Learn - To gain knowledge or information of; to ascertain by inquiry, study, or investigation Oxford Dictionary

Hustle – Obtain illicitly or by forceful action: Linda hustled money from men she met
Oxford Dictionary

Whether it was via reading, watching TV, listening to the radio or simply speaking to other people my thirst to learn always remained unquenchable.
So it was with great interest when I heard the statement by Adolph Cameron, the head of the Jamaican Teachers’ Association that he thought African-Caribbean boys “would rather hustle than learn”, choosing to perform poorly to avoid undermining their masculinity www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15387444

Mr Cameron says research suggested that boys in Jamaica deliberately underperformed in literacy tests because the tests were carried out in standard English, and “to speak in standard English is considered a woman’s activity”.
He went on to suggest the same cultural attitudes affected the learning of African-Caribbean boys in England.

Young entrepreneur Edwin Broni-Mensah (creator of GiveMeTap), does not share  Adolph Cameron’s views and feels that there is a constant media focus on the negative perceptions of young Black youth ‘associated with Mr Cameron’s definition of hustling.

Personally I agree with more with the views of Edwin Broni-Mensah than with Adoph Cameron’s. Its undeniable that there is a shortfall in performance of African Caribbean boys in our secondary schools compared to other groups and there are also questions to be asked on how our young men define their masculinity but there are other factors in place which,  in my view, are more relevant to explain the causes.

 
If we are to look  at root causes surely we should begin with the lack of expectations and inspiration placed on our youth in the home and at school and why there is not more of a focus on our success stories to act as a means to help create more success?
For me our definition of hustling should be continued hard work (whether via academia or not) to achieve our goals.
On a final note hear Tyrese’s definition of the Hustle:

This year’s awards are hosted by Aml Ameen and will be held at Jury’s Inn in Croydon. We’ll be on-site, meeting the winners and interviewing their path to success. In the meantime, catch up with some of the winners from last year.

Click here to view the embedded video.

<a href=”http://vimeo.com/32008521″>OTS Interview: BYAA Winners 2010</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/32008521″>OTS Youth</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.

Shoutaboutmagazine.com is a site dedicated to encouraging children to make their own stories, illustrations and have them published on the site. Created by the Children’s Writers and Illustrators in South London (CWISL) the site also provides free stories and a section where Authors  give an insight on how, where and why they write.

Here SI Martin shares his story.

I can’t remember the first books I read, but I can remember the first books I disliked.

Growing up in a small town the late 20th century was unimaginably boring. We didn’t have multiplex cinemas, galleries, museums, the internet and hundreds of television stations. There were only three television channels and they were all off by 11.30. Apart from a park and a swimming pool, the only place for restless young minds to go was the library. And so I read.

I read a lot, especially science fiction and historical novels. I also read the Bible, railway timetables, newspapers, telephone directories, instruction manuals, religious pamphlets and sweet wrappers. I read last thing every night. I read first thing in every morning. I read walking to school and back again. I read on the toilet. I read in the bath. Like I said, I was bored, so I read everything possible to keep boredom at bay.

Then I read books for children.

When I was a young reader there was no Anne Rice, no Catherine Johnson, no Malorie Blackman or Michael Morpurgo. There were no worlds of teenage vampires, Black children at boarding school or heroic animals with regional accents. In those days there were only stories about comfortably-off children living in the countryside, making camps, building sledges, yachts and go-karts, or having midnight feasts in boarding school dormitories. There was nothing about my life as a Black child in a small town. I couldn’t stand these books. No one looked, thought or spoke as they did in my hometown. Nobody seemed entirely real.

As I read these books, it occurred to me that I could write better novels – not just because I wanted to, but because I needed to. I needed to write the novels I wanted to read. This is something I believe motivates most writers, and it certainly motivated me.

As I became a teenage reader, my reading expanded. I read writing from a host of Black writers (some of whom are still my favourites today) like James Baldwin, Octavia Butler and Chester Himes. I loved the worlds, real and imaginary they described, but they were never my worlds, never the places closest to me. All these worlds were born of an African-American experience.

My reading of history inevitably led me to the facts of the 500-year Black presence in London. The notion that this history was to some extent a set of stories about young people was a revelation. I wanted to know their stories, their writing, their experiences. The more I found out, the more there was to be revealed. It’s a set of stories I’ll spend the rest of my life uncovering. These are stories that have guided my life as a writer because the main lesson they have taught me is that ‘the world is all description’ and if we don’t describe ourselves, others will do so for us.

And this is why I write.

 
For more information see : www.shoutaboutmagazine.com

Ofcourse, personal statements actually play a very big role in how universities select students. If you think about it, all the information that goes into your application is very black and white, date of birth, number of subjects, predicted grades, percentages etc etc. At school and at college, you also study lots of subjects, but for most people you are going to university to focus on one, or maybe just two subjects.

The personal statement becomes very important when a university needs to understand why you want to study a particular course. They will always try to give places to students who are interested in a course and can show that they are passionate and care about their choice. If they only had the statistics, it would be very hard to know why a person wanted to do a particular course.

Because of this, it’s also important that the personal statement talks about the course you want to study, this allows them to see you are prepared to commit and understand what the course will teach you.

For me, another big issue when it came to writing my personal statement was the fact that I had to write about myself. It is not easy to do. If you’re the same as me, the hardest part will be starting to write something, so I’ve listed below 5 tips which might help you.

