YOUTHUNLIMITEDISSUE 002A

THEVENT

The localrock band

night page

HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN A WEEK

Do this and you ca

n get ridof your m

an

OBESITY

The BIGissue

By young people, foryoung people

A VOICE FOR TODAY...

... AN IMPACT ON TOMORROW

THIS ISSUE

Welcome back tothe magazine tha

t puts the ‘you’ back in

youth. Young people face a lot of is

sues these days,and

we have pulled together a whole bu

nch of different young

people to help deal with some of th

ose issues.

This edition provides a range of fun,

cool and interesting

articles for you toenjoy. You’ll find e

verything from fashion

to football to festivals in these page

s.

So what is it like being part of Youth

Unlimited magazine?

Well for a start weare all great friend

s and have a huge

amount of fun! Overall we get to ma

ke our voices heard

over the whole borough whilst gettin

g together and having

a brilliant time.

Because of the big team we have, we get a

ll kinds of

opinions and views from loads of different

people. This

means that in themagazine there re

ally is somethingfor

everyone! Don’t forget folks, that un

like most youth

magazines, this iscompletely written

and designed by

young people fromthe team, so it rea

lly is by youth for

youth!

Over the last year, this magazine h

as come really far, really

quickly. There is however, always ro

om for more opinions

and more improvements. So if there

is anything in the

magazine that you think could be im

proved, please email

us at kewilsdon@yahoo.co.uk with

your opinions.

Thanks very much for picking up a

copy and we really hope

you enjoy it!

Thanks! From the team

HIYA

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& Merry Christmas

PAGE 2

FEATURES

Homeless YoungPeople > > > > page 04

Reading Festival> > > > > > > > >

page 08

TheVent > > > >> > > > > > > > >

page 09

Red Storm Rising Music Review page 10

Obesity > > > > > > > > >> > > > page 13

How to Lose a Guy in 1 Week > > p

age 14

New Malden > >> > > > > > > > >

page 15

Gap Years > > >> > > > > > > > >

page 20

Young Carers > > > > > > > > >> page 22

PAYP > > > > > > > > >> > > > > page 23

INFO, HELP ANDUS

Kingston Youth Council > > > > >

page 06

Reel Event > > > > > > > > >> > page 07

Schools > > > > > > > > >> > > > page 20

REGULARS

Tom’s Regular Rant > > > > > > > p

age 12

COMPETITIONS

Puzzle Page > >> > > > > > > > >

page 16

YOUTH EVENTSAND INFO

KU19 > > > > > > > > >> > > > > page 17

Youth Centres info > > > > > > > >

page 24

Info for Young People > > > > > > page

24

CONTENTS

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PAGE 3

PAGE 4

Ilooked up the word homeless in adictionary and found it to mean“Someone with no housing.” At firstI was able to accept this on face

value, it made sense. If you have nohouse you must be homeless. Aftersome further research I have found thatthis definition is not strictly true. You canbe counted as homeless if: you areliving in temporary accommodation suchas a hostel or B&B, you are living inunsafe or overcrowded housing that youshould not be expected to live in or youare living with friends or relations whocannot house you permanently.In 2004 local authorities found that

204,750 households/families werehomeless (this figure does not includethose families who do not seek advicefrom local councils). At the end ofDecember of the same year, 101,040homeless families had been placed intemporary accommodation; 6,450families were placed in hotels and10,080 families were placed in hostels.

Again figures do not include those whosought their own accommodation orthose who received help from socialservices.Given that Britain is the 4th

wealthiest country in the world, why areso may people living in temporaryaccommodation or housing that is unfitto live in? Why do so many people haveno accommodation at all?Money is a huge problem. The

average weekly housing benefit is£63.20, however the average weeklyrent is £77.30. With a large family orindeed any family, and perhaps a jobthat doesn’t pay so well, what arefamilies supposed to live on? There arearound 700,000 empty dwellings inEngland and more than enough peopleto fill them, the problem is people justcan’t afford the cost of living.According to the latest figures, well

over 1 million houses in the UK are unfitto live in, however 90% of them areunoccupied. Thanks to outdated

guidelines the government does notrecognise the situation of a lot of thesefamilies. These ancient standards meanthat rooms such as the kitchen andliving room count as spaces to be sleptin. When taking a people count, babiesunder 1 year of age do not count as aperson and children under 10 only countas half a person. By these standards afamily of 6 could easily only count as 3½ people. These guidelines mean thatwell over 1 million children are living inunfit housing and it is estimated thathomeless children miss out on a quarterof their schooling. With education beingone of the most important things in life, Ibelieve we are setting our children up toget poorly paid jobs and the whole cycleof not being able to afford housingbegins again.

