Tonight, France is in mourning. Last night, between 21:20, local time, and 22:00, Paris suffered a series of deadly attacks, described by President Francois Hollande as “unprecedented”. They were, he said, an “act of war” organised by Islamic State (IS) militant groups. Shootings, bomb blasts and a hostage siege have left at least 128 people dead and hundreds…
It’s just under a week since the world changed for the people of Nepal. In those six days, more than 20 million GBP have been donated in the UK alone to emergency disaster relief. There have been 60 earthquakes in the last 7 days:- There have been many tremors over 4 on the scale,…
A friend of mine is about to change roles in Scouting from working with Beavers (6-8 year olds) to working with Cubs (8-10 year olds). She’s nervous about making the shift and asked for some advice. This is what I wrote to her: What would you want from your Leader if you…
If you’re one of the lucky 30,000 young people, or members of the adult international service team, who’ll be attending the next World Scout Jamboree in Japan, you’re probably already fundraising and you may even be getting to know your fellow Unit members. It isn’t too early to start preparing for the culture-shock of…
A few nights ago, something very ordinary happened. A young man, a member of the Boy Scouts of America, achieved his Eagle Scout ranking. This is, of course, a wonderful achievement for him, but it is something that happens every night somewhere in the USA, as young men complete the requirements of the award –…
I’ve been lucky enough to meet some very, very successful people over the last few years; not just business people, but adventurers, philanthropists and sporting heroes as well. I’ve always thought it was ridiculous to suggest that they all have the same traits in common and that success can somehow be distilled into an amalgamation of…
I admit it. Despite my best efforts, I’m a sucker for TV talent shows. I know researchers look everywhere for just the right ‘sob story’. I know that producers ensure that shows are carefully edited to produce the maximum emotional impact. I know that Simon Cowell has been made rich by capitalising on the…
Robertson Davies, one of Canada’s best known novelists, once commented about his homeland: “Some countries you love. Some countries you hate. Canada is a country you worry about.” Well, judging by the weekend I have just enjoyed, he needn’t worry now. From Thursday to Sunday, over 150 young people, aged between 14 and 25, gathered…
Mass desertion of the Daily Mail, an end to reality TV, UK’s patriotic acknowledgement of its own multiculturalism, continued smiling at strangers on the tube, a massive increase in community volunteering – and Wenlock to run for Parliament.
Humairah Jassat left school last year, lives in Gauteng, South Africa and is now studying journalism at Varsity college. She also happens to be one of the most inspiring young people I have ever met. She grew up in what she describes as a “nice, Muslim family”. She never lacked for anything, but began to realise,…