“Today a reader; Tomorrow a Leader.” This is the first half of a quote by Writer and Women’s Rights Activist, Margaret Fuller, and the spirit of her quote is what we at Leaders Unlocked embody on ‘World Book Day.’ We’re glad to deliver this message to the LU network because every newsletter article, social media post, handbook or blog has been pondered and conceived because individual amongst you have had the regular thought of, “I like these folk- these *Leaders*, and I’m certain that every one of them has a story of value to tell. Many thanks.

Now frankly, reading as a concept can be a brain-mush. Honestly, a quite absurd practice that manages to encapsulate present, past and potential future experiences, all conveyed by a series of arbitrary squiggles which many clever folk for generations until now, had decided means something. The mush of it all begins to feel even more amazing, when you remember that these squiggles are all written with picked, plant juice, spilled upon ‘pages’ of more picked plants. Chewing over this absurdity, I come to realise all the individual parts of creating a book, sound like quite daring, arduous errands on their own and would simply present as needless effort, if not for somebody else being there to pick up the next page. (As in, iron gall ink, in the 15th century used to take days to weeks to prepare- and it was used across European history!) This kind of resilience is decisive- The decision that as an individual, one would create something unfinished, but with the potential to be transformed, and then transformed again, and again until it’s a mush of several unfinished creations which now exist as something with meaning.

Apologies if that sounds a little existential, but how can you not be when it comes to reading. The whole point is to be existential: There were so many ramblings and errors which had nearly made it into this blog, until I used my clever head to proof read and decided better. I think that this clearly attests how everything which we regularly read is something which truly went through hoops, in order to share ‘existing’ alongside us all.

“We live in a time of great change – the way we read is changing, the way we write is changing, literature itself is changing. But our deep need for stories will never go away.”
– Author, Kate Pullinger.

This quote referred to the changes in literature since the late 1990s, as the advent of new technology. I think it’s accurate! Many have described the advent of technology in media and literature to be this wave of pervasive and permeating impact upon how readers and writers will interact with story for generations, and it all came from that primaeval desire to tell stories in the first time, interacting with the novelty of new toys to play with. As a person with a background in social media and comms, when I think about all those moving pieces that go into a story or writing being put out there, my mind is drawn to contrast with the respective contrast that goes into digital content as well, they really are two sides of a coin- between traditional journalistic interviews and your podcast interview, short films and short stories. Though compared, the elements of audio, video, graphics and typography do weave together messages with absurd quickness, it’s hard to believe that it all came from empty code. It’s true that we are using “Code as the Canvas” – Digital storyteller, Charles Melcher.

Algorithm based story-pushing is also known to have its faults, with social media platforms primarily pushing dialogues that carry emotional language or ‘out-group animosity’, as to take advantage of virality. This can pose a negative effect on young people, as these types of content can be used to invoke frustration, along with superficially sending messages to young people about who or where they should be directing their frustrations to.

“Both audiences and news publishers generally have a limited understanding of how algorithms target news consumers and boost, restrict and recommend news content.” – -‘Centre for News, technology and Innovation.’

I believe that young people deserve to read material that cares about their mental health. There is content created out there for the purpose of imbuing confidence into young readers, and where the audiences can feel affirmed that those messages come from real individuals, creating from their own real experiences. But in this day and age, surrounded by social media headlines trying to rile them up, along with recent panic from media professionals about having their work unknowingly being scraped by A.I models, how will young people identify the content that’s meant to “brace them?”

Chatting with peers, I’ve found that when encouraged to seek out modern writing and works of previous generations, young people are likely to find insight, enrichment and overall, more emotional soundness about their futures. Literary art does serve as a brace, against confusion.

“Fiction infused with hope doesn’t blithely skip around reality, It faces it head-on, then provides the steps for readers to climb above it.” – Bestselling Author, Shanna

Hatfield.And I think that that makes sense, there’s the idea that fiction can be applied as allegories to the reader’s personal life, intimately transforming into blueprints on how to handle similar plights to that of the characters we oversee. When we read descriptions of real human emotions and experiences, we innately feel empathy, along with the vicarious satisfaction which these characters feel upon overcoming their goals. With each title, comes an array of literary heroes’ journeys to accompany and with them: endless preparation for our own.

But why do I personally read and what does it do for my mental health? I do it to chase a ‘warm’ feeling in my chest that I feel whenever I reach that moment of seeing a story or message come full circle in a piece that I’m reading. This leads me to the fantasy academia title, ‘Blood over Bright Haven’ by M.L Wang: A story about an academic in magic and her lab assistant facing institutional suppression of knowledge and social acumen. I was impacted whenever these characters would share their discrimination experienced due to their social identities. There were scenes depicting characters going through the emotional spiral that comes with realising the systemic nature of historical hardships and I’d felt as though the real life oversights that I was concerned about were being recognised. . This story uses the genre’s magical eccentricities to elevate how its protagonists respond to injustice, matching how impassioned young people like myself feel, when realising how great our real life inequalities are. Revolution stories affirm to me that to be disenfranchised can feel chasm-like, but in that deep absence of action lies, potency. And just like a cavern, carved a millennia ago, change does eventually come in torrents of restoration that ultimately ebbed from individuals deciding that they deserve better.

