You can fight for many things.
You can fight for your own rights.
You can fight for your own life.
But for me, I think
fighting is showing up.
The feeling of being lonely or isolated
can definitely affect your mental health.
People from refugee backgrounds
go through many situations
where they feel down and depressed.
There's not enough support.
I'm hoping to bring my idea
to a solid foundation
with the hopes that it will
become a reality.
Host: Welcome to the stage,
Percival Tussamba.
(Cheers and applause)
Chris Anderson: Hello,
I'm Chris Anderson, head of TED.
We believe that ideas change everything.
And that anyone in the world,
including you,
can have an amazing idea.
Which is why we've embarked on a search
to uncover the best ideas
you've never heard of.
Now an idea by itself
won’t achieve anything.
But what if it was presented on a stage,
and, secretly, in the audience,
there were experts
and mentors and investors?
Then all bets are off.
From TED, this is My Big Idea.
[My Big Idea]
PT: Hi, I'm Percy Tussamba,
and this is my big idea.
[London, UK]
Most of the time, in 2018,
I used to spend at home.
I had way too much time
on my hands to spare.
So a friend invited me to a boxing club,
which was something really
different from what I'm used to.
I went there,
and I just fell in love
with the sport from the start.
I felt welcomed because it was a place
where I didn't feel like I was left out
or discriminated or anything like that.
You just feel like you were welcome.
I never was really good
at any sport, to be honest.
I tried football, didn't work.
I tried basketball, didn't work.
But from the start I was consistent
and dedicated myself to keep showing up.
And my coaches motivated me
to keep showing up.
Boxing kind of gave me
three amazing skills:
persistence, perseverance and patience.
Basically, through discipline,
dedication, consistency,
regardless of your obstacles and adversity
that you might face in your life,
boxing allows you to change that.
Once you have that fuel,
that thing that makes you wake up
every day and fight for it,
it changes your perspective,
and you really just want to give your all.
It's important to share ideas
because by sharing ideas,
you're able to find people
that will help you
to bring your idea to life.
So by not sharing it, basically, you know,
you're just laying the idea in a box
and not allowing it to grow.
The idea started
from my own life experience
as a refugee in the UK.
I was born in Angola.
Most of my childhood I spent in Luanda,
but I used to travel
back and forth to Cabinda,
where my parents are from.
I pretty much had an enjoyable childhood
in the sense that I was able
to have fun with my friends
and family members.
The reason why I left my country,
despite loving the country so much,
is the fact that my dad
was affiliated with liberation
of the enclave of Cabinda,
which, basically, Cabinda is now
considered a province of Angola.
A small part in the north.
But the people that reside there,
they don't see themselves aligned
with the government of Angola,
and they'd might rather be separated
or be independent.
That affiliation led
to persecution of my own family
and ...
losing my dad
along the way because of that.
It was a normal, typical day,
coming from school
and finding my house burning.
And what happened before?
I don't know.
And what happened after?
I don't know.
But yeah, it was ...
Yeah.
Not a good place to be anymore.
Pretty much where the story started
of being a refugee.
Fahira Mulamehic: Becoming a refugee
is not a matter of choice.
It's a matter of force.
Asylum seekers have been
through appalling experiences,
witnessed their homes being destroyed,
witnessed their relatives,
families being killed.
People are fearing for their life
and seeking safety.
PT: I was 15 turning 16.
It took about a year or so
to get to safety.
I was definitely scared.
I was unsure of what was going
to happen next.
You know, what was left of my life.
FM: It's a horrendous journey.
It's running away from the danger
into uncertainty.
PT: It was basically leaving Angola
and arriving elsewhere.
And kept ...
And being kept in a basement
for a while and then moving again.
A very confusing process.
Don't know exactly where I was.
And then I arrived to the UK.
FM: But that's when the next
chapter of struggle starts.
It's going through the asylum system,
it's facing all the challenges again
in the country of asylum.
There is a huge isolation.
Many don’t speak English language at all,
and it takes time to find their ways
in the new system.
They took me away to a place
where many other young people reside,
and the first couple of weeks
was pretty much spending time by myself.
Every other young person there
already was in school
and speaking the language,
and it took a while to adapt.
There are those people that don't want
to see you in the country.
FM: There is a stigma of being a refugee,
partly thanks to how media
portrays people as benefit scroungers,
people who come to take British jobs,
people who are not interested in work,
which couldn't be further from the truth.
PT: Those stigmas and discrimination
can definitely affect you
in developing and, you know,
progressing in the country.
FM: It's a very lonely world.
You don't have family,
you don't have friends,
you don't know your neighbors,
you have no connections.
It's easy to become prey of people
who are looking
for vulnerable young people
to be exploited
as criminal gangs and so on.
PT: There's not enough guidance
and mentoring to help young refugees.
FM: Refugees have much more obstacles
to these opportunities.
But once given the opportunities,
they thrive.
PT: I'm currently undertaking
biomedical engineering at Queen Mary.
I’m on my third year now,
and the experience has been great.
Being able to learn so many things
and met great people along the way.
Usually it takes about five years,
as a migrant, to go to uni.
There was some obstacles along the way.
Learning the language per se,
that was one factor,
but for me it took me about three years
and a half to get to uni.
I definitely can say that boxing helped me
to get to university in the first place.
By having that discipline
definitely allowed me to calm down
and just dedicate to my own goal,
and working towards that bigger picture.
Applying for the TED Idea [Search]
was kind of like,
oh, I feel like I have something here
that is worthwhile sharing
with many people,
with the hopes
that it will become a reality
and help many young refugees.
