Much of Lord Boateng’s own political career has
involved a focus on children and young people, and as
Minister for Young People he was responsible for drawing
together the policy document “Every Child Matters.” He
sees empowerment and confidence as crucial to developing
young people as citizens, and believes both can be rooted
in language. “When children and young people feel
disempowered, when they lack confidence, then they are
less likely to succeed, they are more likely to engage in
anti-social behaviour, and they are less likely to become the
sort of citizens that we want,” says Lord Boateng. “Being
young in the world in which we live can be a hazardous
business; to help young people deal with all that, you want
to give them a degree of self-confidence, and a sense of
engagement through empowerment. That’s why language
is so important, it gives you the ability to communicate and
the ability to make yourself understood.”
{CAREER PROFILE}
1975 Begins legal career as a solicitor
1981 Elected to Greater London Council
in Walthamstow
1987 lected as Member of Parliament for
E
Brent South
1989 Made junior Treasury Spokesman
1992 Made Shadow Minister for the Lord
Chancellor’s Department
1998 ecomes Minister of State at the Home
B
Office as the first black Cabinet Minister
2000 akes over from Lord MacLaurin as
T
Chairman of Vodafone
Lord Boateng recognises that the ESU has its own
challenges for the future; he lists explaining the mission,
growing the membership, improving global links and
giving everyone a sense that “Dartmouth House is a place
for them” as some of the key priorities. But he is also he
is clear that we have a key role to play in the challenges
facing wider society. “We live in a world where freedom of
communication is under assault in so many different ways...
we have to carry the banner for communication, and for the
spoken word, as well as for the freedom of ideas, and the
dissemination of those ideas,” he explains.
“I like to see language as a way in which we reach out to
one another, but that we reach out on a shared platform,
one which we feel we all own, and have a stake in. It’s
very important that everyone should feel enabled and
empowered to communicate, and to communicate freely.
We have t