10 Thursday May 2012
Posted in Media & Events
Tags
creative dance, Culture, dance, Diversity, dubstep, entertainment, gerardam, indian, Johnnathan Gerard, Joshua Gerard, Music, video
This very creative dance video by Indian brothers, Johnathan and Joshua Gerard, is definitely worth a watch.
05 Saturday May 2012
Posted in Just thoughts, Media & Events, Youth
Tags
Chelsea FC, FA Cup Final, FA Cup Final 2012, Inspiration, kenny dalglish, Liverpool FC, Motivation, Parenting, sports, Success
Today, Wembley Stadium hosts the 2012 FA Cup Final.
In fact, it’s now 20 minutes in and Chelsea are already 1-0 up, so I really need to ‘publish and go’.
Chelsea, who are undoubtedly favourites to win based on recent performance, face Liverpool, who under the leadership of the legendary Kenny Dalglish, are hoping to win their first Cup title since 2006.
The successful team will receive a staggering 1.8m from the FA’s Prize Fund. Prize money that will no doubt be used to pay off debts buy new players.
Truth be told though – I don’t give two hoots.
For unlike the average male, I don’t really follow football at all. In fact, I haven’t done for a number of years now, and to be completely honest – I haven’t felt deprived in the slightest, or any less of a man for that matter.
That said, I have remarkable admiration for the players and managers alike. I think they demonstrate significant discipline and courage to be able to play at the highest level of competitive sport, under the watchful and expectant eyes of millions.
Countless viewers, pundits, and fans will be assessing, evaluating, and commenting on their every move and decision.
That’s some pressure.
Yet, many of them will rise to the challenge of the occasion and leave the stadium as victors.
I don’t envy them in the slightest, especially the managers – not one bit! For earlier today I watched my sons play an enthralling Cup Final of their own for a local team they’ve played for this season.
It was end to end stuff, as these 10 year olds battled through into extra time in an attempt to take home the prized trophy, and more importantly, the right to be called ‘Champions’.
Despite playing the league winners, who had earlier in the season beaten them with a rather embarrassing score line (won’t say!), they won 5-4 to the adulation of some very proud parents, family members, friends and managers.
Though I’m not an avid football watcher, being on the sideline today (as with other weeks in fact) revealed something of the passion.
Passion, not necessarily for the ‘beautiful game’, but to see young people, especially my sons’, do well and experience success. To know the sweet taste of victory that will do their confidence a world of good!
It’s wonderful to see.
And by the way. One of my sons scored a hat-trick, including the winning goal. The other, having played a brilliant game, received the Man of the Match award.
BIG smiles from a proud father!
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02 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Relationships, Media & Events, Personal Development
Tags
Marriage, Youth Violence, Identity, domestic violence, violence, abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, dating, Tony Porter, activist, TED, TED Talk, rape, gangs violence, peer pressure, gang rape, mental illness, mental health, masculinity, black on black violence, youth identity
Tony Porter is an educator and activist who is internationally recognized for his effort to end violence against women. On the 8th June 2012, Tony is in the UK to deliver a conference on ending domestic violence against women and girls in Birmighnam (Information below). Tony Porter makes a call to men everywhere: Don’t “act like a man.” Telling powerful stories from his own life, he shows how this mentality, drummed into so many men and boys, can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and each other.
23 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Media & Events, Youth
Tags
Church, Culture, Diversity, Gangs, Guvna B, London, MOBO, Music of Black Origin, Newday, newday guest blog, Newfrontiers, nicholas ferguson, Race, Rhythm Factory, south east london, urban culture, urban youth, youth, youth culture, youth gangs, Youth Violence, youthwork
Check out my guest blog on urban youth culture, and how it has influenced Newday; an event that gathers over 6000 young people each year.
I’ve had the privilege of being involved in Newday over recent years, so in light of the London riots of 2011 that spread across the nation, I was happy to share my thoughts on how it impacts young people from urban contexts.
You can read the full article here on the Newday website.
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28 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in Media & Events
Tags
Beautiful, fresh and colourful are just three words I would use to describe soul performer Shivon Bailey.
She would be more modest in describing herself, and this is precisely why the 23-year-old from South East London is worth writing about.
Her EP entitled ‘The Presentation’ gives just a glimpse of her soulful tones, energy and songwriting abilities. Working closely with talented artists and producers SLR and GEMS, who creatively used samples from the old school, Shivon has presented a ‘good vibe’ with this EP that had my head bouncing.
What I like about Shivon goes beyond her music though. As captured well in tracks like Be Yourself and Good Times, she seeks to stir something in the listener that provokes thought and stimulates change.
This is just one reason why she will no doubt inspire a generation of young women seeking to determine their identity and find their place in the world.
