Three Things We Need To Give

Thinking on from our discussion on The Fight Our Youth Face, here are three things I believe we need to give to the young people around us. Working with interns every day, these have been the basis of what I’ve been doing for seven years.

1. Exposure

It’s vital that people know there is a world far larger than the one they live in. I show them people who have more and people who have less. I take them to areas of deprivation, I show them people who have very little but are successful, I take them to meet people in a range of industries.

The goal is to shift their thinking, humble them a bit, and help them realise how privileged they are – and how hard they need to work.

2. Insight

If I had to list the most important traits, self-insight would be at the top. To know yourself – to really know yourself – with depth and clarity, understanding your weaknesses and strengths, understanding how you work.

Giving insight is hard work. It requires knowing how to make an incision that helps people see themselves more clearly. Sometimes this isn’t met with joy.

3. Giving

We have to show young people how to give – specifically, how to give:

• Their Time (attention and effort)
• Their Talent (resources and skills)
• Their Treasure (finances)
• Their Tongue (words, encouragement, influence)

And when to give. And when not to give. Without the maturity to develop a strong no, generosity becomes exhaustion.