Young, gifted and broke

Well, I’m broke anyway.  And speaking to my friends at the weekend, we’re all in the same boat.

I sulked for a little while, looked for things I could sell on eBay (turned out to be not much!) and then, finally, I pulled myself together.  I’m actually one of the luckiest people on earth.

I woke up this morning to the news that unemployment in the UK has passed two million for the first time since 1997.  You could call 1997 my ‘student days’ in every sense.  I was scruffy (no change there), disorganised (ditto), but on the whole I was passionate about changing the world.  Signing petitions, taking to the streets, telling anyone who would listen exactly where the world was going wrong.  Today, there are people more eloquent than me doing the talking.

Unfortunately, it’s not just the UK suffering; the global picture is no brighter than our own.  Poverty is widespread, education is only a dream for so many school age children, particularly girls.  With the world at rock bottom, isn’t now the time to rebuild a better one?

We can do our bit by joining the protest on Saturday 28 March and showing the G20 leaders that we want to see a change.  Young people can also play a vital part and sign up to the Children’s Charter, and we’ll deliver their messages where it counts, straight to No. 10.

So… young, gifted and broke, it’s time to get together and make sure our voices are heard.