GenY NI - Your country needs you

Do you remember in June 2013 when Obama implored Northern Ireland to show the world how to patch, mend and get on? To be an example to the world. Remember Hannah Nelson stood up and told a vision of hope and aspiration. Hannah's world is so much the world of the young people in Northern Ireland. In the months since, NI has been a model of dysfunction: unravelling and calling on the crutch of outside help. No courage. No transformative leadership. A vast leaderless mess alien to young people, business and much of the electorate. That's why we need you, the young people to play your part. As Barack Obama said:

"As your leaders step forward to address your challenges through talks by all parties, they’ll need you young people to keep pushing them, to create space for them, to change attitudes."

And this is the important bit:

“Because, ultimately, whether your communities deal with the past and face the future united together isn’t something you have to wait for somebody else to do — that’s a choice you have to make right now. It’s within your power to bring about change."

That's the challenge - you need to speak up, get involved and demand transformative politics. This is urgent. As Mick Fealty said, you need to "feel the fierce urgency of now." Politicians and people on the street are taking what is most precious from you, your peace, your future and prosperity and imposing a way of life that is totally unacceptable.

This blog will give a voice of opposition and leadership. A space to share ideas and to reimagine Northern Ireland. This blog is all about the community and about giving you the power to get involved, by you sharing posts on Facebook and Twitter, by you commenting directly or emailing us your thoughts and suggestions, and by submitting your thoughts directly with guest posts. This is going to be a community driven project by you - the ambitious and aspirational who want something different.

As Alex Kane said of the Obama speech:

"The next generation shouldn’t allow their future to be determined by the one-sided, self-serving narratives of some of the present generation. I really do hope enough youngsters were actually listening to Obama!"