Raising Knife Crime and Gun Crime Awareness

I Have A Gift…..What's Yours?

Tinchy Stryder Talks Knowlege & Opportunity

According to Tinchy Stryder, ‘Education and Knowledge Is Power’. Well he is only half right because it’s actually potential power.

I say this for 2 very simple reasons: First, you can read a plethora of books in the most diverse range of subjects to make yourself a very knowledgeable being but if you don’t apply anything then you may as well not have read any.

Second, most self-help books are very impractical in the sense that they tell you what to do but not exactly how to do it. If we’re talking fiction or general real life stories then most of these literal pieces are to inform or entertain.

I’ll give you a brief example of the first. Last year I read close to 1 book per week, somewhere in the region of 45-50 books over the course of the year. (It helps being a speed reader) Some great, some not so good. I have a fantastic memory when being able to recite something I gleaned from a book but it became increasingly difficult to apply most of my “knowledge” because I was straight onto the next book.

So far this year I have completed just 8 which averages at 1 every 2 weeks. But I don’t feel that I am moving backwards but quite the opposite. It now allows me to take the time to reflect and apply the lessons derived from the book and if need be, to devour again.

Applying your new found knowledge opens your eyes to the wave of opportunities that are abound and frees you from a victim mentality that there is no jobs or opportunities out there.  This is a current theme amongst youngsters as they are always complaining of lack of opportunities which Tinchy himself discovered when speaking to youths. Most of who hit back and say he’s never been through anything so he couldn’t possibly understand.

I’m sure Tinchy must have been taken aback by this because you only have to research how he came up to understand that he lived in an under-privileged community. He responded saying,”I grew up in places where we didn’t have much; I didn’t grow up in a rich family“.

Tinchy also had some other sound words of wisdom when speaking about joining gangs, “Road always ends the same – prison or dead”.

I am a firm believer of creating opportunities if there are none freely available. Yes the government seem to be withdrawing many of the creative hubs in our communities but this is the time to be resourceful. Most look for things to be handed down on a silver platter when ironically the answers to many of life’s struggles have already been written by someone in the form of a book

Only On Camera…

A quick update regarding our work.

We have been contacted by a dynamic media company who wish to produce some documentaries and other cutting-edge based topical shows in support of I Have A Gift. These will be filmed with our support and may even feature some of our team in order to get the best end product. I am not the on-screen camera type so I will be volunteering my staff to do this in any instance.

We will also be welcoming 2 new members to join the I Have A Gift team as of next week which will take us to a total of 5 gifted members. A lot has been going on behind the scenes in order to keep raising awareness for knife crime and gun crime so please show your support by signing up on the right and following our progress via Twitter and Facebook.

Shola

Young Black Men’s State Of Mind

I recently read a feature article regarding the stature of unemployment among Britain’s Young Black Men. Apparently the number has doubled in relation to four years ago. A figure that stands at 55% of 16-24 year olds being unemployed.

I for one think that this number is biased since the figures take into account all students who are currently in education. When you look at it, most of those students aren’t even looking for for jobs and. Most forms these days have separate boxes for employed, self employed and students etc, whether buying insurance or doing a census.

Focusing on the Job Centre Plus in Dalston, the piece was intriguing as it included the input of some who felt marginalized through no fault of their own.  One youth cited racism, “Everybody sees that there’s racism about, but they don’t want to do anything about it, so we’ve just got to live with it.”

In response to the question, Why doors are closed for young black men, a youth even said if he owned a business that he wouldn’t hire black males, “Well, it’s obvious. Most of them are all doing crime, isn’t it? I wouldn’t want to hire black people – not young black males. Obviously I’m a young black male, but if I was inviting them into my workplace, I wouldn’t want trouble.”

With this sort of mentality, can he then be surprised if he doesn’t get a job?

Lack of self-education has certainly got the better of most of these youths. It’s discouraging to think that this is the future of our society. Illiteracy has definitely been increased due to the increase in social media activities as many don’t even feel da need 2 write full words to complete their sentences, in a bid to meet character requirements. Of course writing like dis saves time bt hw much really?

Little hinges swing big doors

Work ethic was another topic touched in the article and is a common stereotype amongst the you of today. “If you find something that appeals to young black men, then they will work hard” was one’s response to this. But then again, who’s job is it to find something that appeals to young black men so that they can work hard?

The late Henry Ford said, “There is always some good in him – if he gets a chance. That is the reason we do not care in the least about a man’s antecedents – we do not hire a man’s history, we hire the man. If he has been in Jail, that is no reason to say that he will be in jail again. I think on the contrary, he is, if given a chance, very like to make a special effort to keep out of jail. All that he needs is the desire to work. If he does not desire to work, then it is very unlikely that he will apply for a position.”

He also said, “More men are beaten than fail. It is not wisdom they need or money, or brilliance, or “pull,” but just plain gristle and bone. This rude, simple primitive power which we call “stick-to-it-iveness” is the uncrowned king in the world of endeavour.”