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[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"I'm saying to young people... stop this thing about anybody owe you anything. They don't! They don't! The government don't owe you anything. You owe yourself," she said. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']GLOUDON... you owe yourself the right to determine what kind of individual you’re going to be[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']It wasn't so much a chiding as it was a humour-laced 'pep talk' coming as it were from a wise grandmother to her grandkids.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"You owe yourself the right to determine what kind of individual you're going to be, and hear this old lady now, it don't mean money, cause every tief in this town have money, but they ain't got no sense.
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[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"Your duty, your duty is to determine which course you are going to take and there are days when yuh going to suck salt and say 'My God, my God why hast thou forgotten me'?"[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Gloudon was one of three speakers to address a small gathering of student ambassadors and educators at the US Embassy Wednesday evening on the subject 'Turning away negative influences: Corruption and the young Jamaican on the street'. The other two were visiting professor from Morehouse College in the United States Dr Carter Savage and programme officer for the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network O'rain Edwards.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Gloudon's comments seem to have been triggered by statements made by Edwards, who said in his presentation that government, the education system and the family structure had failed young people and that they were the worse off for it. He pointed to high youth unemployment rates even with tertiary education and limited access to opportunities.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Quoting from last year's national youth survey, Edwards said: "58 per cent of Jamaicans would prefer to live in the US, 52 per cent said life would be better in Canada, and 57 per cent said the UK would be better, because honestly, our young people are being faced with so many problems and access to opportunities is so limited, it doesn't really matter how hard you try. I was just speaking to two young ladies a while ago and they were saying that even those who leave university... there is not that access to employment, there is not that access to opportunity and I can say that is true. I just left university and I am one of the lucky ones to get a job immediately after. Most of my friends have left university two years, three years and still have not been employed.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"I think our government has failed our young people, I think our education system has failed our young people, our family structure has failed our young people. All these agents of socialisation are failing and are failing especially our young people," he said, adding: "Limited access to resources and the breakdown in the family structure are contributing to the high level of corruption among our young people.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']But the negative picture did not sit well with Gloudon, who is a host of radio talk show Hotline, and she retorted with an excerpt from a Marcus Garvey text even before the young man was through presenting.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"I say first to young people in this room, you are not the first generation to have it hard, and in all probability you won't be the last. One of the things that I would urge you my brother, as a young leader of the people, even though sometimes you can hardly bring yourself to say the word 'hope', we have to find ways to bring hope to the people and do not, do not continue to talk about all the things which are not happening. We have to find something happening," she asserted.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Using successful businessman Joseph Matalon and two street vendors she met on her daily commute as examples of people who endured hardships as youth, but who were determined to achieve success on their own terms, Gloudon urged the young people not to lose their sense of individuality for the pull of belonging to a homogenous group.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']She conceded that there were difficulties, but said they were blessed more than they knew.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"In 1929 the people of this country were in a worse position than you. You (turning to Edwards) went to university, many never did. Many of you can talk about your BlackBerry, [in those days] Blackberry was a naseberry gone bad... You cannot be blamed for what is happening because it's the world you have come into and the world you've inherited, but one thing I can testify to is that whatever it is you are born with, there are some verities that don't change, and one of the great ones, and Marcus makes a lot of it, is what you determine to do for yourself.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"You're not going to have it easy," she added bluntly. "If yuh waiting for chariots, chariots come with a price. You can get a glass coffin, but there's a price," she said, stressing that the youth ought not to fall into the "instant gratification society" in which we live, but instead work hard and appreciate the small increments in which their success comes.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"You're not the only one and it is no excuse that when it happens you say is a little bad luck. Bad luck is what you ask for," said Gloudon.[/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']GLOUDON... you owe yourself the right to determine what kind of individual you’re going to be[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']It wasn't so much a chiding as it was a humour-laced 'pep talk' coming as it were from a wise grandmother to her grandkids.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"You owe yourself the right to determine what kind of individual you're going to be, and hear this old lady now, it don't mean money, cause every tief in this town have money, but they ain't got no sense.
[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"Your duty, your duty is to determine which course you are going to take and there are days when yuh going to suck salt and say 'My God, my God why hast thou forgotten me'?"[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Gloudon was one of three speakers to address a small gathering of student ambassadors and educators at the US Embassy Wednesday evening on the subject 'Turning away negative influences: Corruption and the young Jamaican on the street'. The other two were visiting professor from Morehouse College in the United States Dr Carter Savage and programme officer for the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network O'rain Edwards.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Gloudon's comments seem to have been triggered by statements made by Edwards, who said in his presentation that government, the education system and the family structure had failed young people and that they were the worse off for it. He pointed to high youth unemployment rates even with tertiary education and limited access to opportunities.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Quoting from last year's national youth survey, Edwards said: "58 per cent of Jamaicans would prefer to live in the US, 52 per cent said life would be better in Canada, and 57 per cent said the UK would be better, because honestly, our young people are being faced with so many problems and access to opportunities is so limited, it doesn't really matter how hard you try. I was just speaking to two young ladies a while ago and they were saying that even those who leave university... there is not that access to employment, there is not that access to opportunity and I can say that is true. I just left university and I am one of the lucky ones to get a job immediately after. Most of my friends have left university two years, three years and still have not been employed.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"I think our government has failed our young people, I think our education system has failed our young people, our family structure has failed our young people. All these agents of socialisation are failing and are failing especially our young people," he said, adding: "Limited access to resources and the breakdown in the family structure are contributing to the high level of corruption among our young people.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']But the negative picture did not sit well with Gloudon, who is a host of radio talk show Hotline, and she retorted with an excerpt from a Marcus Garvey text even before the young man was through presenting.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"I say first to young people in this room, you are not the first generation to have it hard, and in all probability you won't be the last. One of the things that I would urge you my brother, as a young leader of the people, even though sometimes you can hardly bring yourself to say the word 'hope', we have to find ways to bring hope to the people and do not, do not continue to talk about all the things which are not happening. We have to find something happening," she asserted.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Using successful businessman Joseph Matalon and two street vendors she met on her daily commute as examples of people who endured hardships as youth, but who were determined to achieve success on their own terms, Gloudon urged the young people not to lose their sense of individuality for the pull of belonging to a homogenous group.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']She conceded that there were difficulties, but said they were blessed more than they knew.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"In 1929 the people of this country were in a worse position than you. You (turning to Edwards) went to university, many never did. Many of you can talk about your BlackBerry, [in those days] Blackberry was a naseberry gone bad... You cannot be blamed for what is happening because it's the world you have come into and the world you've inherited, but one thing I can testify to is that whatever it is you are born with, there are some verities that don't change, and one of the great ones, and Marcus makes a lot of it, is what you determine to do for yourself.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"You're not going to have it easy," she added bluntly. "If yuh waiting for chariots, chariots come with a price. You can get a glass coffin, but there's a price," she said, stressing that the youth ought not to fall into the "instant gratification society" in which we live, but instead work hard and appreciate the small increments in which their success comes.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"You're not the only one and it is no excuse that when it happens you say is a little bad luck. Bad luck is what you ask for," said Gloudon.[/FONT]
[/FONT]
You cannot be blamed for what is happening because it's the world you have come into and the world you've inherited, but one thing I can testify to is that whatever it is you are born with, there are some verities that don't change, and one of the great ones, and Marcus makes a lot of it, is what you determine to do for yourself.
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