Michael discusses his hopes and fears for the future, how to achieve in life and how he connects to decision making. Michael hopes to be successful and have a stable family life with a wife and children. Freedom is important to Michael, he believes that the only barrier to success is yourself and feels that people use their background or colour of their skin as an excuse - but also recognises that these factors can play a role in holding people back. He doesn't think about what the government can do for him or people like him, he instead focuses on being self-sufficient. He hopes to run his own business.
This story was gathered by a youth advocate from the Equality Trust as part of a project called Reconstructing the Social Contract. 10 young people trained as community reporters and spoke to people aged between 16 and 25 in the United Kingdom to explore what impacts young people's life chances and their relationship with the state.
