Why Do Young People...

I’m Just testing here…don’t mind this post

It is one thing to mention a female leader, and receive raised eyebrows, it is quite another to mention that the female in question is the Chief Operating Officer of the largest  social networking site, facebook. Yeah, we all thought Mark Zuckerberg was a one man army at some point.

The question many people ask is why is there such a great lack of female leaders? If there are, many why are they not given exposure to the world in order to inspire other women into action?

“A nation can rise no higher than it’s woman,” that is something I was brought up believing, and this does not extend to the workforce it extends to all fields of life and living, from birth right up to careers. James Brown sang the words,“this is a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.”

I sometimes feel women do not realise their potential, they do not realise their power. The ability to create new life is a profound ability, that sets women on a pedestal higher than men in worth and value. The great men we see in society could not be great if it were not for a caring woman, whether that be a wife, a mother, or both.

So when I logged into the TED website and saw this video I thought it would be inspiring and encouraging for other women trying to get up the ladder.

If she can, you all can.

This is an excerpt from my four-part ebook series, “SocialBiz - Something for Everyone”. The book looks at the four main social networking sites and helps everyone understand how they can be utilised for business purposes. Whether you have a large corporation, a small business or even considering starting a business, EVERYONE can learn a thing or two. The first short yet informative ebook - “TwitterForAll” comes out on 30th December

The key to success for any business, large or small, is understanding that social networking is NOT about selling your product or service.

“You’re crazy, That’s the whole point of my business!”>

Yes, the aim of your business is to make a profit, however, when you bring your business into the social networking world the ball game changes. Put it this way, your business in its rawest form is like a lion, going in for the kill and taking no names along the way, you sell your product/service - “cheers, mate! Have a nice day!” - but social media is a cunning animal, it is able to either build your reputation or destroy it. So you too, must become cunning. You must become what you are trying to conquer, social.

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So, the government have voted to raise the tuition fees, let’s not act shocked, we already knew it was inevitable and all protests and lobbying were held in vain. I mean come on, let’s not kid ourselves,  look how many thousands or people marched in protest against the Iraq war. We all know what happened then. In fact, all those who protested will know what the poor gentlemen who sit outside Parliament every day protesting about various causes feel like by now.

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So, the government have voted to raise the tuition fees, let’s not act shocked, we already knew it was inevitable and all protests and lobbying were held in vain. I mean come on, let’s not kid ourselves,  look how many thousands or people marched in protest against the Iraq war. We all know what happened then. In fact, all those who protested will know what the poor gentlemen who sit outside Parliament every day protesting about various causes feel like by now. X-factor, same thing…we HOPE they will make the sensible decision but, in the end, all it comes down to is profit. Sir Alan Sugar said it in the last episode of ‘The Apprentice’ – “You understand, all that matters is making a profit? Ticket sales and profit.”

This just begs the question: What now?

Many young people will feel like their world has been shattered, just seeing pictures of a mother with her baby walking a pram laden with the words ‘my mum won’t be able to pay my uni fees’, is a testament to how far the effects of this vote reaches. So what now?

Young people, need answers now, more than ever. No university for many, no jobs for any; it is double jeopardy. The only solution is alternatives – finding different routes to a degree (longer process, limited options), applying for scholarship in a university 9,000 miles away (fat chance) or creating their OWN jobs (now you’re talking!).

It is amazing how many ideas young people have but are unable to implement them, either due to lack of information, lack of confidence or both.  This is where the guidance of adults comes in, adults who have enterprising thought and live in a world of progressive thought and put it into positive action. Now is the time of enterprise and entrepeneurism, why? Because this generation has resources at its disposal that previous generations did not have. Technology, ability to grasp and understand concepts at a quicker pace, unlimited access to information and the ability to reach out to any part of the world in the comfort of their homes.

Amazing right? Young people are all set then, hey? Well…

The only problem that stops young people taking advantage of these things is the restrictive culture in which they are born, the culture that dictates to them that in order to be successful, they must spend 16 years in school, 2-3 years in college and then a further 3 years in university. So how can they then be expected to show enterprising thought? Most times when I mention to a young person that they can start their own business they look at me as if I was fresh out of a mental institution. Mostly because it seems contrary to the system they are brought up in. Also, because they are afraid to step out of the comfort zones that the educational system conditions them into.

