'It takes a very long time to become young.'
Pablo Picasso

Every year the Agency sent a few of its high-fliers to the South by Southwest (SXSW) media festival in Austin, Texas. On their return, I would invite them to give a short debrief of their observations and insights to the Board.

On one such occasion, a very impressive Young Person gave an excellent presentation, full of vision, wisdom and wit. Acknowledging the warm round of applause that was her due, she promptly headed for the exit with a beaming smile. This had been a job well done.

Sitting, as was my wont at Board Meetings, on a cabinet by the door, I was keen that she should stay around for a brief Q&A session. And so I raised my hand to stop her as she passed by.

The Young Person simply gave me a high five and walked briskly out.

Occasionally I am asked what I miss most about working in an Agency. I tell them that it is not the cut and thrust of commerce; nor the intellectual challenge of solving a marketing conundrum; nor even the thrill of witnessing a magnificent creative breakthrough. What I miss most is the youth.

'Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.'
Franz Kafka

I was recently invited to a BBC Prom concert by the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) at the Royal Albert Hall (Prom 30, 10 August). This splendid ensemble of musicians aged 19 or younger, gave sparkling renditions of works by Wagner, Mahler and Missy Mazzoli. Their playing was full of vim and vigour, technically precise and emotionally compelling.

I was struck by a new piece: the world premiere of Dani Howard’s 'Three, Four AND… ‘ The title was inspired by the anticipation of what’s to come after a conductor’s count-off, and the music was developed by Howard in schools, on social media and on tour, as part of the NYO Inspire scheme.

‘NYO Inspire is a musical adventure for teenagers who want to make music a bigger part of their lives, but face barriers and a lack of opportunity to progress.’

At the BBC Prom performance, nearly 100 players from NYO Inspire joined 160 members of the main orchestra - from the choir seats and the upper tiers; from the gallery and the aisles. And periodically the conductor Tess Jackson turned to the auditorium to keep everyone in time.

The piece was beautiful, bursting with rhythm, fizzing with ideas. It was all rather moving.

‘I would not be the musician, nor person, I am today without the opportunities NYO Inspire and the Orchestra have given me, and for this I am incredibly grateful.’
Tara Spencer, Co-Leader, NYO

I was particularly impressed by the way this NYO initiative integrated inclusion and outreach, with excellence and ambition.

Every business needs a youth strategy: a plan by which it can engage with new generations of talent; a vehicle for listening and learning from a cohort that is full of energy and inspiration; as well as a structure for training and coaching to the highest standards.

Young people should not be regarded as a cheap resource, but rather as a precious commodity, a window into tomorrow, a means to sustaining future success.

'We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.'
Franklin D. Roosevelt

'I used to think that the day would never come,
I'd see delight in the shade of the morning sun.
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear.
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun.’
New Order, ’True Faith’ (B Sumner / G Gilbert / P Hook / S Hague / S Morris)

No. 487