UBUNTU

loveLife Generation was founded after a team from Newham visited South Africa and were completely blown away with the way loveLife worked with young people - there was nothing else but to share this with those back home in the UK.
And South Africa keeps on giving. Most recently we teamed up with the Tutu Foundation UK using the great South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu's work on peace building to ensure that Africa's gift of Ubuntu is delivered.


Ubuntu captures the essence of being human. 
"Ubuntu [is] the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

Ubuntu captures what loveLife Generation is about in 'being the change' we want to see because we know we are a force for good.
We have strong links with the Foundation as Rukiyah who is a ground breaker also works for them and after being trained as Ubuntu community facilitators we ran 3 seperate Ubuntu 'Conversations For Change' bringing together very diverse people together. 
The first set brought together young people from different schools and colleges, the second brought together people from different faith and no faith backgrounds and the last one brought together different service providers together.

The young people hooked onto the ubuntu so much so they now call themselves the UBUNTU TEAM (U-Team) and as a form of ubuntu action went on to complete their peer coaching qualification and have created a project to spread ubuntu onto primary school children. They will run ubuntu activities with primary schools in July and also put on an ubunutu outdoor event.

The interfaith group also took on their own action which was to learn and provide people with information on the new changes in benefits.

The 3 different ubuntu groups were brought together for a final celebration where the CEO of the Tutu Foundation presented them with their certificates as well as sharing each others ideas.
We were also blessed to have been invited to watch Archbishop Desmond Tutu receive his Templeton Award at the Guildhall. We were estatic to see this great man in action as well as to meet his daughter REvd. Mpho Tutu who was as inspirational as the great man himself. 

The return of the Maldives

Having worked with young people from the Maldives last year, we ran a workshop with another group from the Maldives who wanted to turn their visit in the UK into social action when they got back to their communities in the Maldives. 

They got their teeth straight into the loveLife way - taking part in our fun activities where we looked at some of the issues they faced which included high level of drug issues amongst young people, youth unemployment and  intergenerational conflict. A far cry from the sandy beaches we see advertised for hooney mooning couples. 

We did key elements of our 'Take Back the Future' programme and the young Maldivians gave us a glimpse of what their community would look like if they could erase the negatives like environmental degradation and protect things like respect!
We also looked at the causes of conflict and what the young Maldivians could do individually do avoid conflict before each of us shared an action we would be taking away and making a change.


RK

Rukiyah runs the London Marathon

loveLife Generation co-founder ran the London Marathon this year and managed to raise over £850.00 https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/rukiyah  and this will go towards training a group of young people we have been working with this past year to skill them up in leading their peers in social action much needed in the communities they live in.  

Here is a YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC0f-cKGbY8 to a video depicting the marathon highlights and to say thank you! And below is Rukiyah's blurb of how the day went.

"A big congratulations to all those who ran the London Marathon. The crowds were fantastic and my personal cheer crews ( 2 cheer leading crews all for me!!! ) were the best around.
For me, the day started very well –I was calm and relaxed! I had put in the training and though mostly in the cold, rain and snow the sun decided beam down on us for a change. 
The first half went very well as I continued at a steady pace managing to get to the half marathon at around 2.39 hours. Cheer Crew #1 gave me that extra motivation at that point!
I ran past the spot I used to cheer from as a kid, my smile stretching across my face as I hi fived all the little ones lining the street.
The old knee threatened me a few times but it had been taped and strapped down enough not to give way. Whilst being overly careful of my knees I failed to give attention to something I did not even think would hinder my run – CRAMP!
By mile 17 my legs were cramping severely. I did not know cramp could start from the foot all the way up to the thigh. I had to carry on and when I got to Cheer Crew #2 they egged me onto just keep going.
Walking was not an option and though people might’ve been walking faster than me, I had to continue to run even at a snail’s pace. At around mile 21 I had to ask a paramedic for some help with the cramp but not a whole lot could be done for me unfortunately...just had to carry on.
Luckily at mile 22.5 Cheer Crew #1 not only cheered from the side they ran, shook maracas, banged on tambourines. So dedicated were they that they only stopped when a member of the Cheer Crew was down (latest update: Mel is ok but twisted her ankle quite badly).
Cheer Crew #2 picked up where Cheer Crew #1 left off at mile 23.5. At one point I had all the crowd shouting my name – I felt famous!!!!! The cheer crew shouted out advice of how to relieve the cramp, screamed and even managed to get a bit of networking in as they led me to Mile 24.
It was here were my legs decided to stop – My head and heart willed them to move but they just didn't want to. I gave them a moment and massaged a bit of the cramp out before I headed onto the home stretch. As I approached the finish line, in my head I was sprinting though in reality it was no more than a fast, twisted up limp like jog.
It took 6.07 hours altogether and though slightly disappointed, I made it to the end. One of my aims was to run all the way which I did and more amazingly I raised a whopping £857 for loveLife Generation thanks to all your generous help.
Thank you all so much for your kind support and generous donations.
Fly high and Shine ON :),

Rukiyah "

Poonum returns to Brazil

"2006 a wide-eyed young girl full of dreams of change, boarded a plane to Rio de Janeiro. Armed with the teachings of The loveLife Generation, and accompanied by the crazy group that was the former Newham Youth Parliament. We set off hoping to connect and discover new ways of tackling gun and knife crime, test out our loveLife strategies and workshops in the favelas, and give back via doing some voluntary work. In reality we got a lot more than we ever imagined! An experience that is still beyond words, life time friends, a culture shock, and life long lessons."

