The Power of Second Chances
Ricky Reid |
TEDxBristol
• November 2017
Alrick “Ricky Reid” is a Jamaican born writer, mentor, chef and father of two, who has spent the majority of his life living in the UK. He moved to England in the 1990’s to make a better life for himself, having spent his childhood living in poverty and neglect. But as with so many young men with unstable backgrounds, whose early lives are characterised by violence, crime and a lack of strong role models, he got involved with a gang attempting an armed robbery, and was sent to prison in the UK in 1997.
This incredibly emotive TEDx talk is the story he would like to tell his children. It’s the story of a man who has spent most of his life 'invisible'. Most people wrote him off. The government see him as a number on a piece of paper. A number they’d like to remove. However through the kindness and mentoring of a few exceptional individuals while Ricky was serving his prison sentence 20 years ago, he learnt to read properly, discovered the power of words, and set himself on a different trajectory - a life devoted to helping other young people from underprivileged backgrounds, a life of service and humility to his community. He was given a second chance at life - and he took it. He's now a published author.
But it’s also a story with a twist. Ricky was subject to automatic Deportation given his conviction. The Home Office signed a Deportation Order to effect Ricky’s deportation from the UK. Ricky submitted an application to have this Deportation Order revoked, which has now reached the Court of Appeal. Whilst preparing his TEDx talk Ricky was awaiting news on his application with the Court of Appeal. Two days before he was due to give his talk he was detained by the authorities and sent to Campsfield Immigration Centre in Oxford.
His talk is therefore given by Dr Edson Burton, a Bristol based writer and performer, who had the opportunity to meet Ricky during the TEDxBristol rehearsals, and performs it with a warm nod to Ricky’s character and accent.
Ricky has since been released from Campsfield on bail, but he is still facing a lengthy court process to enable him to stay in the UK with his partner and daughter. While he faces an uncertain future, the message of his talk is one of absolute hope, resolve and a belief in both the goodness of people the richness of life, and the power of second chances.
This talk is from TEDxBristol 2017: Dare To Disrupt. In a world of constant change and uncertainty, these are the ‘positive disruptors’ ripping up the rule book to challenge received wisdom, demand better, and transform seemingly insurmountable problems into break-through possibilities and new beginnings.
From making a big splash on single-use plastics, to a global campaign to end unwanted hair-touching, or a revolutionary approach to combining robotics with human creativity, we hope you’ll enjoy and feel inspired by these talks.
Watch all our talks here https://tedxbristol.com/talks
Our talks were produced, filmed and edited by a brilliant team of talented volunteers and pro-bono partners:
Produced by:
Mel Rodrigues, Curator TEDxBristol
Daniel Edmund, Assistant Curator, TEDxBristol
Samuel Williams, Hodos Consultancy
Barney Grenfell, Hodos Consultancy
Filmed and edited by Floating Harbour Films:
Richard da Costa
Ben Scrase
Tom Young
Dan O’Connell
Gareth Croft
With camerawork and production support from:
Steve Webb
Giles Edwards
Bath Spa University
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx