The future of our society and of the UK’s business community lies very much in the hands of our teenagers.
However the pressures on our young people grow daily and without the right support, mentoring and guidance, the future of the UK, our business community and the general success of the country could be viewed as looking bleak.
Leading UK Youth Coach, mentor and businessman and financial crime consultant, Dagenham based Olugbenga Obakin, has this week released his book with the aim of tackling such issues: Perfect Teens Do (Not) Exist. Here, business woman and mum Antonia Brindle, and teenage daughter Sarah, review the book.
“The book claims that the average teen is faced with issues of identity, morals, peer pressure, finding self, drugs and alcohol, internet and social media addition. Obakin claims that self-confidence is key in the battle to overcome these pressures and that his book, based on personal experience will help parents impact society through raising youths correctly. So let’s look inside this guide and see what we can learn.
“The introduction warms you to the author. Obakin is open about his own youth, being raised in Africa before coming to the UK. Restrictions on TV time, moral upbringings for the extended family, the absence of social media, the taboo of drink and drugs. It is very clear that on coming to the UK, Obakin witnessed a different society and his book brings the warmth, the guidance and the life lessons brought with African parenting.
“Throughout the book, there is help, advice, guidance and activities to help youths make the right choices in life. Reading the book as a parent, your own self esteem will be boosted, never mind that of your teenager.
“Following his mantra that success is hard but achievable the chapters in the book cover peer pressure, finding purpose, addictive substances and internet/social media use. Some of the book I left Sophie to read, other bits I felt more appropriate we read together incase of questions.
“Obakin states that “I firmly believe that the youths deserve a chance at a good life filled with morals. A young person with a good experience now will have access to a better life in the future.”
I wholly believe the future of our business community is currently in jeopardy with the support and inspiration offered to our teenagers and it is my belief that this book will certainly help with that!
Sarah, age 15 and entering her GCSE year, commented on the book:
“I like the size of the book – it is bite sized but every word counts. The moral lessons really made me think and the use of film and celebrity references made me understand the points very clearly, and made it quite interesting.
“Peer pressure is huge at my age, so reading how to resist it was useful. The message about being content with what we have is real, as is the message to take education seriously. The end of chapter exercises make you apply the contents to your own life, which is great in the Finding Your Purpose chapter. I really enjoyed exploring my own purpose.
“I particularly like that the author stresses he is not preaching, especially when talking about addictive substances, but that he holds no punches even using statistics on teen suicide.
“Some of it Mum and I read together which was great, other bits I wanted to read and understand alone. Much of it is common sense to be honest, which really makes this a manual for good behaviour I guess? There should probably be one in every classroom.
“The one part that will stay with me forever is to not under estimate your talent or worth. That really helped me with my own future plans. I will be recommending the book to my friends, for sure!”
Perfect Teens Do (NOT) Exist is available to buy on Amazon for just £6.99.