young people, the hope of our world?

I was glued to the television, nothing was stopping me from watching this. Yes I was slightly tired, it was about 12:30am now, but I was determined to see the end of the London 2012 Opening Ceremony. I had survived all aspects of the incredible, creative and wonderful ceremony even as others around me gave up and went to bed. All there was left to watch now was the lighting of the Olympic flame signalling the official start of the Olympic games. “Who was going to light it?” I wondered. Suddenly on the television David Beckham is seen driving a speed-boat towards the stadium with a younger athlete holding the torch. I thought “Maybe it is him, no big surprise though and hardly imaginative”. Then the torch is passed to Steve Redgrave and I think, “Ok this is it, this guy has got the most amount of Gold medals for Great Britain in history, no-one has been more successful, so it must be him!”. Steve Redgrave jogs into the stadium and I expect that to be it for the lighting of the torch but…it wasn’t…. Moments later Steve passes the torch to a group of 7 young people, aged between 16-18, who all have great talent and potential to represent Great Britain in the future. These 7 young people then light the Olympic torch signalling the start of the London 2012 Olympic games. Everyone expected ‘the lighting of the torch’  to be carried-out by a successful and experienced athlete who was known to all, instead 7 young people for 10 minutes left the world breathless with the hope that they brought to one of the biggest events around.

Last year at this same time of year, young people due to the riots were deemed “a lost generation”. This year a group of young people positively impacted the world. When young people are given the opportunity; and are empowered, loved and befriended; they can make a  massively positive impact to this world. The question is, are we going to let them? I urge strongly that your answer to this is a resounding “YES!!”. So this year at Nottingham Youth for Christ we strive to continue the positivity surrounding young people that this summer has brought, to empower a generation of young people to show the world what fantastic hope, creativity and love that they can bring. 

Mike Harrison is  NYfC's key worker in Nuthall and Kimberley

He started in September 2012 and   

is getting married in 2013