With great pleasure we learned of the program ‘I AM KING’ and attended a men’s conference on male empowerment. Men have the obligation towards themselves, their family and their surroundings to ‘make life good’. That is not only today, but also tomorrow. So, how do we raise our young men today? What kind of role models do they have? What kind of values will they be taught?
There were several speakers addressing issues that (young) men are facing today and table discussions were held to propose solutions. The keynote speaker on the congress was Shane “Rizon” Gibson from Trinidad who gave a very inspiring speech and basically told the (young) men to F.I.G.H.T. The simple breakdown of F.I.G.H.T. is as follows:
‘F’: Feed on the right words. Through reading, music, movies, people in our surroundings and wherever you go, you will read and hear things. Negativity creates negativity. Listening to the wrong words over and over again can subconsciously affect our behavior. (Young) men need to filter what they read and listen and ‘Feed on the right words’.
‘I’: Believe In yourself. Especially young men need to challenge the beliefs about themselves. Often our young men are labeled as ‘no good’ and a ‘lost generation’. The young men need to write down achievable goals and step by step improve themselves. When achieving a goal, keep improving.
‘G’: Go after God’s vision. This kind of speaks for itself. God has created King’s from in the biblical days. Kings come in all shapes and fashion. Men need to behave as true Kings.
‘H’: Heart. Men have to have ‘heart’ and never give up. Men have to keep fighting even when things don’t look too bright. Always continue to do what is right for themselves, their family and their surroundings. Reference was made to King David who was a shepherd and a soldier before becoming a King. King David has always shown heart by fighting bears protecting his sheep, fighting the biggest opponents as a soldier and winning many wars as a King.
‘T’: Train in the right habits. Prey, read, speak, visualize and find a mentor. It is important to seek God, read the bible and educate yourself, speak out that what you want to achieve and visualize it. Men need to communicate and support each other. The less young men need to guide the young men in their journey through life.
The above is, of course, a very simple and basic breakdown of the speech, but the message is very clear: Men need to step up to the plate and help each other in a positive way. In closing we would like to leave you with some quotes from the different speakers: ‘You have to learn to earn’; ‘Young men are our priority’; ‘Speak negative in lives of young men then what are you telling them?’; ‘We fail to fill the gaps that others fill’ (on gang relations);’Relationships are a reflection of us’ and our favorite: ’The greatest gift you can give your child’s mother is being faithful to her (in every way)’. I AM KING!
Sjaoel “Shooz” Richardson
Soualiga Social Movement
‘Shoot hoops, not guns’