Being free of restrictions is every young person’s dream but very few actually go after it. Some young people have started their own businesses but they not not necessarily be sustainable, (fashion labels, music, party promotion, events planning), which means there is room for their minds to be truly stretched. I don’t think that the fee rise is the end of the road, maybe that is because I have not been in education since college, maybe it is because I was home-taught before that, but for me the bottom line is that this vote, as negative as it is, has also presented us with a silver-lining: Freedom from the system, an opportunity to explore a new world, a world that our minds were closed off to in the confines of the educational system.

Over time, the government will have to accept entrepeneurism as a career choice in its search for solutions, if any, because the enterprises and entrepeneurs will see the opportunities presented by this  begin to take on young people and reinvent the way we think about employment.

How we move on from this is SOLELY up to us, not the government we can either choose to keep voicing our anger and discontent or we can channel that anger into solutions and develop something for ourselves.

We see this all the time, but should are we being focussed on the wrong problem? (Click to enlarge)

Yeah, so you get the point. The country is getting fatter. Yeah. Great, off to the gym we go! Oh wait, but how can we do that when the government is planning to cut back sports in schools? Hm, curious. We’ll get to that another time. This time the focus is whether super-sizing children are the problem or if the name-calling and chronic categorization of young people is the problem.

Let me throw some random categorical facts at you:

• In a classroom of 30 students there are 1 to 3 children with ADHD.
• Just under one million 16 to 24 year olds were classified as Neet according to the figures, a rise of almost 100,000 on the same quarter the previous year.
• HSE 2008 report shows that around three in ten boys and girls aged 2 to 15 were classed as either overweight or obese (31% and 29% respectively)

Then you have all kinds of unofficial categorizations that put a block on the minds of young people and adults. “Benefits scroungers”, while they do exist, and we see many of them n Jeremy Kyle, oh wait, the news told us that. Apparently all chavs are on benefits. I don’t like to stereotype or categorize but from when I searched for the definition of ‘categorize’ online and saw this:

Houston, we have a problem - Click to enlarge

I knew we had a problem. Categorization is a part of life, actually, scrap that - it is a part of our society - there, that’s better. It is the destabilising or debilitating obstacle that obstructs many of us from becoming what we can become. Battling through stereotypes and categorization is a tough job, even tougher is teaching young people not to give in to them.

Society is pretty much expert in destructive thinking, we do not build each other up, we bring each other down. Edward de Bono, one of the great thinkers in our time and creator of The Six Thinking Hats says of categorization, “it is possible to create tests to determine whether a person is type A or type B, or any similar descriptive discriminations. Psychologists do that all the time. The difficulty is that once people have been put into ‘boxes’ they tend to stay there.”

Categorization is destroying the future

This is evident in society, we tend to focus on what is rather than what can be. There was a statement made in the film X-men 2, where one mutant says to another, “people will never know beyond what they see with their own two eyes.” It is a fact, we judge based on the ‘first impression’, we make our deductions, add a bit of exaggerations (maybe) and put them into a category we feel suits them.

What alternatives are there? In order to become a forward thinking society, a more solution orientated society, we have to put away the destructive criticism and develop constructive criticism. You would cringe at the thought of knocking an elderly person down and leaving them to struggle to get back on their feet, yet, this is what we do to each other as a society.

Think about it, is the problem really obesity, or is the problem chronic categorization? The need to put a label on something in order for it to be accepted or recognised and throwing disdain at anything that has not been classified.

Try something here, take all the most successful pioneers in the world and classify them.

What can be…

What do you call Steve Jobs, this is a man who cannot quite be classified. He constantly pushes the boundaries of what we expect from him and leaves us on our toes. He doesn’t focus on what is he focuses on what can be and that which he creates based on this thinking is testament of that.

Young people have such promising minds that are being limited by the boxes they are put in. This means they are overcome by fear of branching out into new ventures, we have to stop treating young people like caged animals and start treating them more like birds and let them spread their wings and fly!

If you really want your child to be the best they can be you have to know the barriers they will face and help them to get over it. No child is born with the ability to jump over a hurdle, no bird pecks its way out of an egg and just starts flying, it is a learned skill and most young people in the UK and not being taught this skill. As a result they are worse off, that is when they are labelled “poverty-stricken” and “under-achievers”.

It all starts at home, young people are only as good as their surroundings. If young people are to change the adults, the parents, the policy makers must change.

After all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, eh?

I encourage all those who want to find solutions to these problems in the UK to get in touch with me and let’s start thinking business, enterprise and what can be.

Sources:

The Six Thinking Hats - Edward de Bono

http://www.child-development-guide.com/add-adhd-statistics.html

http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/opad10/Statistics_on_Obesity_Physical_Activity_and_Diet_England_2010.pdf

Sabian interviews Tulisa of N-Dubz about Why she is supporting Why Do

I’ve been occasionally blogging here for a short while but who I am and what I have achieved I have never really explained, even in the ‘About Me’ section of this blog.

So, I am going to take a few moments, so sit right there and I’ll tell you the story of who I am and what I have achieved.

My name is Sabian Muhammad. I am a 22 year old award-winning youth advocate, public speaker, presenter, social entrepeneur, Olympic Youth Panelist, school worker and soon-to-be author

That’s the easy explanation anyone can do that, but there is more.

I have worked with young people for the last 7 years, in schools, colleges and youth clubs around the country. My work, at first, was primarily with young people working as a stop-gap between adults in their schools and youth clubs helping them to understand each other. I have always been passionate about helping adults understand the young and find ways to communicate with them. I started in my local youth club at 15 years old helping out with organising activities for young people. I was there for 5 years as a volunteer before I moved on. In the years I was there I had a variety of jobs elsewhere including the role of play worker in a primary school.

But you don’t really need to know all this, you want to know where the light switch moment is, at what point did I begin to start making real waves, and that occurred on 10th July 2009 when I spoke in the House Of Lords.

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On the back of a national campaign backed by O2 called ‘Why Do’, and seeing the numerous issues brought up by parents inspired the creation of this book.

In today’s society we have a vast number of problems to face, the apparent breakdown of family and family values does not help the situation.

The Why Do Q&A website allows adults to ask young people why they do the things they do and after close observation, I noticed there is a huge gap, even a disconnection between parents and children. Things that should be basic for parents to understand have become complicated, clouded problems that further wedge the communications between adults and young people.

I have created this book, ideally to help reconnect adults to their children and what they may be going through. What you get out of this book is very much down to you remembering what it was like to be a child and putting yourself in the shoes of your child or if you do not have a child, in the shoes of the children you may make assumptions about everyday.

So, Why Do parents need a book like this?

On evidence of the questions adults are asking young people on the ‘Why Do?’ website, it would seem that many parents have the same problems dealing with, understanding or communicating with their children, from very young ages.

This doesn’t shine a good light on the depth of the generation gap and points to a possibly irreversible problem, and I believe if parents have a very short and simple resource they can refer to as a guide, they may have a better chance increasing relations with the young people in their lives.

Look out for the release of Part 1 soon!

“The winter of discontent”, yes, that was it’s name in 1978-1979, a good 10 years before I was born. With widespread strikes by local authority trade unions who were trying to secure larger pay rises for their members brought the country to a standstill.

“Are we entering another ‘Winter of Discontent’?” is a question many have asked after the recent spate of trade union strikes.

Another winter of discontent? Not likely, the kind of power the trade unions had back in the 70s when the country was reliant on coal and mining caused more shock-waves, than we could see now. What we ARE seeing now though, is an all-out revolt from young people, under the guise of student protests.

Do not be fooled, the country is swiftly losing the confidence of its future generation.

Two weeks ago, we saw student protests turn ugly and the Tories’ HQ bore the brunt of the damage.

Yesterday, the students returned again with mass walk-outs from university and secondary school students around the UK, oh deary me!

This raises a question from me, in fact, from thousands of young people around the UK to adults - “Do you still think we are not interested in our future?”

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