- Ashley -
"I like the African culture because it's completely different to the 'British culture' because there's a wider range of cultures. You got the west and east that are completely different in terms of attire and food. I like West and East African food because it's different than eating basic fish and chips (which I despise btw lol).
Growing up with mainly black friends and being surrounded by black people has made it natural for me to embrace the culture without thinking "ohh mad, I'm a white boy wearing a Dashiki". I get told I'm African blood because of the way I live, but I just do that stuff naturally e.g. I use cocoa butter, I eat Jollof, I wear dashiki, and all my brothers and sisters are African"
- Giles -
"Growing up, my understanding of my own personal identity has been very distorted. I'm mixed race, half English and half Bajan. I've experienced racial prejudice against both my black and my white side. I grew up in the country side but have now lived here. Also, being born into a world of fast moving globalisation, my media consumption during my childhood has included mainly American TV shows, which had a lot of influence on me. I have friends from the countryside and friends from the city varying in races, all have had a degree of influence on me.
It became hard to really understand who my true self was.Lately after beginning an intimate relationship with God, I've started to realise a lot about identity. As we were all made in his image, our true identity therefore is the person we express when we are filled with God. It's only in God when we are the most confident in who we truly are"
- Nathan -
"Live for the purpose that will die for, it's about going after your goals and making positive changes into your communities, schools, colleges, universities and our homes"
- Eve -
"One of my favourite things to do, is skateboarding. This makes some people uncomfortable, because I’m a girl. I never see dudes on skateboards getting verbal abuse, I never see dudes on skateboards getting cat called on the way home from work and when dudes on skateboards ride around, nobody notices. I can’t go anywhere on my board without someone feeling the need to shout at me, or cat call me, or tell me I only skate so people think I look cool. I’ve even had someone stop the back of my board with her foot so that i'd fall off.
I’ve been skating for 4 years now and I’ve never hurt someone else on my skateboard, not even clipped their shoe. And I’ve never hurt myself on a skateboard, so I don’t understand why some people feel the need to make me feel uncomfortable. Except I sort of do, it’s because I’m a girl and I’m doing a boy thing. And that seems to make them uncomfortable"
- Conrad -
"My mom was told by several wonderful people that I should be aborted. Thankfully she never paid too much attention to what was best for her. Born in London, raised by Barbadians and having a Jamaican dad, life was always going to have some complexities! In Barbados I was considered English, In England I was considered Barbadian, Jamaicans never even considered me & Africa rejected me before I even considered them.
I grew up rejected from every direction, feeling like an alien wherever I went & then to have God confirm that I’m a foreigner just added to the complexity. Well, so I made up my own transforming formula that makes me 100% African, Bajan, Jamaican & British (still kinda rejected as English) at the same time so I don’t need to conform to any 50/50’s anymore. So yes I’m finally that Londoner in trackies, wearing a Barbadian t-shirt and singing my Jamaican songs, looking like an African because I know who I am, I’m from above…it’s simple really"
- Simi -
"One of my favourite things is being moved by art - that could be a book, a poem, a film or a painting. There's something really powerful about being stirred by someone else's work and I think that's why I've always wanted to be a writer and an artist; so I could create beautiful things that resonate with people. "
- Nathan -
"At the age of 9 I moved to England from Uganda. This was shortly after discovering that my Dad had suddenly became disabled with no diagnosis or explanation. To me this shattered my world, as my Dad was my ultimate inspiration and remains to be so till date. He was an electrical engineer, and as such I had aspired to be an engineer myself.
I worked hard and I excelled in school. As the years passed my Dad’s condition got worse and worse and reached its peak. I began losing hope, and felt hopeless because I had no means to cater for my Dad. I subsequently started slacking in school, missing church at times, and basically started losing myself. All in all, I never gave up on my dreams. I applied to various universities knowing that I had E’s and U’s at the time, so I actually started thinking I was not good enough. Funny enough I got an offer from a university to study a Foundation degree. I was determined not to do another year at sixth form, best believe I worked hard, and prayed even harder.
In the end I made it, and trashed my foundation year and had the clearance to study Aerospace Engineering. Throughout my university life my Dad was my main motivation. My friends always wondered why I stayed in the library until the morning, or why I extensively studied everything. They thought I was some super motivated nerdy machine. Now I should point out, that none of my friends (except from one and my long term ex) knew about my Dad’s condition. Simply because I wanted no pity from anyone and I actually very private as a person, this is the first time I am speaking about this publicly.
Anyways, I graduated with a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. The road along was not easy, but I have learnt that I can achieve anything I put my mind to, no matter what obstacles I face. I also learned that everyone has a story and as such I do my very very best to no judge anyone irrespective of their character or creed"
- Pelumi -
"People judge you simply based on their perception of you... your appearance, carriage etc. I love fashion but I hate it when people simply base my character and personality on what I wear. Just because you dress fashionably , some people don't expect you to have good character. They judge you and conclude you are a rude and snobbish person. But the thing is a lot of the time they are wrong. Imagine walking to a room and constantly being judged by people who refuse to say hi or acknowledge your polite greetings just because they have this vision in their head that you are 'rude' , so they ignore you. I have learnt that you can't please everybody no matter how hard you try.
People will always have their opinion of you and some will criticise almost everything you do. However the choice is yours to make: respond trying to please them or just be you because they don't determine your happiness. People's words are powerful but your thoughts are what can either diminish or build your confidence"
-Alexandra-
"When I was 14 my world fell apart when my family and I were forced to move back to England after living the best years of our life in the U.S.A. It was the most difficult time for us, struggling financially and emotionally. But I think the hardest part was seeing my parents blame themselves for our sadness, and hearing them continually apologize. However, I’m grateful that we struggled and continue to struggle as its made me realise that I took my life for granted. I now appreciate every single thing I have, like my family’s health and being able to go to university, because I know so many others unfortunately have it worse off.
I think when you are going through something just know that there are always positive things to be grateful for. These struggles are only for a season and there are greater things in store"
-Sat Mohanram -
"I am always looking for psychological tools to help keep myself sane in this world. I wonder what is happening in society and what the next generation will look like. Things have changed and so has people’s values. I am very proud of my children and I am also proud of the children who engage in academic pursuits. My advice to them is to make the most of your resources.
I don’t look at problems as problems but as challenges. You have to dive deep if you want pearls. Take advantage of each day. If you know what is right, people’s criticisms won’t matter to you"
