Make A Change

With the rise of social networking and online news channels, we are (now more than ever) exposed and constantly reminded of the many  injustices in the world. It is little  wonder that more of us are feeling the need to promote social change. From charities, foundations and campaigns to outreach, community projects and volunteering; with focus, discipline and drive, it is possible to make a positive contribution to your community, or indeed society. I am a firm believer in The Acorn Principle. This is the idea that, If the right conditions and circumstances are provided, every tiny acorn will one day develop into a giant oak tree.

Whilst you may have a great idea for a charity, knowing what to consider and expect can be tricky. Here are just a few of my tips:

1. Problem Solve

Identify the exact problem you want to address and why. Consider: what, who, where, when and how? Whilst there may, and more than likely is, a need for your project, do consider your approach. Pause and assess the timing of your project: is a fresh new approach required? Or, is there actually no need to reinvent the wheel? Thoroughly and realistically consider the scale you intend to effect change on be it local, national or global. Most importantly: know your stuff. Your finger should be firmly on the pulse of all the developments, statistics, existing efforts, and the grassroots experiences of the community you are seeking to assist. There is no such thing as too much research.

2. Passion and belief 

In my opinion, your cause should be something you believe in from the very core of you. Your project shouldn’t be the latest trend or fad. It may not even be something you have first hand experience of (though this often helps), but it is essential that you feel a deep and authentic passion to create social change. This passion will drive you, sustain you and be enduring enough to keep you pushing past the inevitable challenges and obstacles you will meet along the way.

3. Patience and perseverance

Success in all areas, particularly when it comes to philanthropy, is often a slow burner. It is likely to be many years after you begin that you will actually reap the benefits and see actual results within your specific demographic. Bureaucracy can be exhausting and, at times, de-motivating. Stick with it. If your project is well researched, deserving and authentic, time and hard work will bring about change. Remember, when it comes to helping others, it is very much ‘quality not quantity’. When you have actively played a role in contributing positively to the world around you, impacting the life of just one person is enough. Persevere!

4. Planning is key

Prepare, plan and plan some more.

Map out your first year of activity. Then your first five years. And keep going! What steps will help you to achieve your goal? Establish a profile,  do your groundwork diligently and have a strong team in place. Be modest; the essence of social change is about joining hands. As the proverb says, ‘many hands makes light work’, be willing to learn from the pioneers, sit down with those who have been practitioners in the field a long time. find out key stake holders, assess your field. Gain insight, view those working to create positive change as your potential collaborators and teachers, not as your ‘competitors’.

All in all, be true to yourself and always summon into mind the reasons you got started. Hold onto that fervour, stay dynamic and believe that you can and will make a change.

One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested. E.M Forster

 

A Legacy Of Authenticity

Last month brought the sad news of Cilla Blacks death at the age of 72. A British entertainment icon and household name, she has been a ‘national treasure’ for as long as I can remember.

I cannot claim to have ever considered myself a ‘fan’ of Cilla Black. I didn’t grow up hearing her music in my home and I suppose as a young black woman there was little I felt I could truly identify with.

However, as I have said many times before, when my own beloved mother passed away at just 65? Years old, her funeral was a true remembrance. Nobody spoke about what car she drove or what university she attended, yet everyone had an anecdote that reflected her kindness, her sense of humour, her charisma, sincerity and wisdom. At that time, more than ever before, I began to develop an understanding of legacy.

With our busy modern lives, it’s all too easy to live at 150mph, we are surrounded by ‘you only live once’, ‘just do it’ and ‘live for today’ rhetoric. Everything is ‘now’ and our generation is defined by reality stars who are too concerned with their bank balance to care what their contribution to the world might be.  We rarely acknowledge the reality of our own inevitable deaths. Nobody ever tells us to pause, reflect, meditate and focus on how we might live an authentic life that bequeaths a lasting and meaningful legacy.

What struck me in recent days is that Cilla Black was part of a rare breed in the entertainment industry. These days, our TV presenters seem more and more glossed up and dumbed down. I never feel we really see the ‘real’ person, warts n’ all. There seems to be a need for TV presenters to fall within a certain age group, to be dressed in a similar daytime TV style, to wear a similar clothes size, and have a similar sense of humour. We still have very few black and ethnic or over 60’s being offered airtime and one would need to cross over to BEN TV or Al Jazeera to see headscarves, Ankara, or dreadlocks.

Cilla seemed to represent everything that was arguably unfashionable at the time. She was a scouser who never toned down her accent, she was a redhead who never went blonde, and she dazzled in sequins long after the 80’s. All in all, according to those who knew her best, she remained the ‘same old Cilla’ over the course of decades and despite continuous fame.

She was born Pricilla White but changed it to Black after a mistake in a British music magazine. Rather than complain she chose to keep it. She had admitted to having ‘black days’ where she would hibernate in her bedroom for 24 hours. In recent years, as her hearing faded, she said that wearing diamond earrings was meaningless when compared to the gift of hearing.

I think this sincerity is what gave Cilla the staying power to remain a national treasure over decades. There were no scandals or exposed lies; like her or loathe her, what we saw is what we got.

That is exactly what authenticity is; to know who you truly are, to embrace it, work constantly at bettering it, to bear your flaws and seek to be the best you can be. The definition of authenticity  ‘concerns the truthfulness of origins, attributes, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions.’ It is not hiding where you are from, but being proud of what it has made you. It is not what you say you believe in, but what you believe in when you are alone; when the church is empty and nobody is watching. It is not what you end up with, but rather your original intentions. It is about striving to be your best but being unafraid of your flaws. To be unafraid to ask yourself, ‘who am I without my car? Without my jewellery? Without my makeup on? Without my job?’ And knowing that no matter what you gain or lose in life, you will still be YOU.

When Fern Britton debuted her admirable weight loss, and attributed it to ‘healthy eating and sheer hard work’, her viewers were horrified when it was eventually revealed she had undergone gastric band surgery. The controversy, and decline in fan base, that it sparked was not because there is anything wrong with gastric bands; it was because she wasn’t honest about her journey. People respond to candour and frankness. It is the “glue” of integrity and virtue that holds society together. When we set about creating a version of ourselves that is a lie, it not only breeds distrust, but it does deep damage to ones own psychologically and emotional wellbeing.

This is how people come to respect you, gravitate to you, depend upon your unchanging nature, appreciate you for who you truly are, and stick around when times get tough. This is  how you create a legacy.

I believe it to be so crucially important to leave behind a beautiful legacy. We may not all have a national fan base; but we all have someone. And if just one person reminisces and remembers you as an authentic and kind person who gave back and remained true, in good times and bad. That is more than enough in my book.