If you walk down the streets of London, or indeed any majorcity, it is obvious that the number of homeless people livingon the streets is ridiculously high and it is obvious that thisnumber should not be so high. However, when researchingthis article I discovered that there are many more homelesspeople. Homeless people that we do not see…

BY LUCY SAWYER

1) As a Project Worker what actuallyis your role?Well I’m a project worker for aChristian centre in Waterloo; I getinto work at around 7:30 to 8:30amand set up all the breakfast things.When people start arriving at around9am I serve tea and coffee. Duringthe rest of the day I create orders forclothing and showers.

2) Do you think the government havedone anything particularly effective intrying to both prevent and help thecurrent homeless situation?I have mixed feelings on this. Thegovernment seems to think thathomeless centres are prolonginghomelessness. They think that aslong as these people get a meal anda shower they don’t need to get ajob, so they are closing centresdown. This is ok only if they openrehab centres. A lot of people use

the homeless centres as a place tobuild relationships and gain self-esteem. If you have been on yourown for a long time it is a hard thingto do. Some people just aren’t readyto get a job. If they have beenhomeless for 15 years, that is 15years of habits to deal with.

3) In your experience as a ProjectWorker what effect doeshomelessness have on youngpeople both now and later onin life?Low self-esteem is a major problemwith homeless young people. It is adownward spiral that can lead tousing substances; it is a way ofputting up barriers so as not to haveto face the world. Certain attitudesdevelop and it is a self-perpetuatingproblem where the young personpushes people away and eventuallypeople end up not wanting to go

near them. It is difficult to generaliseas the young people are alreadysuffering. Something causeshomelessness and it is not justpeople from this country. At themoment there are a lot of peoplefrom Poland who have been told thatthey will be able to get jobs here andthey can’t.

4) Again in your experience what arethe most frequent causes ofhomelessness and what are the bestpreventatives?It is usually something that hashappened in the early years.Perhaps they didn’t fit in or haddifficulty at school. People soonbecome outcasts at any early age.Sometimes they can’t cope and don’tget any support. It is very easy to getisolated quickly.

Something has to be done and fast but what? I spoke to WayneSmith (pictured, right), a Homeless Project worker to find out.

END

PAGE 6

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KYC IS THE YOUTH COUNCIL WORKINGSPECIFICALLY FOR YOU IN OUR ROYALBOROUGH. MEETING ONCE A MONTHAND HAVING REPRESENTATIVES ONMANY OTHER LOCAL COUNCILS WE AREWORKING FAIRLY HARD.“KYC

”

CONTACT DETAILS

If you want to have your say on youth issues or concerns andyou want something done about it email:

kyc@rbk.kingston.gov.uk

////////

KINGSTON YOUTH COUNCIL

Welcome to the KYC page. Firstly I hope you all gotwhat you wanted in your various exams and thenew school year isn’t getting you down already.However you have in your trembling hands issue

two of the vastly superior youth magazine, compiled by theyoung people of Kingston. Young people such as yourselves,people you no doubt cheer or jeer in your school corridors.These dedicated folk were not chosen, no youth worker covertlyenlisted them, they simply offered their skills and were given thechance to demonstrate them, the outcome of which is spilledover each page.Short of this being part of a recruitment drive, this is a

message that I think we all too often block out. School is hard,sure and it may seem like you seldom have time for much else,so why not prove to yourself that the things you’re picking upcan come to some use and get you noticed? If you don’t likebeing branded as a lazy teen then get up, say you’re going to dosomething and do it. Join a sports team; get involved in yourschool’s council, get up ten minutes earlier, it’s not that any ofthe above is difficult; it’s just effort. Granted, it would be reallyeasy to dismiss this too and keep cruising through your youth,but my advice is, leave a mark, have something to talk about,have something that makes you, you, individuality is a trait seento be lacking in our generation.As my year as Kingston’s Member of Youth Parliament ends I

can say that the youth council continues to go from strength tostrength. Very recently we ran a racial justice event in CoombeGirls and are currently preparing for an exchange to our sistertown in Germany; both have come out of dedication and someinspired ideas. What would be great is for each person to vote inthe upcoming election, take some interest in the candidates and,if you see something you like in it all, to act on it.

