The youth of today ! Its not all bad news !

I just got home from running a two day workshop with a group of young people on The City Challenge Programme for gifted and talented teenagers. It struck me (as it often has before) that they get such bad press. We so rarely see the good side of youth in the media anymore. There was a terrific article published in the Guardian earlier this week about celebrating the young people around us who are positive role models and who get on with things without the need for carrying knives and terrorising old ladies - it was such a pleasure to read things from another perspective.

We talked a lot about the impact of first impressions and how they are formed. They were amazingly perceptive and totally understood the idea that first impressions are largely formed based on assumptions and human biases. We had long discussions about stereotypes, generalising, either/or thinking and harsh and soft thinking. They looked at things from anothers perspective, considering how their initial appearance may influence others impressions of them.

The course was based in a top London hotel, some would say not the ideal venue. I was a little concerned at how other people in the hotel would react to a bunch of thirty fourteen year olds.

At the beginning of the first break I talked to them about the fact that across the corridor from our room was a pharmeceutical conference taking place. We had been asked, in advance, to keep the noise down. I think they did what many adults do, and assumed that a large group of teenagers meant noise and disarray.

All I can say is that my group proved every one of them wrong! It is rare that I have a hotel manager approach me on the second morning of a course to ask me to convey thanks to the young people for being so respectful and considerate. So much so, in fact, that they bought out hot fresh pastries as a thank you for them.

I wanted to share some of the comments made by the participants with you, how wonderful it would be if we could get more of them thinking like this:

I am in control of my own future!

You can achieve anything you want - but you have to believe you can and work really hard!

Possibilities are endless......

If you want something bad enough you can make it come true for yourself.

That extra 10% counts.

It reminded me of why I love this part of my work. How fantastic to be able to work with such open minded people.....with the rest of their lives ahead of them and plenty of time to prove others wrong ! What a pleasure to have educated not just a bunch of fourteen year olds but also a conference full of adults!