Read Poonum's or 'Full Moon' full blog on her return to Brasil and follow her epic journey on her blog http://fullmoonpoetry.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/brazil/ :)

In her words 'Keep flowing' 

PRESS RELEASE                                                                     

For immediate release

Rukiyah Khatun  of loveLife Generation named one of the

Future 50 Young Social Entrepreneurs for 2013

Rukiyah , co- founder of loveLife Generation is announced as one of the Future 50 Young Social Entrepreneurs of the Year during a reception hosted by Ernst & Young and organised by Striding Out CIC.

The Future 50 Awards, part of the Future 100 programme organised by Striding Out CIC, puts the spotlight on young entrepreneurs aged 20-35 who are demonstrating entrepreneurial flair and innovation in running a responsible business venture; one which demonstrates a balance between economic, environmental and social goals to achieve ultimate business success. 

The Future 50 are invited to join the Ernst & Young Accelerate network  giving them access to skilled business support through a series of networking and learning events.

Lovelife Generation aims to Involve, Inspire and Motivate young people to “Be the Change you want to see” (Gandhi)

loveLife generation works with young people / communities on Attitude, Aspiration, Action and Achievement for success and transformation, personally and collectively and offer training and social action programmes alongside opportunities for accreditation, volunteering and enterprise. 

Chief Executive of Striding Out and organiser of the Future 50 awards and the Future 100 programme, Elaine Owen FRSA said: "The future of our world is in the hands of individuals who are committed to generating commercial and ethical returns.” 

Challenging economic times can offer opportunities to question the way we operate as both a business community and a society. We are profiling the 'Future 50' young entrepreneurs who are changing the face of everyday business and improve commerce's impact on the wider world."

The Future 50 awards encourage and rewards extraordinary vision, ethical business practice and social responsibility. They aim to showcase businesses that offer innovative and sustainable solutions to social problems.

The Future 50 Awards is part of the Future 100 programme organized by Striding Out CIC  www.stridingout.co.uk, a national social enterprise  which is committed to supporting the development and growth of young and ethical entrepreneurs.

ENDS

                                                                                                                                               

For Further Information

An Awards reception is taking place on 23/05/13 at the Ernst & Young, 1 More Place Offices in London. The press are invited to register to attend to interview winners. 

To register to attend the event please register here: http://future50.eventbrite.com/

Company Website – Insert company and personal contact details 

Accelerate- www.ey.com\Accelerate - for further information please email accelerate@uk.ey.com

Future 50 – www.future50.co.uk – A full list of award winners can be found on the website..

Future 100 – www.future100.co.uk – A full list of previous award winners

Striding Out -  www.stridingout.co.uk - For further information, please contact Donna Costello Communications Coordinator of Striding Out on 0151 245 0227 or email donna@stridingout.co.uk

love potion instructions

To create a generation of people who love their lives please follow the following:
(These are not in any particular order and can be done one at a time)

1) Throw in a whole lot of belief . Believe in yourself  - There are so many things you are already awesome at and many more things for you to become awesome at!

2) Smile. Often. Even at strangers. Even on the London Underground! 
3) Mix in a little creativity. Do the things you usually do in a more creative way  e.g.Take a different route home.
4) Stir in bags of kindness. Even if it’s not offered to you.
5) Use time wisely. It is the most expensive non-renewable resource out there, you can’t afford to waste it. 
6) Grate in some thanks. 
7) If you are a talker, listen more. You’d be surprised at how much your ears offer.
8) If you are a listener, talk more. You’d be surprised at how much your speech can offer. 
9) Step up, challenge yourself and set new standards (no matter how small or big!)
10) Do more of what you enjoy doing and makes you happy. 
11) Look after your environment. You only have the one planet, it needs love too.
12) Laugh. Often. 
13) Toss in forgiveness.  We all make mistakes. 
14) Appreciate friends.  
15) Crazy dance whenever. Wherever. 
16) Don’t forget to dream big. And then find ways to make it happen. 

There are many more actions which you can take to lead a life that you love, these are just a few. Don't be shy in encouraging others to join in too. 


RK

Did you mean love Life or Love life?

Sexual health and relationship Education (SRE)*


We have been running sexual health and relationship workshops with the LLG crew - our regular group of young people aged 15+ for the last few weeks.
The programme was designed around them and their needs, so the first thing was to ask them what they wanted to learn more about. This (long) list might have come as a surprise to many as the expectation may be that young people people are more aware about sex education, due to the likes of the internet, but this is not always true. Friends are still the main source of information for young people when it comes to sex education with as little as 5% of young people being informed by their mum and only 1% through their dad. 
Of course parents bring with them a certain level of embarrassment so schools is the obvious place to turn to.  
However, about half of secondary school kids in the UK admit that the Sex and Relationship education in school does not cover what they really need to know and it's only a handful of young  people who  actually attend these classes as just over a quarter of school kids get no SRE whatsoever.**

This makes the SRE sessions all the more important and no surprise then, that the list compiled by the LLG crew was vast and included things from STIs to contraception to simply the body.
Every week, in an open, comfortable and fun space, the young people have been uncovering a little bit more in an entertaining way (the STI super puzzle for example) to these quite serious issues - (We call it Edutainment) 

Along with the facts, we have been delving into some other things too.  

Self image,the perceptions young people have, relationships,  gender and tackling stereotypes  have engulfed the sessions in heated debates allowing the young people to discuss their opinions, see things from others perspectives and develop their ideas too. 
It is hoped that more sessions like these will enable young people to make more informed decisions - ones that are based on facts and not the mumbles from friends, TV, internet etc.

RK
---END---




*loveLife Generation was born after an inspirational trip to South Africa where loveLife is  the largest youth led organisation to combat HIV and AIDs and through awareness and education. 
**For more information please see: www.brook.org.uk/application/brookpr/index.php?option=com_brookpr&view=article&id=91&Itemid=640 
www.fpa.org.uk/professionals/factsheets/sre