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Dare to dream

WHEN young South Africans wake up in the morning, they need to have faith that their dreams and aspirations for a better life can be achieved.
 
Looking back over my notes from the Foresight 2011 event held at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs) on Tuesday night, this was probably the most telling message that came out of the presentation.
 
When I say "young South Africans" I don't mean those who can afford an MBA at Gibs or one of the other business colleges, but rather those among the broader population who don't have the same access to opportunities and in many ways are written off before they even start.
 
I had never heard Shaka Sisulu speak before and, truth be told, when he came on to speak at the event I was ogling the great legs on the blonde next to me rather than really listening. But after about 30 seconds he had my attention.
 
For those who don't know, Sisulu is an entrepreneur and - for want of a better word - a youth activist involved in a variety of social responsibility as well as ANC and ANC Youth League structures.

His eight-minute address gave me faith that if this is the calibre of person coming through, there is hope for this country.
 
His message was really well put across: there is a growing youthful population coming into the global economy and irrespective of whether you are in France or South Africa, if these young people do not have realistic dreams to aspire to there will be a sense of restlessness and uncertainty.
 
Lyal White from Gibs pointed out that Africa's greatest opportunity and threat was probably the fact that we have 1 billion people under the age of 35 all jostling for their place in society.
 
Would you rather have a billion people vulnerable to rhetoric from Julius Malema, or the same billion gravitating towards education, innovation and entrepreneurship?
 
We see phrases like "social entrepreneurship" and "enterprise development" thrown around as some of the solutions to addressing our woes - but I'd argue that this is still making it somebody else's problem.

It is not my place to tell anybody what to do with their money, but at least think in context. The R4 000 you're planning to spend on an Xbox Kinect for your 13-year-old could put a child through school for a year, or teach an adult to read or write.

Come on, do your bit!
 
Instead of ploughing money into Apple, Sony and Microsoft imports, can you not put what you were going to spend on these products into supporting local entrepreneurs and manufacturers?
 
You want to make somebody's dream come true? Then make it worthwhile for those entrepreneurs who toil day in and day out to get themselves going by making a South African product.

Think twice before waving away that woman who comes to your gate with a tablecloth she's made, or the guy with a portrait he's painted.
 
You can't even begin to contemplate the "pay it forward" multiplier effect of supporting that entrepreneur, or helping that young person get started.
 
For those who dismiss this as little more than happy clappy stuff and wishful thinking, I'll quickly sum up the situation of a 16-year-old we have been sponsoring through high school.

Last year he was failing every subject and achieved a 13% average. A year later, with an opportunity to dream, he is achieving a C average and passing maths, science and business - and he has a chance of a tertiary education.
 
Did somebody say "dare to dream"?  
 
Before I sign off, I have an indirect parting shot via Phutuma Nhleko, the MTN CEO who also spoke at the Gibs event. Nhleko raised an important point in the question-and-answer session afterwards, which I think contains a lesson government role models should heed.

He pointed out that when a trade delegation from one of France's top 10 industrialists gets on a plane to attend a trade meeting in China, every single person on that plane knows why he or she is there - it is not just a case of seeing how many hangers-on you can attach to a delegation.
 
A lesson we still need to learn.
 
Achievable dreams and the culture of realistic dreaming start at the top, and need to be an inspiration to the generations coming through.

If you create a poor example at the highest level or give an impression that the fulfilment of dreams is out of reach and only for the elite, the younger generation will always feel disenfranchised.
 
 - Fin24
 

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