Before I was corrected, I had initially thought both St. Matthew Academy and Goldsmiths shared the same campus or that the Academy is adjacent to the University.

As I kept missing my way and being re-directed here and there by the kind-hearted students I had met along the longish hallway, I stopped and asked a group of these youngsters, and they were very kind and polite in pointing me in the direction of the Curzon Cinema on the campus of Goldsmiths.

In fact, I had thought they too were invited by Ms Chukwuma to attend the screening of her film under referenced, but the girls in their school uniform merely showed me the door leading to the cinema hall and proceeded on their journey within the campus, very well behaved.

Later, I was to be called back on the phone by Monalisa to make my way therefrom to the Exhibition Hall as the filmed she said was scheduled to be shown at 18:00.

After I had been called back from the Curzon Cinema Hall to the venue of the Exhibition by Ms Chukwuma, I went round viewing the handwritten views of her interviewees whom she had featured in her film: PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN WOMAN, including their portraits, I was expecting the youngsters to join us later, especially having not seen anyone of them yet during this time inside the Exhibition Hall.

I then made my way back to join Ms Chukwuma and her lecturers to whom she had introduced me. And it was after the exchange of pleasantries with her lecturers that I suddenly noticed contrary to my thinking and expectation regarding the students of St. Matthew Academy being there too as her guests, none of them were coming into the Exhibition Hall, but merely passing and passing, and coming and going.

“Aren’t those secondary school students coming into the Exhibition Hall?” I had asked Monalisa. “It does seem to me they did not know the exhibition had started, can I go and call them in?”

Monalisa replied: “They are not coming here.”

“Why not?” I queried.

“I did not invite them,” said Monalisa.

“You should have!” Exclaimed I.

“Next time when you are organising an exhibition such as this, please invite them through their college,” I admonished her. “They need to know about things like these, especially those of them from Nigeria, and Africa in general. Some of them don’t even know about their roots and history, being born here in Britain, and in the West generally speaking.”

One marvel about the St. Matthew Academy students was that unlike their age, especially when in groups with their peers, and probably coming from their school after closing time, they were very well behaved.

They neither disturbed the students of Goldsmiths who were reading nor relaxing. It looks to me they were conscious that one day some of them would be there at GUoL as students undertaking one course or another.

What a way to inspire, motivate and encourage young people, Golden Gold…!

And without hesitation, I say unequivocally, kudos to the studentry, both academic and non-academic staff and the entire management of Goldsmiths, University of London for such unusual thoughtfulness, generosity, encouragement, and for being so forward looking and considerate.

Unarguably, thousands of St Matthew Academy students who were in the past just visiting like the set of students under examination had ended up becoming its students, and subsequently its graduates now!

The task to get young people off crimes of all sorts, particularly youth violence, manifesting itself globally in knife crimes (Britain mostly) and gun crimes (mostly in the U.S.A.) is the collective responsibility of all the world.

Therefore, whatever all the world can do to create THE GENERATION POSITIVE must not be held back.

We can all help young people create a positive environment for their growth – spiritual, moral, social, economic and physical wellbeing and development; encouraging them to always stay positive, letting them to know there is no such a thing as “impossibility” in the world; encouraging them to dream big dreams, and seeing to their realization; living the life of a strong-minded optimist, devoid of any form of pessimism, no matter the difficulties in these our uncertain times, and teaching them the way they should go; to have respect for all forms of lives and helping them to embrace that eternal dictum: where there is a will, there will always be a way.

Finally, my joy will be complete the day I see other universities in the country and elsewhere in the nations to so throw their doors wide open to encourage and inspire children and youngsters – and as a matter of fact, I would here suggest there should be a deliberate university policy initiative to regularly invite pupils and college students on a walk-tour of their campuses to see how university students conduct their affairs generally, visiting their libraries and laboratories, attending lectures sometimes as guest students as the case may be, and to attend organised events/exhibitions, etc.