We all know that young people, most especially urban young
people, sometimes stray from profitable paths because they lack proper guidance.
There are three reasons why messages to young people are not received: The message
may be deficient, the messenger may be unpersuasive or the message itself may
fall on parched ground.
In mid-May the principal of Harding High School in
Bridgeport, the unflappable Victor Black, responded to a request from
motivational speaker Wayne Winsley to address his students. His Achievement and
Motivation presentation, tucked into a program called “Brave Enough to Fail”, is one of hope and courage: Strive to
discover and nurture in yourself the seeds of promise that lie at the root of
your character – and do not be afraid to fail, for the ladder of success is
marked by rungs of opportunities disguised as failures.
Mr. Winsley came to Harding High School strongly recommended
by Pathways to College teacher Marvin Towler of Hillhouse High School in New
Haven: "Wayne Winsley is a dynamic
and engaging speaker. He masterfully infused his presentation with amusing
anecdotes that kept our students interested in his powerful message. Mr.
Winsley provided our students with knowledge that will help them succeed in
college but more importantly in life." And Greg O’Neill of Granby High
School was equally appreciative: “Fantastic, just fantastic, Wayne’s Brave
Enough to Fail presentation was a tremendous hit at Granby High and I strongly
recommend Wayne to any school or college.”
At Harding High
School, Mr. Winsley had expected he would be addressing a group of students
smaller than the sea of upturned faces before him. Mr. Black wanted to open most
of the school, upwards of 850 sophomores, juniors and seniors and 350 freshmen
students, to Mr. Winsley’s inspirational message.
There was no lectern
and no notes. Mr. Winsley, for more than 20 years a radio broadcaster in
Connecticut, prowled the stage, microphone
in hand, studying closely the faces of the students for hints that his
message has found rich soil. At some point during his presentation, Mr. Winsley
took a personal turn. He traced his own personal development to a remark made
by a man “who was not my father” and who said something “that stuck with me; he
said excellence will beat prejudice, poverty and adversity all the time.”
Mr. Winsley was
brought up by his great grandmother, who died while he was in the military. His
request to superiors that he be permitted to attend her funeral was denied
because such privileges were granted only for immediate family members:
fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. Yet his great grandmother was the only
family he knew, one of the lights of his life, herself a child of poverty. But
the military, Mr. Winsley knew, unerringly follows the book. He swallowed his
disappointment but knew that the heart has its own non-bookish reasons. He
maintained a stoic silence from a sort of primitive fear that the plea from his
heart was bound to be rejected. This was a mistake he would never make again:
If you do not venture beyond the book from fear of failure, you will deny to
others the possibility of a humane response. Every seeming failure is door to
some future success. But the door only opens to the touch of one who is not
dismayed by failure. A disabling fear of this kind leads ultimately to years of
agonizing regret and a total waste of personal energy.
After Mr. Winsley’s
presentation, one Harding student commented, “I thought the information was
very motivational and helpful. As teens we sometimes give up on life-goal
dreams because of our fear of failure.” Another said “I will use it in everyday
life as inspiration -- not be afraid to fail but keep trying.” And a third said, “I will stop getting mad at
myself when I fail. All I have to do is pick myself up and continue.”
Mr. Winsley plans to
visit at least 50 schools. Prior to his presentations, Mr. Winsley distributes
to students a remarkably artful picture book “Where are you going?” published
by his wife, April Dawn Winsley. Mr. Winsley’s principal sponsor is The Water Innovations Alliance, the
public policy voice of the world's water researchers, technologists and
innovators. Of course one can never have too many sponsors.
Mr. Winsley has an
enviable ability to energize students, and there is something of the missionary
about him. Every one of you, he told Harding’s students, has within you an inner
GPS (Greatness Positioning System) system that will let you know whether or not
you are traveling in the right direction.
Angry Birds, a video
game adapted for phones, has become a huge success, Mr. Winsley told the
assembled students. The game’s inventor was inspired by birds engraved on a
wine glass, and no – he was not drunk at the time. The game is the largest and
most successful mobile app the world has seen so far. Yet try to imagine the
reaction of financiers to a proposal in which players throw angry birds at pigs
– Are you kidding?
“This is a passion
of mine, Mr. Winsley said, “and has been a passion before running for political
office -- to inspire and work with our children. Planting seeds for success is
what this is all about. My message to the students will be to have enough
vision to see it and be brave enough to try it.”
It is a passion to
which young people struggling towards self-worth should be exposed.
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