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You're not the next
Nelson Mandela
(& that's ok)
Imagine a world where every student in your school knew that they were not the next Nelson Mandela and that was ok. Sounds a strange comment to make perhaps. But just humour us for a moment if you will…
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Pointing to Uniqueness
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I don’t think many (if any) of us would disagree that Nelson Mandela was unique. He was a rebel, he was an artist, he was a philanthropist, he was a skilled politician, but above all he was a one-off. We probably won’t see another Nelson Mandela in our respective lifetimes, if ever. Sure, we may see other people with similar drive for racial harmony and social justice. We may see other skilled politicians and people willing to lay down their lives for a cause they believe in. We may see author people demonstrate extravagant grace and a drive to succeed. But we probably won’t see another Nelson Mandela. And that is ok.
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Truth be told Nelson Mandela is both an emblem and a metaphor for any and all living and departed greats. And at Future decided we want to help you be able to redefine to your students who we call great. So you are able to include a bigger cast than simply Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, sporting greats like Roger Federer and Pele and perhaps even the likes of Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.
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Just like you we also believe that the great people of tomorrow are not limited to simply becoming the greatest sports stars of their generations or the wealthiest business owners or the best paid actors. They may not become known outside of their towns or their circle of influence. They may not have millions or even hundreds of Instagram followers and they may not go on to change the world on a global scale. They may be more like me and you. Yet we manage to change the world. Our world. Our corner. And that’s what makes us special. That’s what will make the next generation special too if they take up the mantle and run with it.
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Redefining Greatness
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We are completely – 100% - unconditionally and unwaveringly all about inspiring, equiping and coaching school and college staff to support their students to dream big and go on to achieve such dizzy heights. Or as we put it turn DREAMS into DESTINATIONS. But if we are honest most of our students' DREAM lifestyles are perhaps more humble than we would perhaps like it to be. Maybe they would actually enjoy living in the same town they grew up in. Maybe inheriting their family’s small dairy farm really is part of their DREAM future. Maybe they do want to work a regular hour job and not earn millions in doing so. And here is the thing…if that really is their DREAM future then that is ok. It doesn’t mean we can stay on autopilot though and wish them an average life – far from it! We need to show them that the jobs and futures they are looking to are a pathway to greatness.
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Take plumbers for example. Now plumbers – generally speaking - are definitely not like Nelson Mandela. They provide and restore fresh water supplies to places like homes, business offices and farms. Without them modern society would not function the way it does in the developed world. They are awesome. But they are not Nelson Mandela…and that is ok.
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You know what else is awesome about plumbers (successful ones anyway)? They are often self-employed and more often than not they have one or two people work for them in time. Let’s for argument’s sake say that we have a plumber who has three other people working for them. One being an apprentice and the other two fully qualified. Wow. What a DREAM scenario that is! I mean think about it. Because of our initial plumber – let’s call him Samuel – because of Samuel, we now have three other people in full-time work. One of them is seventeen years old and Samuel is passing on his skill-set and his love of plumbing to the next generation, inspiring them to be all they can be. The other two are both older, one is married and the other has children. That means that these two other people are able to rent/buy a home, provide for their families and enjoy many of the benefits that modern life brings because Samuel employs them. Samuel is not the next Nelson Mandela. He’s not known outside of his local town. He’s not even the only good plumber in his local town. But Samuel is making a visionary impact on those around him that is beyond words. We need more Samuels in the world and you are primed in your position to be able to create more Samuels for the good of the wider society - something that will have a profound effect on you as much as the students who it concerns.
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New heroes
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If we really want to encourage our students to be all they can be then we need to consider giving them new heroes. Individual heroes. Whether figurative or actual people. See most young people don’t hear about Roger Bannister being the first person to run a mile in under four minutes and equate that to needing to try really hard in their Science exam later that week. Most young people are not motivated to tidy their bedrooms or be kinder to their peers when told that Alexander Fleming ‘discovered’ penicillin. And whilst all pupils should arguably all be told about the magnificent life of Nelson Mandela and other such historical greats, they cannot be expected to follow in his footsteps or equate his own personal achievements with living a big life themselves. They need Samuel the plumber who started a business from scratch and now employs three people. They need to know about the local tennis coach who gets paid to play tennis five times a week and coach others which is a DREAM come true for him. They need to hear your story too, if you enjoy your job. 100%.
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Oh for sure they need to know that they could become great politicians, actors and the like. They could be on a world stage if that really is their DREAM future. But for most of our young people it is not. So they need to know that no, they are not the next Nelson Mandela and that’s ok.
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