I recently attended the opening of SMASH’s new home, a local charity who help local young people who have had a tough time growing up meaning that they have often missed out. They match these young people with local mentors who can be that gap in their life and help them get back on track.
Today I have organised to take one such young person and his mentor to Cirencester to visit Neon Play, a game and app development studio. Problems at home meant that he missed out on work experience at school and when his mentor told me of his mentee’s passion for computer games, I knew exactly what opportunity would make that real difference.
I think this is what is so inspiring about SMASH, they are about beating the odds. Children who have a tough time growing up are statistically less likely to get good grades or to attend university, their average lifetime earnings are lower and they are more likely to be involved in crime. By giving them that person they can look up to, who will look out for them and push them forward in life towards achieving their dream, SMASH are helping them beat the odds.
I know all about the odds. I grew up in one of the roughest parts of Kidderminster and attended a school bottom of the county’s league tables. I was lucky to have a family who supported me, encouraged me to aspire and to work hard to achieve my dreams. Many of my school friends were not so lucky, getting in trouble with the police and flunking their exams.
This is in part why I am at heart a Conservative because I do not believe that background should have any bearing on what you can achieve in life. This should be determined only by the limits of your imagination and willingness to work hard. Key to this is a world class education system that recognises everyone for their individual talents, nurtures them, challenges them and supports them in their quest to achieve their dream.
That is why we have been most revolutionary in the field of education. Free schools drive up local education standards. The pupil premium targets additional funding at the poorest children. Tougher exams stretch the academically gifted, more apprenticeships give opportunities too for the vocationally gifted. A slimmer national curriculum gives time for a rounded education that prepares young people for life, not just for exams.
Sadly this comes too late for the young lad I mentioned. I hope that visiting Neon Play will show him that his destiny is shaped by his ambition, not by his background. In this, the opportunities SMASH give truly transform lives.
