I was just beginning a new endeavour – a master’s course in something I’d never done before. I was burnt out from my previous course and questioning whether I was making the right decision by going back into education. 

Both of us were from small towns and had moved to London for the freedom and excitement it would bring us – which, to be fair, it had. But we were feeling disconnected, lonely and slightly out of place. Outside that cafe we spoke about the struggle to make meaningful connections and how the busyness of London leads to people having no time for themselves. Sitting there outside a 10 floor tower block, hearing the Thames crash against concrete, we promised to create something which could challenge the coldness of the city. 

After some more research, I found that Harvard University had conducted a recent survey surrounding ‘human flourishing’. In this survey, the UK placed 20^th out of 22 countries, with an average of almost seven out of 10. ‘Flourishing’ is a concept similar to wellbeing, but which considers both the environment in which someone lives and the wellbeing of the community surrounding them, rather than focusing solely on the individual. This is a startlingly low score, but more so, the research found that young people, in particular, are struggling with their wellbeing and mental health.

Not only this, there is a growing loneliness epidemic amongst young people aged 16 to 24, with this age group reportedly feeling more lonely than any other. With the COVID pandemic, social media and high screen time, it is no wonder young people are feeling the burden. We, the team at maslow, were interested to see whether young people in London were feeling equally low in terms of flourishing. 

During the process of creating this magazine, we recreated Harvard’s survey but focussed on gaining answers from young people (aged 20-30) living in London. The results shocked us. 

Young Londoners came in below the rest of the UK, with an average of 6.14. This shows us just how much young Londoners are struggling to create meaningful connections, take care of their mental health and reach self-fulfilment. 

This is where maslow magazine comes in. Maslow is an idea born from a desire to connect; to understand ourselves in order to understand each other. It aims to bring awareness to our human needs, the basic things we need to be healthy, happy and to give us a solid foundation.

Maslow draws inspiration from psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but we wanted to bring them to fruition. We wanted to tell the stories of the people who are bridging the growing disconnect, people who are creating rituals and spaces for self-care, people who are challenging London’s cold status quo.