I'm excited about it.
Scared as well, because
this is a bit huge, you know.
I don't know how many people
bought the tickets.
You know, I don't know how many people
will be in the room watching.
I dared myself to apply.
I'm already here, so, yeah.
Looking forward to it.
Another late night.
Just going over my script again.
The day is coming soon.
Every pen has a story to tell.
12:56.
I'm really tired.
Yeah, I don't even know how to describe
right now the feeling that I'm having.
Scared.
So I have the upcoming TED Talk
on the 12th of December.
The objective is to get
on the stage, give the idea.
And the idea is there.
What comes after?
It just will depend
on how people perceive it.
[Two weeks later]
[Brighton]
My hope for tonight
is that the audience
can leave with a message,
and they can help those young people
that really need their support.
You can make a change
with a simple thought.
And if you don’t speak aloud,
no one can hear it.
You got this idea, and it’s based
on your life experience.
And just share that idea.
Just be present, be yourself,
and speak your idea aloud.
Host: Welcome to the stage,
Percival Tussamba.
(Cheers and applause)
PT: I believe in boxing's power
to transform anyone's life,
especially young refugees
that deserve the support to thrive.
Because that transformation
happened in my life.
Because without boxing,
I don't believe I would be here,
standing in the Brighton Dome,
talking to you guys.
And also not just because of boxing,
but the people that I met along the way.
Boxing allowed me to rebuild my strength,
to give me my confidence
and find a purpose in life.
And I think it's about time.
The time to give back
and send ladder back down.
So just imagine with me.
Imagine a place where young people
from refugee backgrounds
can feel a sense of belonging.
Can rewrite their own stories.
And can learn how to box.
And can feel like they are present
and they belong in that place.
Just imagine that place.
Imagine if we call it PT Squared Fitness.
PT as in personal training,
PT also reflecting my name,
Percy Tussamba.
And the squared symbolizes
exponential growth and transformation.
I believe that that place
will help young people,
and we will break barriers
so they don't fall into harmful cycles
of lack of opportunities
and feeling isolated
and feeling like
they don't belong to a place.
And PT Squared Fitness will allow them
to rebuild their strength,
to boost their confidence
and also be able to give back
to the community that they belong.
As time progresses,
I would like to see those
exact same young people
giving back to their community,
running the organization
to a wider community.
And if I dare to dream big,
I would like to see this place
as a home for the Refugee Olympic team.
So we build that bridge
between the next generation
and inspire next generation as well.
I believe that PT Squared Fitness
cannot just be a place
but also a movement --
a movement and a tool.
A space that can allow young refugees
to rewrite their stories.
Thank you.
(Applause and cheers)
I can't believe
that actually happened, man.
Because after all this,
like, preparing myself and ...
I'm sorry, man.
For me, it's like,
whatever happens afterwards,
I've done my best.
And obviously I will continue
to make this happen.
So it will be something
that will be realized
and will come to life, solidifies.
I'm not crying anymore, so that's good.
I'm back to normal, cool.
[Four weeks later]
[London]
(Phone ringing)
CA: Percy, it's great to see you again.
PT: Nice to see you.
CA: We have some more
exciting news for you.
We have found an amazing business advisor
who is excited by your idea.
He's not just any business advisor.
He's an immigrant.
He's deeply enmeshed in the sports world.
He has worked for Disney Sports,
he's done a project for the Super Bowl
and for the Olympics.
And I would like you to meet Neelay Bhatt.
Neelay Bhatt: Bom dia Percy, how are you?
PT: Bom dia, I'm good, thank you.
(Laughs)
Starting with Portuguese straight away.
NB: I saw the talk,
I saw the making of it, all of that.
And I wanted to go out and start
boxing myself, my friend.
You inspired me so much.
You have a great “why,”
you have a great mission.
What we need to now figure out
is the "what" and the "how."
PT: Right, right.
And that's really where I'm happy
to help you as I can
to develop your business plan.
Spend a little time every month,
so that your idea,
through the TED stage
that the world can hear,
can now also be something
that the world can be a part of.
PT: Uh, thank you so much.
I mean, as you said,
having that mentorship and someone
that has already done, you know,
having experience is definitely essential.
Thank you so much for your time,
I appreciate it.
[The following day]
(Phone ringing)
CA: You know, you said in your talk
that it would be a dream
to have some kind of connection
with the Olympic Refugee team.
There's a champion boxer
from Bolton, a woman,
who won the first medal
for the Refugee Olympic team.
PT: Cindy Ngamba.
CA: So, I'd like you to meet Cindy.
She's on the call.
PT: No way Cindy is on the call, wow!
How are you?
I can't believe that I'm actually
talking to you right now.
Cindy Ngamba: You've been
a refugee yourself.
For you to come out with an amazing idea
to benefit as many refugees
all around the world
and give them the platform
and the opportunity
so that they can grab it with both hands
and strive just like I was able to.
Anyhow I can help you, brother, I'm there.
PT: A couple of weeks ago,
I received, in the post,
gloves signed by you.
Someone gave me as a gift.
So having you now on the chat,
talking to you directly,
just like, that's insane.
This is incredible.
Thank you so much for giving your time.
CA: It is so beautiful to see
the two of you interacting
and connecting and knowing
this is how things happen.
You know, ideas happen one step at a time,
one relationship at a time.
And then what seemed impossible
can suddenly start to seem possible.
PT: Just having that support right now,
I'm really, really happy just to see
that the idea now can become a reality.
[Percy and Neelay are underway
developing Percy's business plan]
[He hopes to train with Cindy soon ...]