Toronto, Canada — Mayor Rob Ford and City of Toronto staff congratulated 12 youth selected for the CIMA Mayor’s Cricket Team that will participate in the fifth annual Cricket Across the Pond program.”Congratulations to the members of the team selected to represent Toronto in England,” said Mayor Rob Ford. “You have trained hard and are promoting good sportsmanship through the sport of cricket. I hope to someday see many of you playing in the Mayor’s Trophy tournament here in Toronto.”

Also in attendance at City Hall today were Gulzari Babber, President of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA); Amal Ratnayake, Chair of CIMA Canada; Zanita DiSalle, Regional Vice President, RBC Royal Bank; Tom Mihalik, owner of Tom’s Place, and Jonathan Dart, United Kingdom Consul General. The City of Toronto is CIMA’s partner in promoting the Cricket Across the Pond (CAP) scholarship program. CAP uses cricket as a vehicle to reach out to youth from Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods, by giving them a sense of hope, increased self esteem and opportunities to become positive role models in their communities.

“Now in its fifth year, Cricket Across the Pond scholarships have touched the lives of over 60 young Torontonians, leading them toward positive pursuits in life” said Ratnayake of CIMA Canada. “We are truly appreciative of the support from our partners RBC Royal Bank, Tom’s Place and the City of Toronto in this unique Toronto youth initiative.” Working in partnership with the British Consulate General in Toronto and the Borough of Kingston upon Thames in the United Kingdom, CAP provides young Toronto cricketers with the opportunity to travel to the UK, represent Toronto and learn leadership skills as ambassadors. The aim of the annual UK tour of the CIMA Mayor’s Team is to help these young Toronto ambassadors develop into positive role models in their communities.

“We’re proud to be part of helping send these young cricketers to the birthplace of the sport,” said RBC’s DiSalle. “It’s part of our commitment to build healthy and vibrant communities, where we can pass along cherished traditions to our children.”

The 2012 tour itinerary includes the inaugural Toronto Mayor’s Team versus London Mayor’s Team cricket match, scheduled to take place in London on July 17. The Royal Bank of Canada leads a group of corporate and media partners brought together by CIMA in this unique public-private community initiative. CIMA has been successful in arranging a partnership between the City of Toronto and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, UK, in supporting the scholarship program.

The lead organizer, CIMA, offers an internationally recognized professional qualification in management accountancy with over 183,000 students and members in 168 countries. CIMA members and students the world over are involved in community activities. A significant majority of CIMA members in Toronto have roots in cricket playing nations around the world.

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To choose to be a student right now in the UK is to place yourself in a very precarious situation. You can go the university route, where high tuition fees will hopefully be offset by strong career prospects, or you can go the technical college route as a means of earning a vocational skill which will result in more practical and accessible work experience.

Alternatively, you can choose to study abroad for the sake of your resumé, you can study part-time and find part-time employment to avoid incurring massive student loans, or if all else fails then you can take a gap year from your studies and attempt to find significant work experience which will potentially guide you onto the right academic path at a later date.

However, do a little asking around and you will soon find that a lot of people at different ages in these various positions are struggling to answer the question of, ‘Is education, in this day and age, and in this economic climate, even worthwhile?’.

What it all comes down to is all the statistics you have heard before: fees are up, the job market has narrowed, those already in employment are putting off retirement by a few more years, and so as a result the next generation of professionals are cast somewhat adrift.

Danielle Lavery, 24, attended both Belfast Metropolitan College and University of Ulster, and had the following to say about the attitudes of the staff in each institution:

When it comes to Uni, I think they get paid for nothing … [College] is a different story. They are dying to help in any way possible. I would study there forever.

This comment about being ‘paid for nothing’ is an echo of a point raised by many in the past – do university students get their value for money? Even before the fee increase became an issue, the majority of undergraduates were paying over £3,000 per year in tuition for less than a dozen hours of taught class per week.

At postgraduate level, the fees are higher and the taught class hours per week are lower, a structure which by its very design is becoming increasingly unappealing to younger students just starting out in higher education. Charlotte Hart, 18, is in her first year at Manchester Metropolitan University and said:

Joys = Getting to choose what you learn about more so than in previous education, and getting to move away (some people). Pains = lack of money.

Thus, the financial problem persists. Universities may offer a range of clubs and societies, and some may be developing world-class facilities, such as Queen’s University Belfast’s (QUB) McClay Library, but if students are not being compelled to make the most of these then the focus again turns towards the tangible benefits which students are receiving in turn for their tuition fees.

To go from a first year undergraduate to a PhD student, Amanda Krentzel, 23, spoke of the challenges and responsibilities that come from the mere development of one’s academic career. Having finished her undergraduate degree less than a year ago, Krentzel now finds that:

Suddenly, in the eyes of undergrads, you’ve aged a decade.

This point brings to light the academic hierarchy which is not nearly as well-documented as the financial burdens of student life. Pursuing academia through all of its stages means finding yourself becoming a relatively senior figure before you have reached your mid-20s. That routine of simply going to class, doing assignments, complaining about exams, and partying in the student union?

