Alumnus and trans awareness enterprise founder shortlisted for £10,000 prize
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Dr Jay Stewart, Goldsmiths alumnus and CEO of a social enterprise aiming to improve public understanding of gender diversity, has been shortlisted for the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Award.
Dr Jay Stewart, Visual Cultures graduate
Vote online for Jay or text ‘SEYA Jay’ to 67076
Jay, a transgender man, co-founded Gendered Intelligence in 2008 to deliver trans youth programmes and support for parents and carers, provide professional development and trans awareness training for all sectors, and run educational workshops for schools, colleges, universities and other educational settings.
He is among five finalists in with the chance of winning the UK-wide £10,000 award.
Jay studied for his PhD in the Department of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths. His thesis “Trans on Telly: Popular Documentary and the Production of Transgender Knowledge” explored understandings of trans identities through mainstream televisual documentaries.
Research indicates that 91% of trans boys and 66% of trans girls experience bullying at school (EHRC), 72% of trans youth self harm and 31% of trans people have attempted suicide.
Through Gendered Intelligence, Jay and his colleagues aim to make a real difference, empowering trans youth and improving quality of life by increasing opportunities and building skills, while increasing wider awareness of gender diversity in creative ways.
Jay is part of the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs ‘Scale Up’ programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs. The programme has enabled him to focus on increasing the social impact of Gendered Intelligence and learn from fellow entrepreneurs.
On his award nomination Jay said: “Winning the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award would be an amazing achievement and would allow us to engage with more people in the community and focus on developing the strategic messaging of the enterprise.”
Launched in 2012, the Lloyds Bank / Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme is designed to support social entrepreneurs in communities and, through them, help stimulate economic growth and regeneration across the UK. Recent research demonstrated the positive impact of the programme on people, businesses and communities. By 2017 the programme will have created over 7,000 jobs and supported 1.1 million beneficiaries.
In addition to the grand prize award of £10,000, prizes of £6,000 and £4,000 will be awarded to the runner-ups, as voted for by the public.
Voting closes on 28 October. To vote via text message text ‘SEYA Jay’ to 67076. Texts are free.
The winner of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2016 will be announced on 02 November at a ceremony in London.
To find out more about Gendered Intelligence, visit genderedintelligence.co.uk