Rosemary McKenzie; Natasha Hoyland; Estere. Illustrations / Andrew Louis
Rosemary McKenzie; Natasha Hoyland; Estere. Illustrations / Andrew Louis
We ask five people to share their views on the topic of youth.
ROSEMARY MCKENZIE
"The Hip Op-eration Crew, the world's oldest dance group, grew from a desire to change society's attitude towards youth and old age. I am 73 and proud to be a member of this dedicated fun-loving group. Our motto is 'Respect and Honour Youth'. They are our future anddeserve our understanding. We have put on our 'old school' hip-hop gear and worked hard to get our minds and bodies to cope with hip-hop moves. We have formed a special bond with young hip hop dancers from Dziah Dance Academy in Otara, and journeyed to the International Hip Hop champs alongside them. 10 per cent of donations to Hip Op-eration go to the Otara youth programme. It is humbling to have crossed the generation gap where we have been totally accepted. Love and thanks to Billie Jordan, our manager who had a dream and made it come true."
Rosemary McKenzie, 73, of the Hip Op-Eration Crew, features in the documentary following their journey to the World Championships in Las Vegas. Her hip-hop name is Missy RoYo.
"I'm constantly tired and bored of people thinking that young people can't do things. Even young people themselves often believe that they can't do things. But there are so many things to do, especially when you're young. I'm only 17 and already I feel as if I don't have enough hours in a day. There's a lot of opportunity out there and it's like when you're in a shop and you can't tell if you're looking at a mirror or another room. So you walk over to investigate and you're either psyched that it's a new room or embarrassed that you're that close to your own reflection in a public area. I'm not sure that analogy made a lot of sense, but that's the best way I could put it. A lot of songs talk about living fast and dying young and bad girls doing it well, but that makes no sense. There's so much to do, why would you want to die before you've done all the things? It's like a giant bucket list and I think we all just need to live our lives a little more like Jamie McDell songs."
"My grandmother, at the age of 74, is still fixing pipes, wearing leather and - on rare occasions - dancing until the night has expired into yellow morning. This lusty and full- hearted standard of living has been with her from the get-go. In some ways, I'm unsure as to whether or not I've ever been as youthful as her. For to me, 'youth' is not a convention of age and experience. Rather, it is the tactile embracement of life. The zest of a lemon rind sprinkled on a salad. Youth is curiosity and exploration - regardless of the prior knowledge one already possesses. In this sense, when I think of age and youth, they are separate things. To remember that, I only need to see my grandmother strolling through her garden in silver bangles, whistling to the birds."
Estere, 22, is a singer and finalist for the 2014 NZ On Air Critics' Choice Prize showcase, which recognises artists most likely to win Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards in the future.
Steven Carden; Sophie Van Waardenberg. Illustrations / Andrew Louis.
STEVEN CARDEN
"Someone once said youth is that period when a teenager knows everything but how to make a living. Actually there is something else they don't know. Very few realise what they're actually capable of achieving. For the past 16 years, the First Foundation has tried to fix that. It has scoured the country's lowest decile schools, seeking high-potential youth. About 100 companies provide over 400 four-year scholarships to fund university fees, provide part-time work and match them with a mentor. When I started the First Foundation, I overlooked its biggest impact. The greatest gift the scholarships provide is self-confidence. Many youth from our poorest neighbourhoods are not short on aspiration, but limited by their environment. People often say to me that in New Zealand today it doesn't matter where you come from. I disagree. Your postcode still impacts where you'll end up. We owe it to all our youth to try and change that."
Steven Carden, 40, is the founder of the First Foundation, an educational trust that offers scholarships and mentorships.
SOPHIE VAN WAARDENBERG
"As teenagers, our biggest fear is that we will lose our own language. Not the language of cyberspace - this, contrary to common assumption, does not belong to us. But the language of late nights, late mornings and late assignments. The language of love and irritation professed monosyllabically. The language of youth is one of vastness. We want the whole world. We know about all the books we should read, and still return to Harry Potter whenever there is time. We know about all the places we want to visit, and all the people we want to meet there, and all the things we want them to say to us. But what our dictionary lacks are words for experience. We have words for wounds, and not for scars. We are allowed to speak of broken bones while bad backs and failing eyes are taboo. Our mother tongue is the language of beginning. This language makes us reckless, and it makes us careful, and we can't bear to think of unlearning it."
Sophie van Waardenberg, 17, is a student involved in the Young Writers Programme at the Michael King Writers' Centre.