1. Start with a list

Think about the things you want to say as a list, for example, you might have a list like:

• Mention english coursework
• Include Duke of Edinburgh
• My short story

You can have as many things as you like in the list, aim for about 10-15. If you start with a list, you can usually think of lots of things to talk about.

2. Put your list in an order and prioritise what you want to say

Once you have completed your list, you may find you have a lot of things and some of them are less important that others. Put the list in order with the most important topics at the top (the ones that will help you get accepted for your course) and other less relevant things at the bottom.

3. Write one of two sentences for each of the items in your list

Once you’ve done this you can start writing. Start with simple sentences for each item, saying what it is and why it is relevant or important. You may have more to say about some things than others, this helps to prioritise again as you might change your mind about what is important.

4. Put your sentences together and you have the first draft

Once you’ve written all your sentences, you have a first draft! You’ll be surprised how much you’ve written, so this is the part where you have to start thinking about the whole thing as one block. Remember you only have 47 lines or 4000 characters (which includes spaces!). To check this, you might want to start typing your sentences up (if you haven’t done so already), so you can use your computer to count the characters. Don’t worry if you have to much or too little, now you’ve started writing it will get easier to edit and improve on what you’ve already got.

5. Ask someone to read your first draft

It’s really important that someone else reads the first draft before you make too many changes. This will help you decide where you need to make changes and will stop you from focussing on the wrong things. I asked a teacher to help me, but you might want to ask a family member or friend who knows about personal statements.

After all the stress is over, you’ll find you’re really proud of what you have written, and so you should be! As well as being one of the most important things you write for university, it can also be the most rewarding so push through the barrier and make it happen.

You can get more advice on writing personal statements from the UCAS website.

Learn about the show and watch previews on Channel 4.

Jane Trowell, co-ordinator of Shake!, one of the groups which has organised the day says:

After what happened across the country’s streets this summer, we need to know: Have we moved on? Where are we now? This event, which we’re calling Britain on Trial: Young Voices Speak Out will provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges young people face, make sure their voices are heard and develop creative ideas for change.

The day ran from 11.30am – 7pm and booking is recommended via platformshake@gmail.com Contributors include Leeds Young Authors; Shake! Young Voices in Arts, Media, Race & Power; Leeds Black Film Club; Dr Stuart Hodkinson from the University of Leeds; and Dr Carl Hylton, from the Leeds Bi-Centenary Transformation Project.

Read the article at The Guardian here.

Were you at event? How did it go? What are your views on racism amongst young people and society?

The Great Debaters is an amazing film which shows how words and expression can define and elevate.  Starring Denzel Washington and Forrester Whittaker the film is based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas in 1935.  Tolson inspired students to form the school’s first African American debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.

After watching the movie my first thought was how powerful it would be to have a similar vision for debating in the UK!?!

Well thankfully Young Black & Successful in partnership with Elevation Networks have brought us that vison in the form of the  Great Debate Tour.

In its 2nd year the Great Debate Tour is the first national debate forum targeted at black students in UK Universities and is a forum for powerful and thought provoking discussion…. ALL are welcome to attend and participate!

With the help of panel guests, university students, and the wider community, attendees are encouraged to explore various topics concerning the target group.

You can attend a tour date near you by e-mailing bookings@greatdebatetour.co.uk and more information at:

www.elevationnetworks.org/greatdebate2011/

Check the Debate Tour promo video starring  George the Poet, as he shares he’s thoughts with us about Black History Month.

The app can be Download at: www.getconnexed.com
Get Connex’d includes:
• Job vacancies
• Volunteering and Apprenticeship opportunities
• Information on CV and Interview tips
• Money and Personal matters
• Updates on events within the boroughs
• Useful contact information.

By registering onto the App, you will be able to select particular areas of interest which can be sent through alerts.

More information at: www.getconnexed.com

The South London Apprenticeship Fair (SLAF) is a apprenticeship and recruitment fair for young people, run by young people.

Set to take place on the 25th of October, The fair will provide the chance to meet employers and recruitment agencies ranging from local businesses to corporates. The event will allow the opportunity to sign up for apprenticeships in various career paths, getting paid to train.

Not sure what you would like to do? SLAF will provide the opportunity to try skilled jobs at demonstration stalls.

Along with a Youth prepartion Zone for those shy about approaching employers, CV workshops and assistance on interview technique, SLAF has something for everyone.

SLAF is taking place at:

LIBERTY HOUSE
9-11 COTTAGE GREEN
LONDON SE5 7ST

10:00am – 6:00pm

For more information see:

www.southlondonapprenticeshipfair.co.uk/index.php

Tony Massiah is a young man who has shown what vison and hard work can create. After a bullet narrowly missed his head in a street brawl Tony realised that he no longer wanted to live the lifestyle he had been drawn into at a young age of school going through expulsions,  gang life  and crime.

Now in the final year at law school, Tony has already secured a barrister apprenticeship at the prestigious Tooks Chambers

“If anyone says it’s impossible, I’m proof that it’s not. I sympathise with kids drawn into gangs and I know it’s not easy to leave but if I could say anything to them it would be that they’re not your real friends if they’re asking you to do a crime.

“I want to be a positive role model for the younger generation of today, so that from my example they might see that anything is possible if they put their minds, soul and effort into it.”

More information  at Tottenham and Wood Green Journal