phone calls, friends and great ideas

Don’t you just love it when you get a text from a friend who you’ve not spoken too for ages and follow up with a call and you start a discussion of how are things – and whats happening? and oh my god that sounds so interesting and then ………

Well that happened to me yesterday morning and I’ll explain why.

Great friend called to say he and some friends had started their own company called The Believe Collective. The first project they had pitched a broadcaster was about highlighting the increasing violence young people are facing today in their everyday lives and the escalating gun and knife culture which is threatening so many. There is a lot to it than just that I promised not too reveal too much at this point – however for a first project they got funding and it’s well wicked!

I love people who do things for people because they geniunely want to help society and put something back. It was poignant because I heard on Radio Four in the morning that nearly every child in the UK has now experienced violence of some form, whether it be bullying in the school ground or mugged on the streets for their mobiles ….. their culture accepts violence as part of every day.

Christ if its like this on the streets when people are young, what sort of world do they have to look forward too when they get older?

Don’t know about you but it really wasn’t like that when I was growing up. There were no such things as mobile phones or I hate to say it computers in peoples homes – and if we want to speak to our friends in the evening we had to use the phone with our mum’s shouting to us in the background ‘to get off the bloody phone’. No IM, gaming was basic and even I could do it without being looking like a fool with stiff thumbs.

It’s depressing how with progress has come this wave of violence into our culture and society.

Anyway wanted to send them loads of good energy for this project which will make a difference to young people. I know the team involved and they are a really good group of talented, smart and dedicated people.

My friend has promised that once he has everything in place and the research is complete he will be up for being interviewed for my weblog on video …