For those who work their way up to a successful position, the unwritten rule is that you must not forget where you come from. And not words, but deeds. It doesn’t stop countless celebrities and influencers from regularly making statements on social media that pass for engagement. For example, several cisgender straight artists and influencers who took part in the Canal Parade boat parade this summer were criticized for the attention to Gay Pride without doing anything for the LGBTI community.
Who does take his role model status seriously is British actor Idris Elba (The Wire, Luther), I saw when I googled a round while watching his program on Monday evening Idris Elba’s fight school (Broadcasting Black). The list of charities he works for is extensive. He supports cancer research, is committed to the fight against AIDS and poverty and, together with his wife, is UN ambassador for the International Fund for Agricultural Development. In 2019, when Britain was dealing with a spate of stabbing incidents among young people, he called for action in an Instagram video.
Of Idris Elba’s fight school did not stop at a call. In the boxing school founded by Elba, eight young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods receive boxing training for three months, including a pension. The goal: to teach the young people discipline, purpose and self-confidence. Boxing also gave him much-needed structure and support as a child, growing up in Hackney, London. All things that are missing in the difficult lives of young people.
The young British experienced a lot of violence. Zeb, 24, even witnessed the murder of his best friend. He still has nightmares about it. The young people say they want nothing more than more peace and control over their lives. But their struggles with insomnia, depression and general sluggishness mean that just getting there on time is a challenge for some – much to the chagrin of the rest of the group, the trainers and Elba herself. It will probably be fine, it has to be, judging by the feel-good atmosphere that is never far away in the program.
Elba’s youngsters were reminiscent of the interview with Tim’s Jongers last Sunday in Buitenhof. He is director of the Wiardi Beckman Foundation and an experience expert and is very concerned about the growing poverty in the Netherlands. ‘Six Johan Cruyff Arenas full of children who will grow up in poverty’, to be precise. Children, according to ‘s Jongers, who are destined never to be the coolest in the class, who receive a primary school advice, end up in a less well-paid job and grow up in families with a lot of stress and problems. According to him, these children deserve more suitable civil servants, better policies and honest politicians. Education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf sat in the background and nodded.