It's a long and lonely road for over 100,000 young people in care throughout the UK. Local Authorities and foster carers do everything possible to help with their journey through adolescence, but disrupted education and insecurity often leads up to a cliff-edge entry to adulthood at 18. In a stable family setting, parents provide resources and life skills, and help build the attitudinal transformation necessary for a forward-looking approach with which to start adult life. In its work for the DfE on behalf of young people in care, The Share Foundation helps to build that same strong foundation. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Herd mentality among humans is amply demonstrated in family, sport and business, but collective self-interest becomes more threatening in politics and particularly in international relations. Developing an individual perspective on life is central to freedom, but it needs to be accompanied by a generosity of spirit in order to respect the right of 'each to their own' among others. Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
The English language does a real dis-service to Love. How can we use the same word to show our appreciation of ice cream as to define the nature of God — and everything in between? But the driving passion which is often described by the word love is often more about control. In contrast, we turn once again to 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran to find his definition, which is much better phrased in terms of mutual trust and respect: both of which could significantly benefit inter-faith relations. Background music: 'Young And Old Know Love' by Puddle of Infinity
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In ancient Roman religion and mythology Mars was the God of War but, judging by the fact that almost all wars in our modern age have their origins in disputes and disagreements over faith, you could be forgiven for thinking that Mars was still in the ascendant today. The difference is, today's wars can literally bring life on earth to a close. However almost all religions have love and peace at their heart; initiatives such as the 'Common Word' prepared in 2007 by leading Muslim scholars and teachers reflect Jesus's teaching to 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you'. This very irenic and ecumenical document is in ironic contrast with today's Iranian conflict. Background music: 'Beauty for Brokenness' by Graham Kendrick Image source: Wikipedia
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Author of 'Capitalism in the 21st Century' Thomas Piketty proposes an unconditional 'inheritance' endowment for all young people on reaching 25 years of age. Grants often appear to offer instant solutions to problems of inequality, but unless they are accompanied by conditional incentivised learning they will not achieve inter-generational rebalancing. In contrast, Muhammad Yunus has built accountability into his design for micro-finance, thereby enabling young people to look forward with a constructive approach towards achieving their potential in our fast-changing world. Attitudinal transformation takes time and commitment to take hold, but it does achieve results. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by1 Jimena Contreras Image source: Wikipedia
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Isolation and insecurity as a result of reducing levels of in-person contact are causing problems in all walks of life, but particularly for young people in care. Getting started in adult life isn't just about learning the technical skills, but building self-confidence, communication skills and hope for the future. The performing arts — singing, dancing, acting and backstage — can provide these transferable skills with the real enjoyment of working together with others. So The Share Foundation has just launched its new programme 'Stepping Forward' in partnership with Tring Park School and the Rothschild Foundation. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis
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The 2025 Doomsday Clock is set at just 89 seconds before midnight by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, but it's not just the potential for nuclear catastrophe that is rearing its head: climate change and biodiversity are causing deep concerns, and even if we can struggle through this difficult period, the legacy that we're leaving to future generations is awful. It's said that charity begins at home, but the treatment of our own young people is not encouraging in this respect: debts abound, both at the personal and public levels. With so many current-day challenges, the big question is how to encourage people — and our elected leaders — to take a longer-term perspective? Background music: 'Lost In Prayer' by Doug Maxwell The Doomsday Clock is created and managed by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
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More than seven million people tuned in for the explosive finale of the third series of hit BBC series 'The Traitors', an entertaining romp through the psychological effects of dishonesty. The BBC has succeeded in making adjustments so that dishonesty doesn't always win, but the finale showed clearly how it evaporates trust. In a wider context, it's becoming increasingly clear that social media is driving people apart by enabling people to express views and aggression 'at arms length' — the removal of fact-checking is another significant step backwards. Does social media drive people apart? We should not delay in seeking more research on the question. Background music: 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod — 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Image source: Wikipedia
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Matters of life and death featured strongly in the House of Commons last Friday. thanks to Kim Leadbeater's Private Members' Bill on assisted dying — it's curious how the new UK parliament has developed such a fixation on 'end of life'. The Government's plans for inheritance tax might encourage people towards a serious look at philanthropy — register to join Philanthropy Impact's webinar on Donor Advised Funds, starting at 12 noon this Wednesday 4th December. Background music: 'Wandering Soul' by Asher Fulero Image source: Philanthropy Impact
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What does time mean for you? A busy diary, rushing people, stress and anxiety — 'never enough hours in the day'? If so, there's plenty of that to watch on the Sky Movies channel. Or do you see it as one of the crowning glories of creation which makes all life possible? Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne helped to unravel its mysteries in 'The Life Scientific' following his input on 'Interstellar', and thus inspired our thought for this week. Background music: opening with grandfather clock chimes, closing with 'Take Your Time' by Dan Lebowitz
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