Today's youth will live their lives in the 21st century. Never before have young people, worldwide, faced so many challenges and so many opportunities. How these future leaders see the world really makes a difference. If all that they see is what is going wrong and how difficult life is, they can become discouraged and give up more easily. If they are aware of the opportunities, and become excited about the possibility of reaching their fullest potential as human beings, life opens up and becomes a source of joy and fulfilment.
The book, It Starts with Me, was compiled by second year Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) students together with their Leadership and Self Development lecturer, Ruth Mattison and three professionals - writer, Jenny Ibbotson, editor, Kristina Davidson and book designer, Petal Palmer. These four volunteers embody TSiBA's Pay it Forward philosophy and demonstrate the power of intergenerational collaboration. Ruth shares her views, "It is strange, but sadly true, that bad behaviour seems to get more attention than good behaviour. Each one of us needs to pay attention to those who make the right choices. When we show appreciation for their courage and wisdom, a new world opens up - one in which we can find like-minded people and work together." The students chose to listen to people who have a positive outlook on life. During their conversations with these inspiring youth, they discovered that it is possible to face many challenges in life and still reach for your dreams - and make those dreams come true. It may not be easy but these resilient people are creating a positive future for themselves, their families and communities.
TSiBA co-founder, Leigh Meinert, explains "These are the good news stories that must be told. Everyday my colleagues and I have the remarkable privilege of working alongside SA's emerging leaders, and as a result, we are full of hope for our nation and our continent's future. Who better to share this hope, than our young leaders themselves?"
BBA student and SRC President, Ekome Same, shares his enthusiasm for the project, "It was so good to work on this project because it's not often that good news is shared and it's this news that is so important to hear. I think that every person in South Africa - whether young or old - should read our book!" To read It Starts with Me please log on to TSiBA's website www.tsiba.org.za go to Programmes and Centres and click on BBA - the link to view the book is at the bottom of the page.
