Think About It | People Like Us
Think About It | What does it take to make it in modern Britain? Ask a politician, and they will tell you it is hard work. Ask a millionaire, and they will tell you it is talent. Ask a CEO and they will tell you it is dedication. But what if none of those things is enough? THINK for Peace is the Peace Foundations’ programme for young people at senior school that helps them build character developing skills like critical thinking, reasoning, compassion, courage, citizenship, and community awareness. It also prompts young people to develop confidence and determination, motivation, and perseverance, leading to resilience. Think About It is a ‘spin off;’ from our main THINK programme and helps develop thinking through creative pursuits such as the arts, sport, health and well-being and literature. For many young people who get caught up into a cycle that can lead to conflict and possibly violence; it is important to find a strong sense of direction and a ‘road map’ to move towards further and higher education or employment. That pathway is hard, especially for some more than others, especially around the subject of employability and in finding a job. We live in a society where the single greatest indicator of what your job will be is the job of your parents. Where power and privilege are concentrated among the 7% of the population who were privately educated. Where, if your name sounds black or Asian, you will need to send out twice as many job applications as your white neighbour. Raised on benefits, barrister Hashi Mohamed knows something about social mobility. And as part of our latest Think About It initiative here, we introduce you to his book People Like Us, here he shares what he has learned: from the stark statistics that reveal the depth of the problem to the failures of imagination, education and confidence that compound it. Wherever you are on the social spectrum, this is an essential investigation into our society’s most intractable problem. We have more power than we realise to change things for the better. Hashi Mohamed Hashi arrived in Britain at the age of nine as a child refugee and is now a barrister at No5 Chambers in London. He is also a broadcaster, having appeared on BBC Radio 4, and presented Adventures in Social Mobility (April 2017) and Macpherson: What Happened Next (2019). He is also a contributor to the Guardian, The Times and Prospect. He mentors many young people at various stages of their career and is also a trustee of Big Education, a trust which oversees three inspirational schools in London and the South East. Think About it – People Like Us Notes to teachers, youth workers and all young people The book is published by Profile Books and is widely available through all good book sellers such as Waterstones, Goodreads, Book Depository or Amazon. It is available as an Audible audiobook, in hardcover and paperback and as a Kindle edition. You may...