Someone needs to explain to me why ITV4 and not BBC3 have Afcon rights for UK television. ITV4 runs 24 hours a day, from what I know, as opposed to BBC3 (who had the rights last time) who only run from 7pm - 7am. Ok so that's a point for ITV4, but then you look at the schedule they're giving Afcon and it makes you think? What's the point?
ITV4 are hosting an end of day match highlights programme at 10pm in the evening. Kinda like MOTD but for Afcon. You would think that if I put it like that, it ain't so bad. But it's about knowing your audience. Africans, when watching African football want to watch the actual match and considering that's what BBC provided last time round, I would expect no less than that!
If ITV4 are not committed to that type of service - live matches straight from the continent - then they shouldn't bid for the rights again. Until then guys, if you want to watch the matches live and you aren't lucky enough to be in the continent to watch it on DSTV or something, there are many sites, that show the matches live, streaming Eurosport. Happy AFCON! Come on the Black Stars!
I've been blessed with mentor from Google. It was under the Google Top Black Talent programme which is hoping to help Black students in the UK to make the most of life and become the best that they can be. I'm really happy that I've been given a mentor and to be honest they couldn't have chosen a better person, he's from my part of London, went to a school near mine, then went on to my university to study a course very similar to my own. So now I've got the perfect mentor which is what all these make-the-most-of-mentoring websites say is key.
But the problem is, I don't know what do from here. I'm not one for asking questions. I've always been asked the questions. It has always been assumed that I know all that I need to know and anything I don't know has also been assumed and imparted to me without me asking. In fact my dad used to pull his hair out telling me that when I need help I should just ask. My usual response was "I don't need help, and I'd rather struggle and get there than ask someone and get there quicker but without my input." Now it seems getting a mentor is the fashion of success and I have to set the agenda and make sure we talk and all the rest, but I don't have a schedule in mind, I don't know anymore what I'm to expect from this. What should I ask to get the most out of this?
Advice below, is welcome. I'll keep you updated about the progress my mentor and I make. Til next time, world...
This year I became the NSPCC's Ambassador for Minority Ethnic Communities. eeek.. so many journeys that I'm on it seems unreal.
The past 365 days was a bit of a whirlwind. I begun my final year, became ambassador to the UK's largest children's charity and worked for Siobhain McDonagh MP, I'm Head Delegate of my university's delegation to the Harvard World MUN and managed to get myself on the Google mentoring programme after winning the Marketing Challenge at their inaugural EMEA BOLD Immersion Programme in London. Having lived in Singapore and accelerated my 25 countries by 25 plan, 2011 probably couldn't have gone any better.
Every year, I claim, is the best year of my life and that can only show that my life is getting much better, I'm moving up!
I have know idea what 2012 or beyond has to offer but with 2011 as the launching pad, I'm pretty excited!
Wishing the same for all of you guys too. My mantra is positive thinking brings positive action. It's based on Philippians 4:8. Even if you aren't a Christian it's a very good value to live your life by.
If you can, please just like and friend and tweet and RT and follow us where possible. Having the support will really help us get some bigger VIPs to help us out to.
And of course follow me on this blog too! It would be nice.
I half expected that coming home to the UK after Singapore would spell the end of the Journey. Learn. Speak. blog, simply because the first action "Journey" no longer happens. When British people go out into the world we are so overly receptive to the cultural differences it has to offer, but then when we return home and are hit with rhetoric of assimilation and homogenisation and counter-rhetoric claiming Britain has no culture to assimilate to.
I won't be as rude as to say that Britain has no culture, there are things the British did, or ate, that are largely unique to themselves. The fact that these British traits/dishes aren't seen as exotic, does not rule out the fact that they are cultural. One thing I love about modern British culture, however, is the fact that multiculturalism is the main thread. I love that as a black woman of African descent I can look out of the kitchen window of the flat I share with a Sri Lankan and two white English girls, and watch a procession of Middle Eastern/South Asian Muslims commemorating a 6th century war. When our Prime Minister slates things like this by saying multiculturalism isn't working, I sigh, because for me, with all our faults Britain is a beacon of multiculturalism, and if we were more tolerant rather than fearful of things that have been misrepresented to us, we would find such beauty in the event I watched earlier this month.
I thought I would share it with you:
The one thing I took from this experience, you don't need to journey 7000 miles to experience culture and speak about it, but it's fun if you do.