‘Success usually comes to those who are too busy to belooking for it’

By Chris Fullbrook

THE R–RACIAL JUS

PAGE 7

Each year Kingston holds amemorial event in remembrance ofRicky Reel. This year we chose tolook forward, asking questions like,

what is racial justice and is there racial justicein Kingston?The ‘Reel Event’ involved groups of pupils

from schools all over the borough comingtogether and discussing ways of promotingracial justice. The afternoon was spent inworkshops discussing not only ways in whichracial injustice can be stopped, but also abouthow young people think racism affects them.

The Story of Ricky ReelOn the night of 14th October 1997 Lakhvinder‘Ricky’ Reel and three of his friends wereracially attacked in Kingston upon Thames.Ricky was separated from his friends andnever returned home that night. The incidentwas immediately reported to the police, buthis parents felt that no action was taken.Fearing for Ricky’s safety the family thenbegan their investigation and discovered vitalvideo evidence and witnesses. Seven dayslater, Ricky’s body was found in the Thames,less than half a mile away from the location ofthe incident. The police concluded that furtherinvestigation was not required.The family instigated a complaint against

the police because they believed that theyhad responded poorly. This was undertakenby the Surrey Constabulary and supervisedby the Police Complaints Authority. The policemaintained that Ricky died by slipping over

the edge after urinating in the river. Theyrefused to investigate other theories.Consequently the circumstances of Ricky’sdeath still remain a mystery.In 1998 the investigation was taken over

by the Race and Violent Crime Task force.Their report was completed in 1998 and inearly 1999 it was released to the family andtheir solicitor on the condition that it is notdisclosed to the public. In November 1999the inquest into Ricky’s death began atFulham Town Hall. As the inquest progressed,the new investigating team announced thatthey did not believe that Ricky died in anyother circumstances than an accident.This was a shock to the family who had

some faith that this team was at last lookingseriously into Ricky’s death. Despite thepolice arguing that the death was accidental,the jury returned an open verdict. The familycontinues to demand that the report be madepublic and will continue their campaign todiscover how Ricky Reel died.

What is Racial Justice?Racial Justice is all about achieving equalityand fair judgement for all races in society. Itdoesn’t matter where you’re from, thereshould be justice for all racial groups andjustice against racism. Those who attendedthe Reel Event learnt that people should betreated the same, regardless of their colour,race religion and culture. No one should bebullied or hurt due to where they come from.Racial justice is based on the belief that we

About Racial Justice…

Stop racism

Stand up for yourrights

Stop racial injustice in schools

Start racial Justice

Always be safe

Racism and Racial Justice is an ongoing issue, some ideason how to take this topic further involve…

Talking to more young people and getting more opinions

Finding out more about racial justice in schools

If you have any ideas on this topic or want to get involved let usknow, you can email us at youthunlimited@rbk.kingston.gov.uk.You can also check out the younglivin’ bulletin board atwww.younglivin.org.uk to give us your opinions on racial justice.

Lyrics by Chris Smoove

Ok waitSome of u thinking what’s thisWhat I dealing with is Racial InjusticeIf you don’t know get to know about thisGather round when I’m done to discuss thisAnd ask yourselves where u find it existsIn your townYour countryYour estateYour nicheHow can it be helpedHow can we get rid of itThe system ain’t doing much about it so I gotta tell of itIt’s relevantSo I’m leading by example in hope to influenceBeing unjust to someone because if their raceTheir colourTheir beliefsIs just not rightNo matter who you are no matter where you beIn Life we should all get treated equally

I hope you listening to everything I sayI need you to think about everything I sayA whole bunch of things ain’t really right todayAnd racial injustice is one of them

