Young Men & Women – A Communitys Greatest Asset By: Peter Kenyon Director Bank of I.D.E.A.S...
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Transcript of Young Men & Women – A Communitys Greatest Asset By: Peter Kenyon Director Bank of I.D.E.A.S...
Young Men & Women – A
Community’s Greatest AssetBy: Peter Kenyon
DirectorBank of I.D.E.A.S
(Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Action and Strategies)
Ph: 61 – 8 – 6293 1848Fax: 61 – 8 – 6293 1137
email: [email protected]: www.bankofideas.com.au
My Passions
Building healthy and inclusive communities
Enabling young women and men to be seen, heard and respected
By far the most important factor in the ratings of success was
…‘How people feel about
their community’
(The Success Factors – Managing Change in Regional and Rural Australia – Rural Women’s
Advisory Council)
‘Volunteering has consistently been identified in the study as a critical factor of the future success of rural and regional communities. It has been the
single most important factor in people feeling good about
their communities, and hence working for their community’s
greater success’(Rural Women’s Advisory Council – ‘The
Success Factors Managing Change in Regional and Rural Australia’)
‘Yet the rate of volunteering is
declining at a time when it is most needed. Older
volunteers are burning out and younger people are being discouraged from
participating by the prevalence of barriers that make them feel negative about their communities’
(Rural Women’s Advisory Council – ‘The Success Factors Managing Change in Regional and Rural
Australia’)
‘Younger people need more opportunities to create and implement
their own ways of increasing the
community’s options, viability and quality of
life.’(Rural Women’s Advisory Group, (2001)
The Success Factors Managing Change in Regional and Rural Australia)
Lessons We Have Learnt
‘Give me a place
to stand and I
shall move the
world.’(Archimedes)
Lesson 1.
See young people as a unique
community asset, not a community
problem
Historic View Of Young People cause problems
have problems
are problems
SOCRATES (500BC) - ‘Our youth today now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority, disrespect for older people. Children now days are tyrants, they no longer rise when elders enter the room, they contradict their parents, they chatter before company, gobble their food and tyrannise their teachers. They have execrable manners, flout authority, have no respect for their elders. What kind of awful creatures will they be when they grow up.’
ARISTOTLE (300 BC) - ‘When I look at the younger generation, I despair for the future of civilisation.’
PLATO - ‘Of all animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.’ PETER THE HERMIT (1274) - ‘The world is passing through troubled times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age; they are impatient of all restraint; they talk as if they alone know everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are foolish and immodest and unwomanly in speech, behaviour and dress.’
DISRAELI - 'Youth is a blunder'
‘The youth of the present day are quite monstrous. They
have absolutely no respect of dyed hair.’
OSCAR WILDE
‘Youth is such a wonderful thing.
What a crime to waste it on children.’
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
TEONA
Latin word from which the word teenager
originates.
It means ‘grief, strife and misery’
‘When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was
so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old
man around. But when I got to be twenty one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in
seven years.’(Mark twain)
‘Inside every older person is
a younger person –
wondering what the hell
happened’(ANON)
Unique Contribution By Young Women and Men
Fresh perspectives Great collaborators Make the dollar stretch Passionate about issues, eg, environment / sustainability Idealism Impatience Attract the attention of the
media Best know what other young
people think and want
Young people have deficiencies and needs
Young people have
capacities and assets
Problem Problem Solver
Client Change Maker
Recipient Co-Participant
At risk population Leadership asset to be dealt with to be cultivated
Tomorrow’s Part of today’sLeaders Leadership team
Adult in the A citizen todaymaking
Paradigm Change Regarding Young Men and Women
Oppose Adultism
‘Adultism is a term applied to any behavior, action, language or limitation placed on young
people’s rights and participation that does not
afford them the respect that they deserve as citizens. It is often predicated on the belief
that because someone is young, they lack skill, intelligence or ability.’
Lesson 2.
Recognise the positive
leadership contribution of young people
‘Youth are the leaders
of today, not tomorrow.
We are assets, not liabilities. We are solutions, not a problem to be
solved’
(Sooraya Mentor, South Africa)
Consider These Facts Joan of Arc lead 3,000 French knights
to victory in the Battle of Orleans at age 17
Mozart composed his first symphony at age 6
Ned Kelly was hung at age 25
Ivor Evans designed the Australian flag at age 14.
Einstein wrote his first paper on the theory of relativity at age 16
‘It is an important message to young people that they
can do wonderous things’
(Greg Darnieder)
R U MAD?
Are You Making A Difference?
- An Initiative of the Education Foundation -
Three Levels Of Madness
Level One – Commit to a mad day
Level Two – Create a team or year long mad project
Level Three – Establish A Mad student
Foundation
Lesson 3.
Structure creative opportunities for young people to
lead, teach and do
Lead ON
Objective: to find ways of engaging, informing and connecting young people to the business and broader community, thereby exposing them to what is possible in their community.
Opening ‘doors and windows’ to
enable young people to pursue personal, career and community
dreams
Community interconnectedness Enhanced community capacity Strengthened personal capacity (confidence, awareness, ability to engage in conversation with adults, enterprise skills....) Significant community development projects Employment / career opportunitiesThe ‘Lead On ‘ name evolved from the notion of what each opportunity
‘Leads on to’.
Lead On Outcomes
Since 1999: 3700 young people involved
in 800+ Lead On projects
15 communities now sponsoring Lead On programs
250 young people have found employment directly through participation
Being launched in early September with – - opening of shop front office / workspace- 20 person Board (50 % young people)- first project – launch of Community’s first local newspaper ‘Kalamunda Community Matters’
Community Door Program
Kalamunda MAD Day (>4000 students)
Community Passions and Skills Audit
Lead On Kalamunda
HANDS (things I know how to do and enjoy, e.g.
project organisation, gardening, painting, rock
climbing, cooking, jewellery making, using the
internet, sign language etc)
HEART (things I care deeply about, e.g. environment, intergenerational activities,
animal welfare, women’s rights, youth
unemployment etc)
HEAD (things I know something about, and would
enjoy talking about or teaching to others about,
e.g. local history, conservation, business management etc)
Community Skills and Passion Audit
‘There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our young people – one
of these is roots, the other is wings’
(Hodding Carter)
‘We believe the children are the future…
Teach them well and let them lead the way…
Show them all the beauty they possess inside…
Give them a sense of pride…Let the children’s laughter
remind us how we used to be’
(Song by George Benson)
Contact Details
Peter KenyonPh: +61 8 6293 1848 Fax: + 61 8 6293 1137
14 Bird Rd, Kalamunda WA 6076
Email for copy of presentation:
Website for bookshop & newsletter mailing list:
www.bankofideas.com.au