Empowering a new generation

The late, great Whitney Houston once sang, "I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." Here at Operation Black Vote, we also believe that the younger generation of today, are our future leaders and decision makers.

But the sad reality is that most people are all too ready to write off the youth of today. Our future depends on them, but, as Whitney says, we have to teach them well and let them lead the way. It isn't just a song lyric, rather a lesson for all of us to heed.

OBV’s mission has been to empower our communities to show a stronger voice, to get involved with the mechanics which run the country and also to be seen as doing positive and progressive things. But there is also an emphasis on making the younger generation realise they can also make a real difference in life and in the world.

Our various programmes have helped encourage people get involved in political and civic life. In partnership with UNISON, OBV organised and hosted two key events under the banner "Empowering a New Generation" last week.

In Leicester and London, hundreds of students benefited from hearing success stories from a variety of individuals who have achieved against the odds, made a difference in their communities and also fought their way to influential positions in their respective fields.

I was privileged to be asked to speak to over 200 hundred youngsters at Conisborough College in Lewisham, about my journey towards becoming a journalist and a member of the OBV family. From personal experience, I know what it is like to be at a crossroads in life, wanting to achieve my dream of a career which I have dreamed about since I the age of 10. It is always a humbling experience to speak to others about the life choices I have made which others may deem to be a success.

Growing up in one of the most deprived boroughs in London, coming from a family which had little to no understanding of what journalism was about, it seemed impossible when I was in my early teens that I would even get to achieve my dream. It was through hard graft and, what OBV Director Simon Woolley described as ‘good hustling’, I found myself in newsrooms, writing articles, interviewing famous personalities and editing pages.

But last week, it was a privilege to share the stage with and speak to some impressive people making their mark. People such as social entrepreneur Andre Campbell, who founded Enfuse Youth; Councillor Damien Egan; author Rabina Khan; Beverley McPherson, a HR Consultant and Michael Ebo, a member of the Ubuntu Social Living Network.

At the Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College in Leicester, there was an eclectic group of speakers, with OBV Chair Councillor Rita Patel, Leicester City Council, sharing the stage with blogger Sumit Sharma, who founded The Hip Hop Chronicle UK; writer Carol Leeming; Irene Kszyk, Corporate Equalities Lead, Leicester City Council and Ruma Ahmed, Unison Representative.

Merlene Carrington, project coordinator said,

“I am thankful to have had the opportunity to offer our young people new options to consider for their futures, in the form of the speakers at the events in Leicester and Lewisham. I am confident that something good will come out of this in the future.”

The important message that everyone should take from this is that it is infinitely better to teach our young people and help them feel that they have a part to play in our collective future.

Remember … our future does depend on them.

Zohaib Rashid