Why have we invested in creating tech that focuses on young people and their futures? Many people have suggested and even insisted that this is the role of government or charities, despite the fact that both have been around for aeons, and... the vast majority of young people still don’t have fair access to opportunity.

The Why..?

I grew up on Chalkhill Estate in Wembley Park. It was a new estate when we moved in, and I was only two. My parents had worked seriously hard since arriving in the UK as singletons before meeting, marrying and starting a family. They moved from the Wembley suburb of Alperton, qualifying (yes ‘qualifying’, through earnings, bank, employer and landlord references) to this brand new, most-modern estate, with ‘Streets in the Sky’.

Modelled on, but updated from Sheffield’s Park Hill Estate, ‘Streets in the Sky’ literally meant that Chalkhill’s walkways or floors would replicate all the features of a suburban street. Service lifts on the estate would allow all services to be delivered to your street on all floors and, in fact, to your front door; milk floats, refuse collection, delivery and all the door to door canvassers you’ve forgotten existed. We lived on Greenrigg Walk; there was Goldbeaters, Redcliffe and Bluebird Walks, well over 1500-odd flats on the estate.

From the age of 2, I followed my brother absolutely everywhere, as hard to shake off as a tattoo. As a result, I grew up mainly around kids 2-3 years older, a stone heavier, a foot taller and, sometimes but not always, a bit wiser than me.

I spent more time with my brother’s age group and his friends than I ever spent with my own throughout my earlier years. That had its benefits and drawbacks, but I got used to being the little guy, and my brother’s mates accepted me from the off as part of the package, a BOGOF, I guess. 

I was from the age of 3 or 4, always ‘in amongst it’. My brother’s mates were great. In the early days, guys like Rohan, the 2 Kevs, Adrian and Hilton were protective; sometimes overly-protective, and sometimes, they just pissed me off by looking at me and deciding ‘...you couldn’t do this, or you can’t do that; always for the one simple reason, “… you’re too small”.  

Determined, stubborn or whatever, I didn’t accept it; whatever they climbed, so did I (mum would patch me up from the fall when got in), whatever height they jumped from – ‘Geronimo’ – I was off the ledge and in the air too.

So, size and environment has always been part of my life story, and a belief that size is no guarantee of strength. You make up for the lack of size with your drive, your resilience and your resourcefulness.

Growing up on Chalkhill in the seventies was an experience for the little guy, and growing up across the rail lines from Wembley Stadium I found one of my lifelong passions, Sport.

In those first days, I was side-lined by the older guys. ‘Too small’, apparently. We had the best open space on the estate right in front of my balcony so the matches would take place where my mum and dad would order me not to stray from. I clearly remember being about five years old, and most of the guys playing were about 8 to maybe 10 or 11. Sod it… I was going to play.  

My first official position was as goalpost and getting smacked in the head by the ball, probably more than once which may explain a few things. My determination kicked in at that stage, and I needed to play if I was going to avoid death by leather. 

The first chances I got, I overcompensated for my size and just launched people into the air; I remember older guys like Clarkey and Winston rolling around in fits, I think that got people interested in me early on. The little guy wasn’t scared, didn’t look intimated, and it was safer perhaps to have this little guy with attitude and loads of Passion on your side. I started to get chosen before older, bigger guys when we lined up to be picked and it felt great.

That scenario played out throughout my life. Football, Cricket, Tennis, whatever it was that involved a bat or a ball; or a couple of fists. I always knew there was a size advantage for the opponent, but it wasn’t a major concern, wasn’t something that was going to stop me doing what I wanted to do – I was invested in my Passions.

But on Chalkhill this wasn’t unique. 

Around the estate were some of the most talented young people I have ever been honoured to know. Absolutely everyone was tucked into something, and everyone that was into something, really invested themselves in it. 

People were into music, performance, dance, writing, acting, painting. Of course, all types of sports were going on, given the massive open spaces and the ease with which we could start any game - there were loads of us. The estate naturally generated numbers of young people who, as they were getting older and more attached to their passions, were becoming known locally as ‘the best at…’ 

I was growing up in an area where you had to dedicate yourself to ‘your thing’ to have a chance to participate in them, because we simply had so many kids of similar age on the estate, and of course, limited resources. Not everyone could get ‘their thing’ (for example, get on the pitch) when they wanted to. So the people that tended to were those with the most drive; the ones who could demonstrate that it was worthwhile picking them and giving them access to ‘their thing’. Chalkhill was blessed with young people like this. 

Most of us went to the infant and primary school in the middle of the estate. Great school, brilliant and challenging environment; an example of ‘diversity’ not meaning a thing if you don’t know about it – we were all friends, and the few white kids whose parents steered them towards the ‘dark side’ stood out like sore thumbs.

Chalkhill School was brand new and innovative, with some legendary teachers still spoken about today; Gordon, Ruth, and Libby were some of my favourites. We generally addressed them by their first names except the Head and his Deputy. The ethos was heavily towards developing self-confidence and bringing out our talents, chiefly through different art forms and sport.

However, we found on leaving there that we perhaps weren’t best prepared for the set up of modern secondary education. Some of us went to high school and sat alongside kids from the suburbs, who’d attended older and much more traditional schools. Children from these suburbs had drilled into them some simple and straightforward tasks, like managing your homework diary and making sure homework was in on time. In hindsight they were so better organised and structured for high school, all the way through to preparing for exams.

Many talented kids from Chalkhill went to my high school, Preston Manor. You’d recognise them instantly from the high levels of self-confidence, and the carry-over of some form of primary school swagger excellence. It was a great school, but most of the estates’ kids were at a slight disadvantage outside the school boundaries.

There’s another story to be told on more contorversial and wider societal issues for black kids in that era, but that’s being adequately discussed by others. To summarise, most of the kids from Chalkhill Estate had extremely high levels of talent; built upon their passions, and developed since an early age through resourcefulness, resilience and, of course, drive.

However, few of the young people who came from that hotbed were able to plug their passion into their futures, compared to their counterparts from the suburbs, and you could see how that played out within just a few years of leaving school.  

Don’t misunderstand me, my mates from the burbs were talented too, and they probably didn’t know they had the serious advantage of access to more established (professional) networks that parents, family and friends could quickly connect them in, and inspire them with. Normally long before ‘career’ was even a conversation.  

The kids on the estate relied largely on the local careers advice service :( - even for opportunities to volunteer that were on the open grapevine of those with the right connections. Say no more.

I found this to be the case when I lived in Birmingham in the 90’s, and I’m genuinely not surprised to see the same on my travels; Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Leicester…

So Why Slenky?

All young people should have the opportunity to be introduced to the broadest range of sectors and opportunities; whoever they are, whatever their talents may be, and whatever their background.

The key is helping them to use their passions, the things they’re into and developing skills at, to navigate to their opportunities.  

Slenky tested making this possible via digital media and devices; long before UK ‘diversity and inclusion’ became meaningful conversation, and we were driven by Covid to digital lifestyles. And I’m glad to say it works. We’ve so many stories of young people from all backgrounds who explored their passions, connected with our partners and were able to Take a Shot at their true potential. Whether they have a network or not, they can tap into Slenky’s.

They, like their passions are hugely diverse, but amongst them are self-honed skills that business is crying out for. Today young people are pretty much only accessible via their smartphones, but can be seen all over the UK - scrolling through content and engaging with their passions.

#achangeisgonnacome