ICON

Blade Runner, The Hitcher, Guiness, The Da Vinci Code film buffs & Dickheads [um, Philip K Dick fans btw!] would empathise with how I felt this evening...

Whilst waiting on a woven cafe chair outside Harry's, Amsterdam's most fabulous & best cocktail bar, I glanced at the table to my left...looking at 3 very colourful characters in animated conversation. As I scanned the compatriots, taking in the brand names...Purple & green Nike Air sneakers on the young woman, a knitted hat worn very scandanavian styly on the young man & black Puma tracksuit bottoms on Rutger Hauer....wait RUTGER HAUER!!?

I was looking into the face of an 80's Icon of the listed movies & ads above. It took my breath away. Here was a man who's on-screen personas epitomised the sinister & dark movies he starred in, reflective of the depressing fearful time of the 80's. All those fingers on the nuclear buttons...

After he left the bar squezzing himself into a little black, modern Alpha Romeo [don't ask me the name, I don't DO motors!], I asked his female conspirator, 'What were you all discussing?'...

Miss P... "Did you recgnise him then?...:-) Well I work for Dance4life International [An initiative set up to empower young people around the world to push back the spread of HIV & AIDs as Half of the new HIV infections every day are among young people under 25 years old!]
well I was having a meeting with him because he wants to make a documentary about me & 7 other women who have HIV..He has his own Rutger Hauer Starfish Foundation."

His foundation is also aimed at raising help & awareness of the HIV/AIDs situation, focussing especially on support to children & pregnant women.

What an amazingly fascinating project, one that I'd love to track. Both organisations are about inspiring young people to get out there & actively get involved, & do something about it...become agents of change.

It's amazing how many articles that you can read, or conversations that you can overhear, that denegrate young people. Some that I have come across DO want to do something, if a brand or organisation can make it easy for them to be involved & they can see a direct impact based on what they put in. So come on brands, facilitate & enable young people to get involved & make a difference. It doesn't have to be a huge movement. Even if the change is small...change is still change...

Rutger Hauer's story from the Starfish foundation articulates it better than I ever could...

"One early morning as I was walking along the beach I discovered a figure at a distance moving like a dancer. As I got closer I noticed that the figure was a young girl Maybe 9-10 years old and she wasn't dancing. She was reaching down to the shoreline Picking up small objects and throwing them into the ocean… As I came even closer, I said 'Good morning, what are you doing?' She paused a little out of breath, looked up and said, 'Throwing starfish into the sea', 'Why are you throwing them back there?' I asked, She said, 'The sun is getting hot and the tide is going out, If I don't throw them in, they'll die'. I couldn't help saying 'But there are miles of beach And hundreds of starfish, d'you think it makes a difference?' She gave me a very serious look and bent down picking up another starfish And threw it into the sea, As it splashed into the water she said 'It makes a difference to that one…'.

Rutger Hauer