That is forgotten very quickly as the ‘student’ becomes a more active participant in the university community. Now, add together the personal responsibility and the workload, as well as the financial challenges, and the full extent of the pressures of student life become more apparent.

All this, however, is not to downplay the fundamental love of education that many students, even those in dire financial straits, manage to maintain. Sarah McBride, 25, is a postgraduate student at QUB and explained:

I’m pro-education. I’m here for the love of learning, not just for the job prospects.

Therein may lie the reason why so many young people continue to apply to higher education courses when they are well aware of the complete lack of guarantees of finding jobs: a love of learning.

In a year where recent graduates have emigrated from Europe to the United States, and vice versa, there are still plenty who believe that the student experience is still an invaluable and ultimately fulfilling endeavour to pursue. Yet for those who have emigrated to pursue their studies, the reasons are equally persuasive. James Hughes, a QUB graduate, moved to Maastricht to do his MA, and lists his motivations for doing do as:

The cheap fees, the potential employment prospects and the international atmosphere of the student body. Chance to live in another country is appealing and, for Maastricht specifically, it’s a great central ‘hub’ for travelling.

For those who remain at home, it remains to be seen whether the joys of education will continue to outweigh the pains, as another year goes by with more graduates than ever fighting it out for that one, elusive, perfect dream job.

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Adrian Peterson is one of the top running backs in the NFL. His ability to run over defenders with electric speed has made the Minnesota Viking, a once in a lifetime talent.  Known mostly by his alter ego, “All Day”, Peterson is known for his constant work ethic and the ability to never take off a down. His relentless on the field effort must have been his excuse for skipping his own youth camp; he was probably too tired.

The Old Spice Adrian Peterson Football Camp is a held at Peterson’s alma mater, Oklahoma University. The camp, that ran “All Day” this past Thursday and Friday, was for 7-14 year olds looking to improve their game from the NFL’s best. Unfortunately, that never happened.

A few days prior to the camps start date, an announcement was made over its website that Adrian Peterson would be unable to make an appearance. An announcement on the camps website cited scheduling conflicts for the reason of Peterson’s absence and that he will be featured on the NFL’s top 100 players list. Peterson apologized to the camp goers and says he is very excited to be back in 2012 to host the camp.

Scheduling conflicts? Is this a joke? I have a man crush on Adrian Peterson as much as the next guy, but man what about the kids? If not for anything, do it for them. Or maybe do it for the parents. The parents that just dropped $200 (when most NFL players are holding free youth camps) for their children to have a chance to spend two days with their football idol; just to get their hearts broken when he doesn’t show up.

Kids, get your money back because an Adrian Peterson camp without well, Adrian Peterson, is a waste of time. The camp tried to save its reputation by getting some notable football names to take over Peterson’s duties as camp host.  Former Sooner Standouts, Mark Clayton of the St. Louis Rams, Rookie Dallas Cowboys running back, DeMarco Murray, and former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Jason White will be running the show in Peterson’s place. Sounds like a great bargain if you signed up for the Adrian Peterson camp ran by mediocre ex- Oklahoma Sooners. When I first read this I thought that those three were on the list of camp attendees. Wait; is it stretching it to praise Jason White as mediocre? Doesn’t he sell insurance now?

I want to personally apologize to all of the children who were looking forward to some football tutelage from the games best. I know I would be heartbroken and probably keep my #28 Peterson jersey in the back of the closet for awhile. Just the back of the closet though, lets not go doing anything heinous like  a Lebron James burning parade, part ll. All in all, the man did apologize and is missing the camp to be part of a very prestigious league event. Would the NFL have taken him off the Top 100 list if he missed the festivities? Probably not, but hey, the guy is in no contention for a Super Bowl ring anytime soon so let’s let him enjoy his moments of glory. Am I still disappointed? Yes, but It seems as if “All Day” just needed a few days off.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikingsfrenzy/

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The Medical Journal of Australia has published an article revealing anxiety and depressive disorders are the leading cause of disability in young Australians.

The researchers analysed data from 170 different diseases and injuries for the article.

Anxiety and depression was found to be the highest cause of disability, with 17 percent among 20-24 year old males and 27 percent in 20-24 year old females.

“Our study, using one of the largest most comprehensive data sets available on the health of Australians, provides compelling evidence of the scale of disability caused by mental disorders in young people,” said Ms Rebecca Mathews, lead research and senior research assistant with the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research.

“ADHD and Autism together cause as much disability as anxiety and depression in young men, but are less common in young women who are more affected by eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.”

Professor Louisa Degenhardt said the study’s findings confirmed that the change into puberty can often be difficult for young people.

“We know the major contributors to disability in young Australians are a mixture of mental disorders and some particular physical disorders such as asthma and migraine,” said Ms Degenhardt.

The government has launched a new line of inquiry into mental barriers to employment, which covers a variety of mental health issues.

The move has been widely supported by charitable organisations that work with people suffering from mental illnesses.

Professor Degenhardt said that this report looking at young people in particular should help focus the attention towards helping cover the transition from using child health care services to adult health care services.

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