More info: Winners

Yet another example of  young people from challenging backgrounds defying the odds.

For more information: The Youth Of Today

I have had the pleasure of attending the launch event at the British Library where entrepreneurial titans voiced their opinions on why entrepreneurship is essential to UK productivity and growth. There were interesting insights from Julie Meyer Founder of Ariadne Capital and Peter Jones TV Dragon, to name a few.

So I urge you to check out the latest events in your locality and get involved in exploring the benefits of enterprising behavior for your community and beyond!

Personally I knew Roberto since 2004, the year we began Sixth Form College at St Ignatius. He immediately came across as a pleasant and methodical fellow.

I particularly remember Roberto from our classes in Business Studies and RE – an aspiring young man, so keen to learn much about the world around him.

With his charm and will-to-good, it was unsurprising that Roberto made friends very easily and always sought to keep in touch with them. He was always willing to extend that helping hand not discerning between those most close to him and those who were perhaps not. Interestingly, Roberto also came across as a very open-minded person who would accept things for what they were, thus in Roberto you found a true listener as well as a deep thinker.

Roberto could just say something and you’d instantly just smile. He had that charm and sincerity that brought out the best in people. He was not one to care solely about himself. He made persistent efforts to look after and care for his 2 younger brothers. His classmates and teachers had seen him grow from a boy that used to love his football at school – even if it was just games with the year group – to a man that loved and cared for his friends and family.

It is difficult to emphasize just how much Roberto wanted the best in life. Many of you have come to realize that he always enjoyed a good meal in addition to being the best person to have a debate and discussion with over hot food. If the debate was about football; he was there. If it was about Music; he was there. If it was about Business; he was there. Above all else, despite the often heated debates we’d have with him, they always seem to end in a fit of laughter. Something immutable which never changed certainly over the period we knew him.

Life is not without its troubles and tests. Unfortunately, Roberto was diagnosed with psychosis: a mental health condition last year and was taking medication that he hoped would by-and-large alleviate his pain.

Roberto was a proud man. He was especially proud of his Father Joe, and his two brothers Marco and Anthony. He kept me informed of how well Anthony had done at school along with his stunning Key Stage 3 results. ‘Keep it up’, Roberto would say. And Marco. Roberto was in awe at his curiosity to learn about the world and was of course happy to answer all his questions.

As with all families, there were struggles and great sadness and Roberto was no different.

For the last 4 yrs Roberto rang me almost daily. Likewise we’d meet almost everyday and we became very close friends. Within his last few days he had rung or attempted to contact most his friends.

The joy of listening to Roberto began to disappear as it became more-and-more clear that he was upset about his condition which he thought prevented him from leading a ‘normal’ life care as we may understand it.

It is with great sadness to inform you that many many times Roberto cried in pain. We can very well understand the pain and worries Joe and his family would have gone through. I specially remember Roberto telling me: ‘Bruv, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,’ and this is a key reminder for us all to be aware of our own personal fragilities. And that is a message which I pass onto all of you.

On a personal note; I have always had sympathetic ear for Roberto and never stopped giving him the support he needed over phone or by visiting him. He and his family were almost like a second home to me.

Roberto kept me informed of all world-affairs, Arsenal’s performance in the Premiership and also classical music which we have perhaps taken for granted. Whenever he felt well we had debates and chats about our days in Sixth form. That is the type of guy he was, so friendly and caring. Friendship meant a lot to him and it shows with everybody attending today. It also shows with all those who have posted a message on his Facebook page and paid your respects. Thank you to all of you for you have shown the exact same respect and love that Roberto himself was known to embody.

Roberto was a young man of quiet faith, and believing in God he will be now looking down from the Heavens wishing us all the best.

For us death is a graduation, a degree to see GOD.

As friends and relatives, we will ease the pain for Joe, Marco and Anthony.

So together we say ‘Thank You GOD’ for giving such a good friend as he enters his final resting place.

by Andrew Jude Rajanathan and Rolly Pelovangu

Discover how one ‘big’ idea with passion and perseverance changed his life and could change yours.

Mr. Bird was born to a London-Irish Family into a slum-ridden Notting Hill. He was homeless by the age of just five years old, and at the age of seven he was placed in an orphanage. Regular troubles with the police lead him to go to prison. When he left, he got a place in the Chelsea School of Arts aged 18. He soon became a professional printer and eventually founded The Big Issue.

The big Idea

All successful business people know that starting out is hard and it wasn’t any different for Mr. Bird. He was lucky enough to have friends to give him a helping hand.

“I faced all the problems an entrepreneur faces when starting up a company. I made lots of mistakes and learnt from them. The idea came from a street paper that my friend Gordon Roddick bought in New York.

When he came back to London he wanted to create a street paper in the UK. We discussed it and I agreed to do it, but I did not want the paper to be given for free to the homeless, I wanted it to be a way for them to make their money and a first step to get out of poverty. I wanted a social enterprise. Gordon Roddick and his wife Anita had created The Body Shop and gave me the money to start The Big Issue.

At the beginning it was very difficult to convince the homeless that they would have to buy the magazines from us. However, I was determined not to create a charity, I had been homeless myself, I had been a part of the problem and I wanted to be a part of the solution. When you give something to someone, you remove the possibility to make a choice. Homeless people are given the unwanted things, they don’t choose their own clothes, they don’t choose where they live or their furniture because they cannot afford it. Homeless people act as retailers, they buy the magazine from us for 70p and sell it for £1.50, and they keep the profit.”

Mr. Bird

The big wide world

Having concord as his goal in this country, Mr. Bird was the perfect role model to help others make a difference in other parts of the world.

“I am contacted by people who want to replicate our model in their country. We give them support and advice then they set up their own company.

In some countries, the magazine has the same name, like The Big Issue Japan or The Big Issue Kenya, although some choose to use a different name. We still want to tackle the problem of indoor poverty in this country.

I don’t want to continue this system where we are drip-feeding people in poverty, leaving them dependent on the benefit and unable to make choices for them selves”.

Fingers in many Pies

Business ideas are addictive; once you have successfully set up one of your own you can’t wait to get started on the next project.
Now, Mr. Bird has past his enthusiasms about business on to his daughter.

“I recently created The Wedge Card with my daughter. It is a loyalty card aimed at revitalising the local high street. The card gives shoppers discount at hundreds of independent businesses as well as raising money for local charities. Local independent shops are vital for the diversity of our streets and they bring life and security to our communities”.

The wedge is in London, soon to be developed in other cities. (Check out the website www.wedgecard.co.uk).

Key Advice:

I think the key ingredients to success are Action – Learning and Action again. I think you should make mistakes and learn from them. An entrepreneur is someone who sometimes gets it right. I wrote a book last year called, How To Change Your Life in Seven Steps for the quick reads campaign. The next one will be published early next year. I explain my 3% rule. It’s better to start small and start instead of just having big ideas. The key to success is to have things done and for that, it is better to go with modest
targets.

For more exclusive interviews visit Inside Success.

We spent time in Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa and Manzini and rural areas in Swaziland. The programme included several meetings with trade unionists, NGOs and government ministers, as well as visits to the anti-apartheid museum, Robben Island, agricultural projects and the South African Parliament.

The experience was breath taking. Being able to contribute to the UK’s efforts to work in solidarity with South Africa was a real privilege. ACTSA Delegation report 2008