to return to our legacy – Homer, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Proust, Cézanne or Joyce – to find something to inspire?
In addition, Living Freedom alumni have been working to promote our work with a range of videos released on YouTube as well as a range of short ‘promo’ films which are used on other social media platforms such as X, TikTok and Instagram. Check out the Battle of Ideas on social media channels for more content:
YouTube · X · TikTok · Instagram
We are grateful to The Snider Foundation
for their support in developing this programme.