The Presentation is available for download here and you can follow Shivon on Twitter at @shivonbailey.
15 Monday Aug 2011
Posted in Media & Events
Tags
4 on Demand, Banksy, Channel 4, Dizzie Rascal, Lethal Bizzle, Life of Ryhme, Music, Poetry, Review, Spoken Word, Street Summer series, Tinie Tempah, UK Music
Life of Rhyme, part of Channel 4′s Street Summer series, was a joy to watch!
Articulately presented by lyricist and poet Akala (pictured above), it gave a glimpse into the world of the British MC by interviewing a number of acclaimed artists including Wretch32 and a host of others who’ve earned their reputation on the UK music scene.
The hour-long documentary provided an insight into the British MC’s passion for their colloquial art form and showed how from its urban roots, their talent has broken them into the mainstream with varying degrees of success – as seen in artists such as Wiley, Devlin, Dizzie Rascal, and BRIT Award winner Tinie Tempah.
Mixed with performances and interviews, Life of Rhyme was a creative exploration of how the art of poetry and spoken word has become increasingly more influential in the inspiration and education of an entire sub-culture within the UK.
Speaking with Lethal Bizzle the programme also helped show the challenge to some artists of dissociating themselves from the negative image the media has created of them, and the frustrations of being held responsible for the actions of delinquent young people who listen to their music.
How big a factor lyrical content in music is on young people’s behaviour is a debate that will continue for years to come. But we can be under no illusion that artists with a captive audience of thousands of teenagers and young adults will have significant influence in shaping the way they think.
Having also watched Graffiti Wars beforehand, which was an insightful look into the world of street artists including Banksy – I’m looking forward to the remainder of Channel 4′s Street Summer series and would recommend you catch it too.
For a limited time you can watch Life of Rhyme on 4oD.
09 Tuesday Aug 2011
Posted in Faith, Media & Events, Youth
Tags
crime, Evangelism, Leadership & Management, London riots, Social Media, social networking, Twitter, UK Riots, Youth Violence
Following a fantastic week at Newday where we saw thousands of young people encountering God, and hundreds sharing testimony of healing and making decisions to give their lives to Jesus, it was with sadness that I returned home to witness the events of recent days.
The troubles started on Saturday after a family protest outside Tottenham police station, in response to the fatal shooting of alleged gang member Mark Duggan, quickly descended into violence.
What began as a peaceful protest in Tottenham has sparked into nationwide anarchy with groups numbering hundreds, descending onto city streets causing considerable damage to local businesses, and more significantly, any sense of security amongst locals who are demanding protection from the police.
Local MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, said that a night of rioting had ‘ripped the heart out of the community’, and Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg has condemned the actions of those who caused such damage as ‘opportunistic violence and theft’.
The result has been over 400 arrests in London, about 100 arrests in Birmingham following copycat incidents, and 3 people being questioned following the attempted murder of a policeman who was trying to stop looters. Others have also been arrested in Bristol, Liverpool and other cities.
Sadly, police have today confirmed the first fatality – a 26-year-old man who was found with gun shot wounds in Croydon.
Locals have been made homeless after homes were set ablaze and many shop owners are coming to terms with how best to recover from the damage caused by masked looters who have held citizens hostage whilst robbing stores and homes.
Though we would rightly empathise with those who live in conditions of deprivation and ‘hopelessness’, and would want to acknowledge the underlying issues of unemployment, among other social factors, we would in no way condone or justify the mindless violence of those who have chosen the path of destruction.
This amateur video shot in Ealing is just one example (warning: some bad language)
When we see footage of teenagers defying authorities, boasting of events and of being able to ‘show the police that they can do what they want’ we see quite clearly that we live in a society where respect for authority of any kind is scarce.
And when we witness others targeting vulnerable citizens for their gain, we cannot help but see that we have a segment of this generation that is rebellious, callous and totally wretched.
Unfortunately, these isolated incidents paint a sinister picture of the youth in our nation. But though we see in the footage that there are young people involved, we have also to recognise that it’s not just young people who wear hoodies!
But more importantly, we need to identify and praise young people who are keen to do good.
As we saw at Newday where thousands of young people descended onto the streets of Norwich to serve local communities. And in Clapham where hundreds arrived to help clear streets before being disappointed when turned away, it’s fair to say that there are unsung heroes amongst our youth, who sadly, don’t receive the press coverage that they deserve.
Here are some things to consider:
The police, to their credit, seem to be showing remarkable restraint, so we need the situation to be resolved quickly before it escalates to levels of increased violence and we hear of more fatalities. What other measures will need to be taken? – only time will tell!
As far as the Church is concerned, we need to:
For live updates follow:
Updated: 11 August
