UCT Upstarts Speech

UCT Upstarts is an annual, year-long initiative launched in 2015, that uses multiple pop-up platforms to develop the next generation of upstarts - influential, young game-changers who will become job-creators, instead of job-seekers. At the end of the program, teams submit their social innovation projects, and the top applicants will go on to the "Idea Auction", where thought-leaders, companies and organisations can "bid" to support them.

I was asked to talk at one of the events... This is my story.

---

I used to go here. I graduated from UCT, and Tiger Tiger, in 2009.

So, when an email popped up one day with the subject, “UCT Upstarts – Speaker Invite” I did a little dance at my desk. Then I read further… “UCT Upstarts is a joint-initiative between the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Super Stage”… I love me some innovation, so this was looking good.

I scrolled a bit more… to the over-arching theme of the talk:

Well, Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Super Stage… Do I have a bone to pick with you.

Can anyone tell me what’s very, very wrong with this topic? Anyone?

The problem is that it’s trying to inspire change, innovation, creation and passion in young people – but just by virtue of those first four words – it’s limiting you and telling you that you that you can’t.

So, I’m changing the topic:

And centering it because it looks funny:

And underlining it because it’s important:

If I’d waited ‘til I was all grown up to try and change the world, then this would never have happened…

My name is Kayli Levitan, and on 14 January 2014, I, my colleague Max Pazak, and the advertising agency where we work, M&C Saatchi Abel - founded The Street Store. 

Ever since my entire perspective on the way I work and on human potential has shifted.

When you’re a kid, you think you can do anything. And slowly but surely your parents, teachers, and even lecturers convince you that you can’t and make even trying, seem like a bad idea. They may not mean to, but things like “be careful, you’re gonna hurt yourself”, “You can do that when you grow up”, “You’re not ready to learn that section”, and even “write an essay about so-and-so’s thoughts, not your own” – all leads to the belief that you aren’t ready for something – physically, emotionally, and mentally. And that if you were to just go for it, you’d come out 2^nd best.

I want to touch on three things that stop people from doing great things, but really shouldn’t.

When are you ever the right age to do something? When you’re a grown up? Well, when is that? Apparently I am a grown up, but I don’t feel like one. Just because you’re young, doesn’t mean that people won’t take you seriously. And if they don’t, they’re not worthy of your time. It’s not about age, it’s maturity. Being ready to take on a challenge and see it through. You may be that person at 12 years old, at 25, at 50, or never – but the only way you’ll find out is by trying. And if it doesn’t work – so what? At least you tried and hopefully learnt something from the experience. Which leads me to…

Really? I’m a copywriter and my co-founder is an art director. We work at ad agency. We come up with ideas. We make adverts. About beer and gyms, deodorant and insurance. What experience did we have in starting a charity that would help clothe the homeless in over 120 cities around the world? Zero. It was our inexperience that allowed us to innovate – because we had no idea what the norm was.

You don’t need experience to do something, you gain experience once you’ve started. You need to find an insight. We realised that bringing the haves and have-nots together in a dignified and meaningful way, would break through deep-set social stereotypes, and cause people to donate now and in the future. And that’s where it all began. Not through experience. Through research.

But research takes time, which leads on to...

If you have kids – maybe you are. But otherwise, busy is just an excuse. I’m busy. I work in advertising by day, and by night, I’m batman! Nope, bad joke. At night I run an online restaurant directory and blog. So, I know what busy is. But when you’re passionate enough about something, you’ll find the time to make it happen. You need to set aside time every day to go through the process of creation - thinking, brainstorming, working, making it happen. And it gets easier. Your brain, like any muscle, needs to be exercised to work at it’s best.

So stop making excuses. And stop letting people impose limitations on you. Be a kid again. A kid who really believes that they have the power to do what ever they want.  

The truth is, there is no such thing as being ready. But don’t think of that as a negative – all it does is set you free to go out there… and try.

Generation Next Speech

I was asked to make a 5 minute speech at an event called Generation Next. It was from the perspective of 6 very different Jewish youths, with very different backgrounds. We had to discuss how we fit into the Jewish world, what our religion means to us, and what we think the community needs to do in the future. I have added the "translations" of terms in brackets. This is my story.

