A 23-year-old activist, whose tuition fees were subbed by Stormzy, talks about growing up on an estate, inspiring teachers and how he became the youngest councillor in Southwark.
Cllr Joseph Vambe was raised by his aunt on the Rockingham Estate, in Elephant and Castle where he still lives today.
“My aunt became my foster carer when I was two because my mum was unable to look after me.”
He said although money was tight, growing up on the estate was great.
“The way I grew up is much different to what I see now for young kids.
“My generation was the last to have youth clubs and places to go – we had the cage to play football and we were outside much more. That doesn’t take away from the fact there was lots of crime. But when I think about my childhood, I would say it was fun. That’s the perk of being on an estate – you’re all together.”
He said it was at fourteen that he really started thinking about his future. “I remember I wrote a plan. If it all worked out, I would go to Cambridge, I would get into politics, and write a book.”
At the time he was at Archbishop Tenison’s school in Kennington. But being there, he said his choice of university was out of reach.
“No one had ever gone to Oxford or Cambridge from there before. When I expressed that that was part of my plan, my form tutor encouraged me to move schools.”
Joseph moved to Pimlico Academy to do his A-levels. He said the teacher at Pimlico who encouraged him to apply to Cambridge was actually a local councillor with whom he would go on to work later down the line – Councillor Maggie Browning (Dulwich Hill).
“She’d gone to Cambridge herself and encouraged me to apply,” he said.
“Without her, I would never have even applied to Cambridge. I needed that encouragement.”
He added: “Black, from an estate in southeast London – it doesn’t seem like this guy could go to Cambridge. There are lots of factors that could have made me think this path was not for me – but through the support I received, I could.”
The support he is referring to is the full scholarship he received from British-Ghanaian rapper, Stormzy.
For nearly a decade, Stormzy, otherwise known as Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr (or Big Mike) has been a popular household name in music. But more recently he has been focusing his efforts on propelling the next generation to reach their full potential.
In 2018, he started a scholarship programme which pays for black students who have the potential but not necessarily the funds, to go to Cambridge University. All they need is an offer.
To date, he has paid for 81 students to attend.
As one of the first people to receive this scholarship, Joseph says he never realised how much he needed it at the time.
“It’s very difficult to keep up at Cambridge, so any financial worries are the last thing that you want. That’s why I’m really grateful to Stormzy and the scholarship.”
Joseph said the first time he spoke to the world-famous artist, he said to him: ‘I just want your full head space in what you need to be doing – you shouldn’t have to worry about all of the other stuff.’
“That made me more aware of my circumstances,” Joseph explained. “You know, it would have been difficult for me to survive at Cambridge without it.
“A lot of the students there don’t have those money worries.
“In doing this programme, I think he just wanted to level that playing field.”
He said he still meets up with Stormzy at least once a year, commenting – “That’s been the same since 2018 when I first met him.”
Shortly after graduating with an undergraduate degree in Politics and a master’s in Philosophy, Joseph was elected as a Labour councillor for Chaucer ward. Sadly, his aunt, whom he called his mum, died two years ago – so she never got to see him elected.
At just 23 years old, he is the youngest councillor in Southwark.
Joseph once said he got into politics because he wanted to make a change.
Asked whether he still believes this is possible he said: “Things that require mass investment are hard with the limited funds we have as a council.
“But I wish more people in Southwark knew that if you get in touch with your local councillor they can help you.
“They won’t answer all of your problems – but they can push things along. It can make a huge difference.
“Even with young people and entrepreneurial ideas – all those funding pots – we are there to help people to access them.”
Something he created as a councillor is his programme ‘Equivalent-Exchange’ which supports, mentors and provides opportunities for pupils in the most disadvantaged schools – so there are no barriers for them in terms of options for their future.
He explained: “It’s about identifying the schools in the country that aren’t sending kids to Oxford and Cambridge, such as my secondary school, and working out how we equip the students and teachers with the tools to change that.”
To prepare for being accepted into Cambridge, Joseph did work experience with current Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle, with former MP Simon Hughes, and he organised a mock election locally – all with the guidance of his teachers at Pimlico Academy.
“Other schools don’t have these resources or the connections.”
He said he started it after seeing not every school was able to give their pupils the right support in terms of their futures.
“Every kid who is good enough to go should have the opportunity to, regardless of the school they’re in.”
“I personally think I was lucky – I don’t want it to be luck with other young people – I want there to be things in place.
“Seeing the support I got and comparing it to what my secondary school told me they weren’t able to give me – it made me realise more needed to be done.”
His passion for change does not stop there. Alongside his work part-time as a councillor, he works in fundraising and engagement with south London for Christian Aid.
A year in at the council, he claims he still has ‘a lot to learn’, but added that his family are ‘proud’ of the work he’s doing to support people living in Southwark.
His surgery with the other Chaucer Ward councillors is at 6-7 pm on the fourth Thursday of the month at John Harvard Library, in Borough.