Day #577 - The Back of the Building

Cultural Graffiti

As i was walking through Leeds earlier, i passed the Sixth Form College (for 16-18 year olds). On the front of the building was a bunch of text, explaining how welcoming and supportive the college would be. Text to tempt you in. And very welcome i’m sure for young people (and parents) who seek reassurance that they will be in safe hands.

But i found myself what else could be written, perhaps on the back of the building. And perhaps by the graduates. Words like ‘It will really challenge you’, ‘You may feel lost’, ‘You won’t be successful without a community around you’.

Not words of negativity: but a more rounded view. The things that challenge us, that we can only do together, may also be the most rewarding.

Use your sixty seconds today to consider what would be written on the back of your own building. Not the formal worlds of induction, but the cultural graffiti of those who survive.

And perhaps consider how these two sets of words reconcile: is the truth in the middle, are they simply two sides of a coin, and do we need both?