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Letter from Barbados
The Award in Barbados is fifty years old this year. Fifty years of giving young people the opportunity to give service to their communities, learn new skills, get fit and discover more about themselves as they work in small teams to undertake their adventurous journeys. Fifty years of equipping young people for life. So…
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Some quick travel tips…
It is true that I do spend quite a lot of time on the road. As many of my friends prepare to travel abroad over the summer, here are some top tips… Please do add your own at the bottom! 1. Roll your clothes rather than folding them. They crease less and take up less…
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Prizes, certificates and trophies.
It is the season of speech days and prize-givings in schools in England. Summer afternoons are punctuated by the sounds of parents’ applause as young people are called to the stage in their school’s assembly hall, shake hands with a guest speaker, receive a certificate, book or trophy and return, embarrassed but rather proud,…
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A visit to a school in Jordan
Fatima has just turned 14 years old. She is small for her age, still waiting for the adolescent growth spurt which will propel her towards adulthood. Her hijab is bright blue and her new teeshirt, emblazoned with the logos of both the El Hassan Youth Award and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is snowy…
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An all round education…
My five year old nephew, Jack Patrick, came to lunch today. He brought his mum and dad, his little brother and his grandma with him, but, as he helped me microwave the frozen peas and lay the table, it did feel as though it was him I was entertaining rather than anyone else. “I…
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Thirty years on…
Never go back. That’s what they say; whoever ‘they’ may be. I’ve taken that advice for thirty years, but a few weeks ago I decided to go and visit the school where I spent my adolescence. I hadn’t visited since I left there a month before I turned eighteen and have never…
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The youngest headteacher in the world
Babar Ali lives in Murshidabad, West Bengal. He attends the Raj Govinda School, a 10km auto-rickshaw ride away. He is the first person in his family to go to school. He is 16 years old and he is a model student. But it’s not what he does at school that is so extraordinary. It’s…
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Some lessons for Millennials
A few days ago, whilst visiting Jakarta, Indonesia, I was asked by some young people if I had any advice for them. I was flattered, of course. But talking to Millennials about the challenges they face is difficult. It feels rather presumptuous to lecture the current generation of up-and-comers. Having grown up with high-tech, they’re…
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Business system definitions
Just found these buzzing around the internet,(with thanks to my friend Boz for pointing me to them)… I know they defer to outrageous national stereotypes, but I do think they’re funny. I suspect the original list was put together by an Australian! SOCIALISM You have 2 cows. You give one to your neighbour…
