Part of the African Pride Hotel group, the Melrose Arch Hotel has redefined urban chic in a city which I have come to fully embrace for its diversity and rising self-confidence, finally emerging strong from many years of its turbulent past.

FORBES: Connect

But if parents, teachers and the other adults in a child's life never acknowledge "how things are" -- no matter how good the intention may be -- then they are denying that child an opportunity to mature, to develop a strong sense of self-confidence that can only be earned by recognizing shortcomings and dealing with disappointments and failures.

CNN: Kid, you are not special

They asserted with increasing self confidence that their system was superior: societies that accepted strong, even authoritarian governments and were willing to limit individual liberties in the interest of the common good, take charge of their economics, and sacrifice short-run consumer interests for the sake of long-run growth would eventually outperform the increasingly chaotic societies of the West.

FORBES: A Cautionary Fable

An independent evaluation of Big Noise Raploch which was commissioned by the Scottish government reported last year that there is strong evidence that the project boosts children's personal and social development, confidence, self esteem, social skills, and the ability to concentrate.

BBC: Glasgow backs Govanhill Big Noise project