As a young person, it also means a lot to me that other young people have a healthy relationship with reading, that always takes themselves back to the shelf. Now, I’ll share feedback from Young Leaders on how reading has improved their mental health:

From Young Leader, Zainab: Experience with the book Yellow Face by R.F. Kuang.

She enjoyed this crime mystery fiction novel, centring a deceased, aspiring writer named Athena Liu, gripped at the seat as she watched the scenes climactically unfold. Seeing mysteries come to a close brings this leader satisfaction. “Reading has improved my mental health by improving my attention span and because I find it enjoyable. After a long day, reading is a wonderful escape. I love how it allows my imagination to take change, as ever since I was young, I’ve loved imaginative activities.”

“We love detective/mystery novels because they’re so surprising but weirdly comforting and cozy because we’re always confident that at the end of the story, the case is going to be solved; everything’s gonna be okay.” -Author Quote: Dr. Andrew Moore, The Great Books Prof. Youtube

From Young Leader: Experience with the book The defining decade by Meg Jay.

This Young Leader was struck by the work’s messaging about identity, and how it’s built through one’s actions. They shared with me a quote from the book, “Identity capital: The repertoire of individuals that we assemble over time; the investment we make in ourselves, the things we do well enough, or long enough that they become a part of who we are – Twenty-somethings who take the time to explore and also have the nerve to make commitments along the way construct stronger identities.”

“This quote inspired me to be more deliberate with choices I make. For example, which university to join. This has improved my mental health a lot.”

From Young Leader, Ayesha: Experience with the book, Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

This Young Reader has recently begun reading this book; following the life of a neurosurgeon who unexpectedly becomes a patient and is taken along a reflection on life, purpose and what really matters. “Even from the beginning, the book has made me think more about appreciating the small things in life and not taking everyday moments for granted. Reading has a positive influence on my mental health, as it helps me slow down and clear my mind, reflect on deeper ideas, and gain a different perspective on life.”

“Instructions for living a life, Pay attention, Be astonished, Tell about it.” -Poet, Mary Oliver.

So, with all this endorsement from young people towards literature, what can be done as a community to ensure that reading and writing are shared more widely, and that youth can expect newfound confidence, when discovering new information? I’ve found that owning a library card and library facilities come with a breadth of access to unfiltered content which encourages considerate thinking.

The UK has an array of online library-connect platforms that are either free or free when signed up with, using a library card i.e ‘Kanopy’: A means of young people being able to access years digital stories such as documentaries and film,

‘Newsbank’: An expansive database that archives multitudes of online articles, newspapers, special reports and obituaries through an app, providing free access using a library card. Used by universities and schools, it’s toted as a credible source for finding trustworthy information, and ‘Library On’: An online network to find many in-person activities and communities hosted at your local libraries i.e regular book clubs, art and music groups, games nights as well as career guide and wellness sessions.

Secondly, with Young people having expressed concern with the stories that they hear online, there is room for Newsrooms to collaborate with Young people, so that they can engage with the institutions behind the information being delivered to them. Local newsrooms that are willing to undertake student journalism are poised for the first steps, taken towards young people taking ownership over the coverage of their local community stories.

In March 2022, the Council of Europe delivered legislation that recommends and prioritises ‘quality content/journalism’ that is defined as, “Publishers committed to the pursuit of truth, fairness and accuracy, to independence, transparency and humanity” etc.

The ‘National Union of Journalists’ claims that AI generated text carries the potential for producing alt text and visual descriptions across more online platforms, so when combined with the breadth of different types of digital material, this could make information more accessible for young, disabled people. They are one amongst many collectives of authors who are willing to engage with publishers and governors about policies that regard implementing AI into the production process.”

I believe that causes such as these are deserving of coverage within the online streams that young people are likely to see, given that it does affect them.

“It is an impressive beast, but one that needs to be tamed.” -Author, Bernadine, Evaristo.

Overall, one can perceive a one day, a precedent being set where the use of A.I software in delivering digital stories is associated with ethics and transparency, rightful credit and accuracy, one where young people aren’t discouraged from becoming the storytellers of the future. When both virtual platforms and contemporary authors collaborate with a young audience in comparable ways, what follows should be a generation who are continually affirmed in their next decision to pick up a book.

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.” -Author, Margret Fuller.

By Daz, Leaders Unlocked.