Taught some kids(or was it the other way round)

0 Monday February 1 2010 Written by flyprints
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Smart but Casual

Last year December Ade and I were invited by our friend Lamin Ojo to give a talk about entrepreneurship, leadership and running a small business. Initially, I was apprehensive as Ade and I were busy with Flyprints. However, I decided to reconsider as gaining a skill such as teaching would be beneficial in the long run. It would also give me the experience to run a similar scheme in the summer that is in development called Young Innovators. A million things were running through my head like what will I say what I will talk about and what I will wear. The night before the event I was weighing up the pros and cons of wearing business dress as I wanted the students to take me seriously however, I didn’t want to give the impression that you had to dress a certain way to be successful. In the end I decided to wear a shirt, NO tie or blazer.

Stock broker

When Ade and I arrived at the school and met with a confident looking Lamin at which point he told as that we would be required to say a few words at the assembly ‘WHAT’ I was not prepared (thanks for the heads up Lamin.) So Ade and I had to quickly structure out talk on a scrap piece of paper. Lamin’s speech was cleverly constructed giving the impression that he had spent weeks putting it together. Unfortunately this only added to the contrast that made ours sound like verbal

vomit. The highlight of the assembly occurred when Lamin asked if anybody knew what a stockbroker was. The response that was given was ‘a person who is broke and can’t afford trainers.’ During the assembly there was also an incident where a girl slapped one of the boys right under the nose of the teachers. There worst thing was that this was only the start of the hilarity.
Dried fruits

The task for the year 8′s was to create a brand, pitch and then sell it to their fellow students. The product was intentionally chosen to make it difficult for the students. However, I would have picked a product which would =be both appealing to the target market (fellow students) and have the potential for many different brands for example lemonade. Our job for the rest of the day was to assist the kids, but not too much.

45 Pounds

So the students had developed their brands and now had to sell their products during their lunch break. One thing I had noticed already was that the students were already entrepreneurial. Some of them were even selling chocolate bars and Capri Sun during breaks. One 15 year old told me he made £45 a week. When I was that age I was too busy playing nutmeg rush and pat ball. I was really impressed with these kids. I was however, disappointed with the school system. The kids weren’t being taught important lessons which would help them in later life. Like respect, etiquette and general basic life skills. All they were being taught was the basic syllabus and nothing more.

I respect Lamin to the fullest for the service he’s offering. It is a gap that desperately needs to be filled. These kids are bright but need direction and mentoring.

Ade’s Afterthought

First and foremost I wish to thank Lamin Ojo for giving Bobieh and myself the opportunity to pass on the knowledge and experience that we have to the younger generation. Being in the sought of environment that we were in firstly made me realise how privileged we actually are and also that the world needs more people like Lamin to show the younger ones what opportunities are available to them before they follow paths that is not in their best interests. The whole experience showed me that it is not the students that give the school a bad name but it is the lack of authority in the teachers. After speaking to the teachers I was given the impression that they didn’t care what the students did. All they cared about was covering the own backs to make sure that they didn’t get into any trouble even if it as to the detriment of the students. All in all, the students seemed willing and enthusiastic but they lacked the direction that the teachers are supposed to give them which in the end will mean that their efforts and talents will be wasted.

Lamin’s thoughts:

I was mega impressed with Ade and Bobieh’s input on the day and would advocate that they come back at a later date to more. The young people we connected with were very impressed with Ade and Bobieh and some networked with them about the possibility of a working partnership of some sort at a later date. The year 8′s we saw were quite challenging but it was apparent that they all had a dreams and stuff for the future but like Ade and Bobieh said it was the direction that they lacked. Hopefully with more programs like ours running we can start the beginning of something beautiful and needed.

Ade and Bobieh were fully accepted by the young people and the three of us as the team on that day went very effective in showing them a positive and practical route.

Contact

Anyone who can also give up a couple of hours of their time to make a difference email Bobieh osei@flyprints.co.uk and we’ll pass your details on to Lamin Ojo (Thinkprospects) at Think Prospects. Help us make a difference!!!

www.flyprints.co.uk/blog