An investment for the future | Yasmin Greenaway | TEDxTottenham
The speaker argues that despite the common belief in youth potential, systemic issues like the decline of youth clubs and service cuts undermine this promise, yet the community is generating grassroots solutions through innovation platforms and art workshops. The speaker demonstrates this by showcasing her own business, "the 14," an online trading platform, and forthcoming "Art and Entrepreneurship" events designed to foster local talent and career prospects.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker is part of a school choir, performing at an end-of-year assembly.
- The presentation is structured around addressing the gap between the stated belief in youth potential and the reality of systemic challenges facing young people.
- The speaker plans to showcase her own efforts following an initial section showing her young friends' initiatives.
- A workshop was recently run at the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust centre with young boys from Eastside Academy.
## Theses & Positions
- The public consensus ("we're all on the same page") about young people being the future is undermined by structural problems.
- Concerns include the "disappearance of youth clubs," the "evaporation of the Career Service connections," rising student loan fees, and limited jobseeker's allowance for those under 25.
- These factors, combined with "continuous stereotyping of young people within our community particularly of black and ethnic minority parentage or working-class heritage," create an unstable situation that is "bubbling over."
- The solution is community-driven innovation and enterprise, allowing youth to "create their own status and opportunity."
- The speaker's immediate call to action is for the audience to "support my event" and "invest in your future."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Online trading platform for skills and services:** A mechanism developed by the speaker's group ("the 14") for young people to promote and discover their own talents.
- **Sustainable employment:** The challenge young graduates face, especially those from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, in finding work after formal education.
- **Personal development and steel networking:** Identified as "important tools for achieving success in career in business and in life."
- **Art and entrepreneurship:** The specific event series the speaker is creating to showcase local talent and foster combined skills.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Selfie video documentation:** Used as the "cool way to deliver" the message about the local initiatives.
- **The "14" platform:** Functioning as a marketplace that facilitates the exchange of skills and services among young people.
- **Community intervention:** Utilizing artistic and entrepreneurial endeavors (like the workshop at Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) to provide alternative routes to success beyond traditional employment.
## Timeline & Sequence
- The initial context is the school choir performance, referencing the song "The Greatest Love of All."
- The current situation is marked by the speaker needing to address the perceived gap between rhetoric and reality.
- Recent activity includes running a workshop at the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust centre with students from Eastside Academy.
- The speaker is currently developing the "Art and Entrepreneurship" event series.
## Named Entities
- **Eastside Academy** — Institution whose young boys participated in the recent workshop.
- **Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust centre** — Location where a recent workshop took place.
- **Saatchi gallery** — Organization collaborating with the event.
- **Chin Down Tobago High Commission** — Location hosting an upcoming high net worth client event.
## Numbers & Data
- The song referenced was by **Isis** and featured **Whitney Houston**.
- The speaker mentions seeing fees "triple" and youth unemployment "skyrocket."
- The platform is branded as **"the 14."**
## Examples & Cases
- **Lukes's biography:** (This example is irrelevant as it pertains to Example 1, not the transcript provided.)
- **Online platform use:** Demonstrating the process of young people using "the 14" to list and exchange skills.
- **Workshop participation:** Showing the "excellent talent" of the young artists giving back at the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust centre.
- **Successful community examples:** Implicitly referencing the diverse activities of the young friends featured in the initial clips.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **iPhone:** The technology used to film and edit the entire message package.
- **Online trading platform:** "the 14," designed for skills and services exchange.
## References Cited
- **"The Greatest Love of All"** — Song title by Isis, featuring Whitney Houston.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- The speakers implicitly present the trade-off between relying on formal structures (disappearing youth clubs, restricted benefits) versus creating organic, self-directed community structures (like "the 14").
- The alternative to struggling employment is self-directed skill-sharing and artistic exhibition.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker acknowledges the inherent awkwardness of the presentation: "all of her friends are doing something about it," requiring her own personal contribution to the solution.
- The necessity of the speaker's personal involvement suggests that external support is still required to elevate local grassroots efforts.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The core message is a plea for community support and investment: "I urge you support my event support my young community and invest in your future."
- The overarching goal is to prove that innovation and enterprise are the mechanisms for overcoming systemic disadvantages for local youth.
## Implications & Consequences
- By showcasing local success stories, the presentation aims to shift the perception of youth from being a problem to be managed to being an economic and cultural force to be capitalized upon.
- Failure to support these grassroots efforts means continuing the cycle of marginalization for ethnic and working-class youth.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"Let them lead the way."* (From the song lyrics)
- *"I've seen she wishin fees triple and youth unemployment skyrocket."*
- *"do you really believe young people of the future can you honestly say you're teaching as well have we been provided with the tools to adequately lead the way"*
- *"Luckily it's boiling over as innovation and enterprise."*
- *"I hope you enjoy through my business known as the 14"*
- *"A challenge that young graduates place particularly those from black and ethnic minority backgrounds is finding sustainable employment after graduation"*
- *"I refuse to let them down ladies and gentlemen"*
- *"I urge you support my event support my young community and invest in your future"*