Four Thought

As one of Britain’s youngest imams, Sabah Ahmedi, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, is on a mission to overcome Islamophobia. Conversation, he believes, is the way to tackle misconceptions and prejudice surrounding Islam. A relaxed chat over a coffee is his ideal forum for answering difficult questions. Presenter: Olly Mann Producer: Sheila Cook

Adam Morse, who is registered blind, explains how he directed an award winning film by seeing differently. When he was diagnosed at the age of nineteen with a rare eye condition, he feared at first that his ambitions to act and direct might be thwarted. A decade later, his dreams are being fulfilled and he hopes to blaze a trail for other artists with disabilities. Presenter: Olly Mann Producer: Sheila CookAdam Morse @themorseforce

Ranjit Saimbi explains why he doesn't want to be defined by his cultural heritage.In this talk, by turns intimate, by turns expansive, Ranjit describes the disconnect he felt from the Sikh culture in which he was born and raised, and proclaims his wish to be able to assert his own identity, free both from the constraints of that community and those in the rest of society who wish to put him in a particular box.Producer: Giles Edwards

Anne-Marie Douglas discusses her own experience of empathy-infused services, and why we need to see more of them.Anne-Marie's charity, Peer Power, works with children, young people and adults who have experienced significant trauma and adversity, using an empathy-focused approach to support them. In this powerful, personal talk, she outlines how her own experiences prompted her to focus on this approach.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Lydia Furse looks at the personal and political benefits of playing women's rugby.Lydia has long played rugby, and in this passionate talk discusses the harmony of bodies working together, a well-executed try, and how being in a scrum has made her feel differently about her physical image. She argues that women's rugby - much more than a game - is empowerment, it is boundary breaking, and it needs to be feminist.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Rufaro Mazarura discusses what the graduating class of 2020 have learned from the pandemic.A year ago, Rufaro carefully marked 23rd March in her diary - the day on which she'd be printing out and handing in her final year dissertation, and starting the transition to her new life, out of full-time education. But when the day arrived, she instead submitted her dissertation by email, and travelled home on an empty train, arriving just before the coronavirus lockdown. Rufaro has always been interested in transitions, and so she decided to make a podcast about the experiences she had in common with fellow members of the Class of 2020. In this talk, Rufaro shares some of the insights which she gleaned, and in particular the way in which their proximity to the edge may have shaped their worldview.Producer: Giles Edwards

Ann Morgan, who read a book from every country in the world to broaden her homogeneous reading habits, commends the challenge of reading outside your comfort zone. "When you break out of that hall of mirrors and open yourself up to what the world's stories offer, amazing things can happen." Presenter: Olly Mann Producer: Sheila Cook

Sarah Corbett explains the power of 'craftivism', a form of activism which uses craft to create gentle protest. Activists craft objects which communicate respectful messages calling for social change. She explains how words embroidered on a handkerchief, for example, can be just as effective as louder forms of protest. Presenter: Olly Mann Producer: Sheila Cook

Tiffany Atkinson rehabilitates the concept of embarrassment, seeing its potential to be a positive force in social encounters, in contrast to the negative power of shame. "Sometimes shame may be appropriate, but we do not have to file all errors and pratfalls and misunderstandings under shame. Is this a healthy way to live with others? Would an embarrassment culture not be a useful counterbalance?"Presenter: Olly Mann Producer: Sheila Cook

Stephen Bourne thinks we are short changing young people by failing to teach them about the history of black Britons, especially their contribution in the armed forces and on the home front when Britain was at war. Their stories, he believes, deserve wider recognition. Presenter: OIlly Mann Producer: Sheila Cook