Many years ago when I was the Project Manager of Meanwood Valley Urban Farm in Leeds, I met a young volunteer in the cafe. He was, if nothing else, somewhat laid back. He commented on the fact that it would be a great place to work to which I responded that it took a great deal effort to create the little bit of Wonderland that he saw. In explaining this I likened it to a swan sailing across a lake. What may have looked serene and majestic on the surface took a lot of work from the legs underneath. Such is life.
The trouble now is that, not only are we far from the Wonderland that I still dream of, but that our government seems hell bent on making sure that the next generation has as little chance of creating one for themselves as possible. At which point, my response will be to try, in my own small way, to work harder in order to make some difference. Not enough, it has to be said and that is what makes me depressed. It is hard to witness a new generation for whom, even the basics of the life that mine took as read, will be difficult to achieve. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, the road we are currently travelling seems to have been built to make that journey faster, almost without end, and with little hope of any meaningful destination, other than a brick wall.
Well, myself and another speaker and coach are about to start some work with 16/17 year olds in schools which we hope will help them in very practical ways to make their way in the world of work; notably by making them better equipped to get a job in the first place.
Watch this space.