GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

green and pleasant land, no matter how polarised the political vacuum

suggests, but we should not be complacent. If you go to the East End of

London and Stratford and Westfield it reflects the 135 different cultures that are

at the University of East London. You will struggle to hear the English

language, the largest ethnic minority. It is 14% and it looks like you. Diversity

is a good thing, diversification is a good thing, but what does it actually mean?

I have been inspired by a number of people. We all need someone to be

inspired by. Someone asked me what a social coach ultimately needed as

values. The late, great Mohammed Ali inspired me greatly when I was looking

for people who looked like me at a time when I was told I would not amount to

much, because my mother said, “Look for the person who will ultimately inspire

you to be great and achieve great things”. Mohammed Ali did that and more. I

met him in the 80s, it was a spiritual experience and at the UN in 2003 a

journey was to take place that would see in 2005 as the games were secured

in London he would open the Mohammed Ali Centre for Justice and Peace. He

had planned his funeral, his departure from this world for ten years, so when

we got to 2016 and as he left this world he left his legacy. I now help deliver

that legacy, because as a Muslim, as someone who was castigated for his

beliefs, he transcended intergenerationally. Has anyone here got a story about

Mohammed Ali, another interactive, just hand raised or a nod. For those of you

who did not, live on.

But these are his core principles – confidence, conviction, dedication, giving,

respect and spirituality. These are all qualities anyone would aspire to, either in

part or in full, or even want to try and develop as part of their characteristics

and behaviours. That is the spirituality we use in a very unique experience and

programme that is now building a movement of people who will simply be there

for our young. We have a call to action. As Cat Smith said, Seb Coe, Chairman of London 2012, said, “It is bloody obvious”. Well, it is. On March 7 th

he joined me at the University of East London where the Youth Charter

relocated from Manchester to London, because here where the most lives are

being lost. It is a very simple call to action. 10 core cities, 10 community

compasses, because they are going to provide the facilities where they have

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