Purpose ( How do we find it?)

The Thirteenth episode of the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Podcast that explores 1 of the 8 Pillars of Happiness - Purpose, as it pertains to Black boys navigating through the society in pursuit of what their purpose - for coming to school, in contribution to the society and in life generally. In this episode, I explore the Japanese concept of "ikigai' which details 4 key components to navigate us to our purpose.

The host, Kay Rufai ( https://www.instagram.com/universoulartist/ ) explores using his happiness research from the top 5 happiest countries ( You can download the report here; https://mailchi.mp/faddab9bb9a1/pdf-delivery ), historical and contemporary data, anecdotes and live accounts from the boys through a simple prompt - 'If you could do anything in life that will bring you joy and make you money, what would it be?'

This episode features  audio from young black boys who have participated in the S.M.I.L.E-ing. Boys Project in the last 18 months exploring their honest responses to the prompt question.

Read the Guardian opinion piece about Kay Rufai and his work on challenging stereotypes of Black boys in the society (https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/mar/18/photographs-black-teenage-boys-prejudice-stereotypes )

Check out the Guardian Photo Gallery of the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project 

( https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2020/mar/18/portraits-black-teenagers-south-london-mental-health )

Ikigai - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxj3P0enJNQ&t=185s