So I was over in Birmingham today at a College doing some public speaking. We had 12 people from the TEAM program, TEAM faciliates a 12 week intensive course whereby people aged 16-25 are introduced to challenges and must work effectively in a TEAM. This in many cases produces some fantastic results, with young people involved in crime, or with real issues going on to have hte confidence to be a part of society and get as much out of it as they can.
Secondly we had a group of 18 people from Mosaic, which is a Prince of Wales charity working with Arab countries. It may possibly be multi faith orientated, but our group was purely arab countries.
I spoke about the Business Programme offered to me by the Trust and I tried to impart some of my own experienecs by telling people how I overcame my dyslexia and my sixth form years, to go on to do all the things that I did. This seemed to really inspire some people and certainly allowed others to see the good the Trust does.
What was most intersting was the fact that I’m yet again in a situation where I’m meeting very intersting people. One woman was a lecturer from Pakistan and was working with creative arts, theatre/literature/etc. This was interesting because it’s so different to western culture and some of the calligraphy she was showing me was beautiful. Certainly an inspiring art form for any artist.
The younger TEAM members also got plenty out of it and even though I only managed to speak to a few I was able to see that there confidence was very happy and for them there lives had in that moment and in those 12 weeks – changed. Of course what’s important is that everyone is kept in a similair state.
As always really complicated mental and pyschological elements for post development. How to exist in the world and build on what you know, how to believe in yourself, all these things, are not really taught. Some would say, can they be taught? I don’t know if they can, but I do know they can be instilled and highlighted. Self belief, faith and inner fortitude and stregth are hard things because they do come from within, there a personal individual battle for self recognition (to qoute a friend). But with them what truly effects you in life? With those things you can go anywhere do anything and move through any crowd. They’re powerful facets and they’re ones I still think that society as a whole – globally – doesn’t really benefit from or understand.
If each person could garner self belief, find inner strength and resolve fortitude, they’d not feel so compelled to fall to pieces when a massive event smacked them in between the eyes. Ignorance? I don’t think so, I think people would start to live differently – god forbid perfectly – but they’d be potentially calmer too.
