Stephanie Itimi I had a rare experience today to work with the BBC on a discussion that explores the life of a youth from an African perspective. The discussion involved questions like "Do we see a future for us in our respective countries". I'm from Nigeria and personally I do see myself going back, this could be due to the fact I was born there or maybe because I was brought up with the mentality of remembering where I came from. Nonetheless I could 100% say that Nigeria is a place I see myself working and starting a life. I think it’s extremely selfish for me not to give back. People often complain about how corrupt African countries are but no one really takes the initiative to really be part of the solution. So we have a situation where we have too many analysts and very few activists. There are various ways of helping and being part of the solution, I for one want to go back and work for a development sector that carter to projects that are very crucial to the infrastructure of Nigeria. I believe that closely monitoring these projects and making sure that every penny is being spent well, would increase the infrastructure in Nigeria. I would love to put my degree and hopefully masters to good use and work to increase the economic performance in Nigeria. However I'm not naive to the obstacles I'm bound to encounter, from sexism to social insecurity. I've lived in the UK for most of my life (12 years to be exact) and you can argue that I've been brought up with western customs. It would be hard adjusting to the Nigerian way of life, I would need to learn its culture and customs all over again, and nevertheless it’s an adventure I'm more willing to take. My experience with the BBC is one I'm not going to forget in a hurry, working with talented people who are experts in their field was a huge learning experience. I loved the sense of family unit you get working there and the respect given. They are always ready to listen to what you have to say and you are given the freedom to truly express yourself creatively. I was opportune to work there as an intern and I must say it was one of the best decisions I've made. I appreciate everyone who made my time there special and worthwhile and I'm grateful for the lifelong friends and mentors I've acquired. Christiana Harrison Today I had a chance to take part in a little segment on whether I would like to go back to my home country in the future to work. This has totally been a new thing for me, speaking on the radio but at the same time it was a really good experience, working with and talking with other people who views differed from mine but were passionate neither the less. The BBC staff were amazing and friendly, and never once did they discredit or lead us in a direction where they felt the question/answer should stem from. Being able to put your point across and taking part in something like this really does help motivate you to do more in terms of defending and helping your country, today's platform gave the freedom of being able to say something that you hope will affect this generation to do more concerning where they are from whether they choose to go back or not. Either way this was a great opportunity and I hope todays youths are aware of the benefits from it. As to whether or not I would go back to Nigeria in the future is still undecided, mainly because I would still like to see change and growth in Nigeria, I would like to see stability, a new era before I consider going back to fully live there myself, but I do understand that in order for that change to happen I also need to do something about it as an individual, so I do plan to invest in Nigeria, invest in my family in Nigeria and in businesses in Nigeria, because let's not misunderstand they're a lot of smart people in Nigeria, we just have to give them that push and that incentive to do better and to want to be better.
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Interesting video concept, as it makes you realise the little things in which we take for granted. A few home truths were hit during this video. The sad truth is that we live in a selfish generation, in which I too play a part in. We are lucky to live in a society (western) that even though it is many much flawed, provides the basic necessity that we as humans need. Please place significance on the word need. It makes you think and evaluate yourself, what do we place as need and want in our life’s. Capitalism and effective marketing has blurred the line between need and want, making us put significance on the things we want rather than what we need. Ask yourself, when was the last time I actively had a positive impact on someone else, like being a supportive friend.
After all the Chanel, LVs, Gucci and all the other designer named brands, ask yourself a question are you truly happy and content. The sad truth is that most of you would reply No, because there’s always going to be something that you want and issues that are clearly unavoidable. I study economics which is the management of limited resources for infinite wants, which highlights the lack of contentment that we have as a society. We have turned into a generation of consumerism, where self-worth and identity is measured by their material worth rather than the character of a person. This leads into issues such as insecurities, debt, crime, etc. which many are now faced with. I’ve always had a philosophy that giving is better than receiving, which means putting others needs before yours. My faith as a Christian reinforces this point, here’s a few verses that highlight the importance of helping those in need: Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to re Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Matthew 25:35-46 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? There is pure joy when you genuinely help people. This could be as little as helping an old person carry heavy groceries or taking the time to talk to a homeless person. The little you do can really go a long way. UK Food Waste Facts & Statistics states that almost 50% of the total amount of food thrown away in the UK comes from our homes. We throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year in the UK, and more than half of this is food and drink we could have eaten. According to WRAP UK “the cost of this unused clothing is around £30 billion”. Have a think of how you can turn your waste into a blessing. This is something that applies to me as it’s given me a rethink of how I can help and bless others. Stephanie Itimi |
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November 2016
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