Young Men & Women – A

Community’s Greatest AssetBy: Peter Kenyon

DirectorBank of I.D.E.A.S

(Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Action and Strategies)

Ph: 61 – 8 – 6293 1848Fax: 61 – 8 – 6293 1137

email: pk@bankofideas.com.auweb: www.bankofideas.com.au

My Passions

Building healthy and inclusive communities

Enabling young women and men to be seen, heard and respected

By far the most important factor in the ratings of success was

…‘How people feel about

their community’

(The Success Factors – Managing Change in Regional and Rural Australia – Rural Women’s

Advisory Council)

‘Volunteering has consistently been identified in the study as a critical factor of the future success of rural and regional communities. It has been the

single most important factor in people feeling good about

their communities, and hence working for their community’s

greater success’(Rural Women’s Advisory Council – ‘The

Success Factors Managing Change in Regional and Rural Australia’)

‘Yet the rate of volunteering is

declining at a time when it is most needed. Older

volunteers are burning out and younger people are being discouraged from

participating by the prevalence of barriers that make them feel negative about their communities’

(Rural Women’s Advisory Council – ‘The Success Factors Managing Change in Regional and Rural

Australia’)

‘Younger people need more opportunities to create and implement

their own ways of increasing the

community’s options, viability and quality of

life.’(Rural Women’s Advisory Group, (2001)

The Success Factors Managing Change in Regional and Rural Australia)

Lessons We Have Learnt

‘Give me a place

to stand and I

shall move the

world.’(Archimedes)

Lesson 1.

See young people as a unique

community asset, not a community

problem

Historic View Of Young People cause problems

have problems

are problems

SOCRATES (500BC) - ‘Our youth today now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority, disrespect for older people. Children now days are tyrants, they no longer rise when elders enter the room, they contradict their parents, they chatter before company, gobble their food and tyrannise their teachers. They have execrable manners, flout authority, have no respect for their elders. What kind of awful creatures will they be when they grow up.’  

ARISTOTLE (300 BC) - ‘When I look at the younger generation, I despair for the future of civilisation.’

PLATO - ‘Of all animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.’ PETER THE HERMIT (1274) - ‘The world is passing through troubled times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age; they are impatient of all restraint; they talk as if they alone know everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are foolish and immodest and unwomanly in speech, behaviour and dress.’

DISRAELI - 'Youth is a blunder'

‘The youth of the present day are quite monstrous. They

have absolutely no respect of dyed hair.’

OSCAR WILDE 

‘Youth is such a wonderful thing.

What a crime to waste it on children.’

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

TEONA 

Latin word from which the word teenager

originates. 

It means ‘grief, strife and misery’

‘When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was

so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old

man around. But when I got to be twenty one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in

seven years.’(Mark twain)

‘Inside every older person is

a younger person –

wondering what the hell

happened’(ANON)

Unique Contribution By Young Women and Men

Fresh perspectives Great collaborators Make the dollar stretch Passionate about issues, eg, environment / sustainability Idealism Impatience Attract the attention of the

media Best know what other young

people think and want

Young people have deficiencies and needs

Young people have

capacities and assets

Problem Problem Solver

Client Change Maker

Recipient Co-Participant

At risk population Leadership asset to be dealt with to be cultivated

Tomorrow’s Part of today’sLeaders Leadership team

Adult in the A citizen todaymaking

Paradigm Change Regarding Young Men and Women

Oppose Adultism

‘Adultism is a term applied to any behavior, action, language or limitation placed on young

people’s rights and participation that does not

afford them the respect that they deserve as citizens. It is often predicated on the belief

that because someone is young, they lack skill, intelligence or ability.’

Lesson 2.

Recognise the positive

leadership contribution of young people

‘Youth are the leaders

of today, not tomorrow.

We are assets, not liabilities. We are solutions, not a problem to be

solved’ 

(Sooraya Mentor, South Africa)

Consider These Facts Joan of Arc lead 3,000 French knights

to victory in the Battle of Orleans at age 17

Mozart composed his first symphony at age 6

Ned Kelly was hung at age 25

Ivor Evans designed the Australian flag at age 14.

Einstein wrote his first paper on the theory of relativity at age 16

‘It is an important message to young people that they

can do wonderous things’

(Greg Darnieder)

R U MAD?

Are You Making A Difference?

- An Initiative of the Education Foundation -

Three Levels Of Madness

Level One – Commit to a mad day

Level Two – Create a team or year long mad project

Level Three – Establish A Mad student

Foundation

Lesson 3.

Structure creative opportunities for young people to

lead, teach and do

Lead ON

Objective: to find ways of engaging, informing and connecting young people to the business and broader community, thereby exposing them to what is possible in their community.

Opening ‘doors and windows’ to

enable young people to pursue personal, career and community

dreams

Community interconnectedness Enhanced community capacity Strengthened personal capacity (confidence, awareness, ability to engage in conversation with adults, enterprise skills....) Significant community development projects Employment / career opportunitiesThe ‘Lead On ‘ name evolved from the notion of what each opportunity

‘Leads on to’.

Lead On Outcomes

Since 1999: 3700 young people involved

in 800+ Lead On projects

15 communities now sponsoring Lead On programs

250 young people have found employment directly through participation

Being launched in early September with – - opening of shop front office / workspace- 20 person Board (50 % young people)- first project – launch of Community’s first local newspaper ‘Kalamunda Community Matters’

Community Door Program

Kalamunda MAD Day (>4000 students)

Community Passions and Skills Audit

Lead On Kalamunda

HANDS (things I know how to do and enjoy, e.g.

project organisation, gardening, painting, rock

climbing, cooking, jewellery making, using the

internet, sign language etc)

HEART (things I care deeply about, e.g. environment, intergenerational activities,

animal welfare, women’s rights, youth

unemployment etc)

HEAD (things I know something about, and would

enjoy talking about or teaching to others about,

e.g. local history, conservation, business management etc)

Community Skills and Passion Audit

‘There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our young people – one

of these is roots, the other is wings’

(Hodding Carter)

‘We believe the children are the future…

Teach them well and let them lead the way…

Show them all the beauty they possess inside…

Give them a sense of pride…Let the children’s laughter

remind us how we used to be’

(Song by George Benson)

Contact Details

Peter KenyonPh: +61 8 6293 1848 Fax: + 61 8 6293 1137

14 Bird Rd, Kalamunda WA 6076 

Email for copy of presentation:

pp@bankofideas.com.au

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www.bankofideas.com.au