---

I started thinking about this speech one Friday evening while I was walking to my sister for Shabbat (the Sabbath). We chatted about it at the dinner table, but soon got distracted by other topics – things like the parsha (the Torah/bible story of the week), the fact that it’s almost Pesach (a Jewish festival) time; and that I have finally found the perfect place to build my first Sukkah (an element you create at a Jewish festival) this year. After dinner, I walked home again, significantly fuller, got into bed and went to sleep.

I woke up with a start in the morning as my alarm went off. But I was way to lazy to go for a run, so I hit snooze a few times. Finally I dragged myself out of bed, made a cup of coffee and called my mom. She couldn’t chat for long because she was off to shul (synagogue). So I got out my lap top, did some work, but lost track of time and whipped on a skirt and top and rushed off to my shul, Chabad (a very religious group of Jews), and prayed like a good Yiddishe Maidel (good Jewish girl).

All in all, I am what some may call a secular 26 year old girl, with an exceptionally frum (religious) 50 year old woman named Ester Faiga trapped inside her, trying to claw her way out.

---

There is so much about Judaism that draws me in. But unless you want to sit here for an hour or 5 listening to me, I am just going to mention two.

Firstly, it’s the community. You’re never alone. There is always someone there for you. Be it just a person from the shul who invites you for Shabbos, a rabbi or rebbetzin (a rabbi's wife) who you feel you can talk to, and even the network Jewish institutions, which are there for you when you need them most. You are part of an incredible community, which is something people long for.

And secondly, there’s a structure to life. It’s like a clearly defined path, but no matter how far you may stray from it, it’s always there for you when you want to get back on. Things like Shabbos and Chaggim (festivals) make up some of the biggest stepping stones on that path. We take it for granted and don’t realise how lucky we are. It was only made apparent to me when a Non-Jewish co-worker said that he was going to choose a night of the week, give it a fancy name, and force his family to come together, because it was something he lacked in his life.

That said, there are a lot of things I don’t do.

Just two of those are big ones - I don’t keep Shabbat 100% and I’m not Kosher (Jewish dietary laws). I want to and I could – I know all the laws - but I am just not ready for it right now. I don’t believe that you or anyone else can force religion on to you when you aren’t ready,  because eventually you’ll fall off the wagon.

Learning about something and knowing that you’re not ready to take it on is one thing. But the deeper issue is when people simply don’t understand a topic, so they think it’s not right for them. The issue is that there is so much to Judaism that you just can’t understand – either ever, or until you experience it.

I experienced this first-hand when my dad died 18 months ago. I felt like my life had come to a stand still. I didn’t know how I could carry on living in a world without him. I didn’t know how to move forward.

The Jewish Mourning Laws after a parent’s death are very intense for a full year – filled with heavy restrictions on what you can and can’t do.

I learnt about it at school – but I never really understood it.  It didn’t make sense to me. It felt so old fashioned and irrelevant. The thought of taking on all of these responsibilities as a 24 year old, seemed overwhelming and if I’m honest, impossible.

But I was so wrong.

It was the community’s support, but more importantly, the mourning structure that gave me a way to move forward. It gave me direction. It sounds bizarre, but the limitations did two things:

It showed me, pretty much by force, how to live - without fear that I’d do the wrong thing or disrespect his honour. And secondly, the limitation worked as a constant reminder of what had happened – I wasn’t given a moment to deny or forget it – which ultimately, helped me accept and cope with losing my dad.

Learning about the mourning practices would never have prepared me for the understanding I gained through experience. I think of this as the micro-example of religion as a greater whole. You don’t always understand why you do something, but it’s there for a reason.

What I’ve learnt is not to let the stuff that I don’t understand or that I’m not ready for scare me away from Judaism. Right now, I don’t fit into any particular religious box – and maybe I never will. But as long as I keep learning and growing in my own way, I don’t think that’s a problem.

And I think that’s what communities need to bring out in people. The focus shouldn’t be about making people more religious, but rather making them proud to be Jewish. Because at the end of the day, you don’t have to be religious, to be a part of your religion.

It’s not about watering down Judaism so that it fits in to your life – it’s figuring out who you are, to find where you fit into Judaism.