Jamal Hassan: I have taken an oath to bring ease to suffering families across the globe

In my work as a motivational speaker, advisor and expert on the subject of youth development and leadership, it has always been vital to remain transparent and authentic in my approach to moving young people to take action. As a result, by the permission of God, I am now of one of the nation’s foremost authorities in discovering and tapping into young people’s potential.

After achieving my undergraduate degree in Political Science, I sought a Masters in Applied Linguistics (of which I am still completing), with a focus on the language of public policing; politeness, power and coercion concerning youth from ethnic minorities during police stop and search incidents in the U.K. My messages on overcoming adversity, building social-emotional learning skills, work ethic and acceptance have helped tens of thousands of young people across the globe to connect the dots between their gift and the lives they will one day lead.

Throughout my experience in dealing with youth in the UK, I have witnessed and heard of multiple scenarios that have shocked me to the core. To date, 2019 has been the most painful year of my mentoring path. It saddens me to say I lost 3 teens in 4 months to knife crime.

I vividly remember having a heartfelt conversation with one of the mothers.

She said:

“When I received the news of my son being killed, it was a cold winter night; I was sitting in a dark room because my gas and electricity ran out”

and I replied to her:

“Aunty why did you not top up your meter”

to which she replied:

“How could I when I share my bank card with my son and that day I gave it to him to go buy chicken and chips, how could I top up when my bank card is in the pocket of my son that was bleeding to death on the cold pavement.”

She then said to me:

“Jamal what is really painful is I lost the man of the house twice, first his father walked out on us when he was young. And tonight my son was painfully ripped from me, now how am I supposed to raise my younger children without a father and an older brother.”

She pleaded to me:

“Jamal continue saving the lives of our youth and broken families because this is senseless pain no mother should ever feel.”

What makes this particular incident so distressing is that 3 months later her best friend’s son who happens to be the same age as her late child was also stabbed to death. These types of memories cannot simply erase. I am forced to carry this with me where I go in the world. I have taken an oath to bring ease to suffering families across the globe, and with each one, I meet I am given strength to carry on with more conviction than before.

My ambition is not only to work with the youth in Kenya but also to extend my work across West and East Africa. The main purpose of this program is to deliver workshops and training that will inspire, motivate, and establish a productive mindset through hard work, determination, and ambition.

I am currently rolling out a collaborative program for charity organisations and companies. The idea of empowering and saving lives is a god-given opportunity I live for every single day. I want to encourage young people to live a life by design and not by luck but by action.