In her second column for Folk Features, Michelle Gant, Director of The Engaging People Company is on the lookout for more young people to add their voice to A Young Person’s Guide to Life, the latest Engaging Stories book
When we published our When The World Paused books about life during lockdown, I was really struck by the contributions of young people whose words were both poignant and thought-provoking. So, it got me thinking – how about a whole book written entirely by under 18s? After all, there is so much we can learn from young people. That’s how the concept for A Young Person’s Guide to Life, the next engaging stories book, emerged. This lovely book is going to be written entirely by young people – and best of all, 100% of royalties will go to the NSPCC.
And so, I am looking for contributions – and with the long, summer holidays looming, there is surely no better time to get involved. It’s so easy to get involved, you can find out more here: Take Part: The Young Person’s Guide to Life – engaging stories or drop me an email – michelle@engaging-people.co.uk
Here are some words to inspire:
A young person’s guide to…work – by Lewis, age 9
“If you are doing something, you enjoy then it would make it fun. So, make sure you pick a job you like and not something someone else says you should do. Make sure you want to go there every day. Being with your friends makes things fun, you could ask your friends to work with you and then you have someone to be with on your lunch break. If you are nice and not shy and good at making friends, then you can make friends at work. Not all grown-ups think work is fun, sometimes Mummy says I don’t want to go to work. Some grown-ups wish they didn’t have to work and could win the Lottery instead.”
A young person’s guide to…helping others – by Isabelle, age 14
“I believe we should aim to help someone at least once per day, not only for their benefit but so you also feel good about yourself. It’s so easy to help other people but we overlook the small tasks and believe that to help others, you to do a huge task. It is simpler than that though and the smallest jobs we do for others can sometimes mean the most. One kind deed a day is all it takes to put a smile on someone’s face.”
A young person’s guide to…family – by Ella, age 9
“Some of our family is not related by blood but is still family. They feel like family because we are so close to them, and they are everything I think family should be. One example is my godmother’s little girl is like my little sister because we see her so much, she copies everything I do and we love each other so much. Her mum is like my second mum and is so kind and generous to me.”
A young person’s guide to…love – by Thea, age 8
“Love is something when someone treats you well. Love to me means being with my family and my puppy Riley. When you are loved it feels like a warm thing in your chest. It’s nice. My family and my puppy treat me nicely and that’s love. I show people that I love them by giving them a hug and by saying kind words like ‘I’m so glad that we have Riley’ and ‘thank you’ and ‘you look nice.’”
A young person’s guide to…happiness – by Lanora, age 13
“Now, if you ever feel that you don’t have anyone in life to support you then I’ll tell you: it’s not been all smooth sailing in my life either; there are a lot of changes which I have to grow accustomed to and lots of the change is a good thing which helps us move forward, even if we don’t feel like it is. Just remember, that if you feel that you are at the very, very bottom, with no help and you feel trapped inside sadness to the point where you can’t remember the feeling of happiness, just remember that it can only ever get better from there.”
A young person’s guide to…being a child – by Ed, age 8
“What could adults learn from children? Adults could learn CPR from children as its taught in schools all over the world.”
We have the foundations of a really beautiful book – but I still have pages to fill. So please do get in touch if your young person would like to add their voice and share with us grown-ups their guide to life. I think we could all learn a great deal.
*Thank you so much to Lewis, Isabelle, Ella, Thea, Lanora, and Ed for their contributions to this column and the book.
To take part in The Young Person’s Guide to Life, visit engaging stories.
Featured images – supplied
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