Translator: Mannen Asefa Reviewer: Denise RQ
Do we, really,
no really, need role models and mentors?
By a show of hands how many of you have had mentors?
OK. That's quite a lot.
How many of you have individuals
that you would describe in your lives as being role models?
Show of hands.
I want to make it abundantly clear,
it is not a direct attack on any of these individuals
- it's true, it's not -
but it's a way of thinking beyond
the ordinary paradigm we are accustomed to
when thinking about mentors and role models.
Now, we have a big issue in society,
and I am going to try to describe it by way of analogy.
I want you all to imagine a big wall, very big wall, plain wall,
and that wall represents the society that you live in.
On that wall, there are a number of holes.
A hole may represent discrimination in the workplace,
it may represent crime.
It may reflect under-attainment
in the education system.
Can role models, can mentors by themselves fix those holes?
As a society, we're accustomed to placing ornaments and pictures
on the holes.
They are quick fixes.
They temporarily take the problem out of sight,
but they never fix the deficit in the hole.
What are the holes?
What causes these holes in the wall?
My proposition is
that it's the soft bigotry of low expectations.
In essence that's the culture and belief
that a group of people are better than others
based on their gender, their clothes, or their ethnicity.
Now the reason why I'm passionate about this topic
is because I grew up in a council estate in Hackney.
My parents were first generation migrants to this country.
I was the first person in my family to attend university.
I went to a formal polytechnic called the London Metropolitan.
Anyone here from that university?
Yes, there is one in the back. I'm not alone.
And I have had the fortune to become a barrister
at one of the most world-renowned Chambers in the country
and the world know because Mrs. Clooney is a member of my chambers.
And throughout that process,
I experienced the soft bigotry of low expectations.
It took the form of, "Well, Tunde, what university did you go to?"
"Tunde, are you sure you really want to be a barrister?
It may be more appropriate if you were a legal secretary
or if you focused on arts or sports."
This bigotry isn't direct, it's very soft.
How many of you've asked individuals those questions?
What university did you go to?
How many of you've spoken to someone who works in the same sector as you,
but tried to find out what company they worked for
as a way of validating their competence, and how they compare to you?
The importance of this
is that the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan,
in March this year,
warned that this soft-bigotry
was what was holding back poor students
because teachers were writing them off as being low achievers.
How many of you had teachers that inspired you in school?
How many of you had teachers that demotivated you in school?
How many just had teachers?
(Laughter)
The importance of this is that there have been studies by academics
such as Tucker and Presley that have indicated
that if parents and teachers had positive expectations
the students do better.
In relation to that expectation, how many of you have read school brochures
where schools are promoting how well the students have done
in relation to their GCSCs or A levels?
By a show of hands.
How many of those schools have gone on to tell you that those same students
that they have the fortune of teaching have become prime ministers?
Show of hands anyone?
CEOs of FTSE 100 companies.
The socialization of low expectations starts at the home,
continues in the school,
and goes on into the workplace.
Now dealing with the issue of schools:
the statistics that you can see demonstrate that there is a discrepancy
between those from poorer backgrounds
to those that come from backgrounds where there are adequate means.
It's reflected in the grades.
The relevance of this is the process starts when they are young,
and it continues as they get older.
The reason why the low statistic is very important
in relation to the type of university students are attending
is that the best universities have a tendency
not of producing the best talent
but attracting interest from institutions
that regard the university as being better than the others.
That places individuals at a disadvantage.
And we can see the numbers.
£371,000 more.
It then goes on, and there is a causal link to crime.
In my day job, I defend individuals
accused of very serious criminal offenses,
and there appears to be a link.
Certainly in 2008,
50% of the male population, adult inmates
and 70% of the female population of adult inmates
left school or college
without any qualifications.
The reason for that may be because of the following:
by not being in school,
they may have more time to be on the streets
and being involved in criminal activity.
Secondly, by not being at school
they place themselves at a disadvantage
in terms of being attractive to the labor market
in terms of the qualifications and skills they have.
By not being in school,
research suggests their type of thinking becomes more short term.
Therefore, they're more likely to embark in risky activity;
i.e. crime.
Let's move on to employment.
Despite the fact
one in ten people from the UK
are from a minority background,
only one in sixteen
of all senior management positions
are held by ethnic minorities,
and one in thirteen in a relation such as general management positions.
Again,
indicative of this soft-bigotry permeating
each and every sector of our society.
The work I do with my organization, Urban Lawyers,
is about encouraging individuals from nontraditional backgrounds
to pursue a career in law.
One of the biggest issues they have
is they don't feel they belong in the environment.
We have created a culture of assimilation or integration.
In reality, there is no assimilation.
It's integration, or you get out.
And you don't fit or progress in the system.
It is something I experienced myself being a barrister.
Individuals will ask me, "Well, Tunde, what's your story?"
And they seem quite shocked
in the sense that I didn't go to a Russell Group university,
I didn't get the best grades,
and I do not come from a middle class or upper middle class background.
Their question is: has it been a mistake?
What are you doing here?
It doesn't actually make sense.
The problem with focusing on and relying on individuals
that have appeared to have broken the mold
is that it disempowers yourself
and it perpetuates a culture of dependency.
One which takes the honors away from you as an individual
and your focus becomes outward looking at initiatives, individuals, and schemes
that cannot in and by themselves
solve a systemic problem.
The best analogy and my legal disclaimer before I use it
is that I'm pro the environment.
I want you to imagine a rain forest,
and there are thousands and thousands of trees.
Your job is to produce paper.
Now mentors and role models:
their role can be akin to assisting you
identifying how to cut the trees.
But as leaders,
it is our responsibility to climb up the tree
and ensure that the right trees are being cut.
That's something we have to do.
The solution for addressing
the soft-bigotry of low expectations
starts on an individual level.
The problem we have as a society is that we don't realize
systemic change happens in the following process.
Firstly, with the individual.
Secondly, at an institutional level
because as an individual, you impact,
you influence the culture in your household,
the organizations that you work within.
Once that's accomplished,
then there can be an impact on a societal level
and hopefully then, a global level.
But that's what we have to work towards.
How many of you are willing to work towards it?
I see some tentative hands, some people are not sure.
The reason why I chose this subject and no other subject
was I wanted to encourage the audience
to think beyond their usual way of thinking.
Rather than thinking about championing people
- there is nothing wrong with identifying individuals
who have been trailblazers -
but how about empowering yourselves
to ensure we have a culture and environment
where they are no longer needed?
Thank you.
(Applause)