This is the realLets think about what happened to Ricky ReelIf it happened to your family how would you feelTell you what, here’s what I’ll doLets think about this like this was youYou’re out one night with three of your matesFor a drink, laugh and maybe score datesThen you and your mates get racial abuseSituation blows out of control like a fuseNext think you know you’re being attackedSo in fear you gotta run for your lifeWhen reported Police don’t believe the hypeA week later your body is found in the ThamesNo investigationNo suspect namesA sad incidentWritten off as an accident

I hope you listening to everything I sayI need you to think about everything I sayA whole bunch of things ain’t really right todayAnd racial injustice is one of them

WHAT PEOPLE SAID WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

RACIAL INJUSTICE

About Racial Justice in Schools…There is racial injustice in schoolsTeachers can be racistIt’s bullyingIt’s not talked about

What people thought of the event itself…

It was good and taught them a lot

People shouldn’t be treated differently

The event was inspiring

There should be a lot more events like it

REEL EVENTSTICE IN KINGSTON

BY LUCY SAWYER, IZZI WOODHO

USE, NIKI PATEL,

TOM WHITEHEAD-CLARKE, CHRIS F

ULLBROOK,

HALIMA MOIN, MICHAELJOSLIN AND MORGAN MEAD

On the 20th October, an event took place at CoombeGirls School in order to raise awareness of the racialjustice initiative in Kingston.

END

Armed with flowery wellies, as the g

round was still muddy

from the heavy downpours of the last few

days, we left

our tent ready to get down and dirty

in yet another

tent…yes, the Carling Tent was the f

irst stop of the day,

and we were on asearch for hot new

talent. We found

the Aussie band, Thirsty Merc. We p

artied on to the

NME/Radio 1 Tent where, during the

day, you’ll always

find bands that areon the verge of m

aking it HUGE. Of

course, as the night draws in, the ba

nds get bigger andbigger with

The Killers headlining the Main Stage

, but we’ll never forget

Kasabian’s spectacular set leaving e

veryone singing the “Ah-ahhh-

ahhh-ahh-ahh-ahhh-ahhh-ahhh-ah!”

chorus of LSF intothe night.

Bands seen: Thirsty Merc, The Dead

60s, Death From Above

1979, Graham Coxon, Elbow, The Coral, Queens o

f the Stone

Age, The Killers, Black Rebel Motorc

ycle Club and Kasabian.

Highlight: Stayingup until 3am so that we’d be, a

s our mate Nick

said, “hardcore.” There was a countd

own and everything and then we all

passed out in ourtents at approxima

tely 3:01am.

Lowlight: Getting crushed at the very

front of the Main Stage during The C

oral

by crazy youths (you’d think The Co

ral would be slightly chilled but no…

mosh

pit for every band…thank God we did

n’t stay there for QOTSA).

Best band: Kasabian.

FRIDAY

Woke up fairly lateafter being “hardc

ore” the night

before, so we onlycaught the last of

The Cribs.

Today was really all about getting in

there with the

hardcore Arctic Monkeys fans. Amo

ngst them all,

standing there, singing along to tune

s like ‘Fake Talesof

San Francisco’ and ‘Put on Your Da

ncing Shoes’ withAlex Turner

telling us “don’t believe the hype”…it

all felt a bit surreal. Magical.

Gotta love those Monkeys. With the s

etting sun came Johnny Borrell

stealing other people’s hats, dusk br

ought Country-rock Gods, Kings

of Leon, and the Foos dazzled us wi

th cool laser effects. But

Saturday night was all about Trolley.

Take two trolleys,put a crazed

youth in each andram them into each other se

nding people flying! It

gives a whole newmeaning to yob cu

lture. Not even security

confiscating the trolleys could stop ‘

em. There

were people climbing over the toilet

walls to

liberate the trolley. God speed. Liter

ally.

Bands seen: TheCribs, Nine Black

Alps, Biffy

Clyro, The Arctic Monkeys, The Othe

rs, The

Charlatans, Hot Hot Heat, Razorligh

t, Kings of

Leon and Foo Fighters.

Highlight: MeetingJohnny Borrell at

the NME

Signing Tent! He signed our arms an

d Nazrene

got a kiss J…andTROLLEY! Look o

ut for variations ofthe legendary

Trolley at Reading2006.

Lowlight: Alice having to be saved by

our friend Jake from a creepy

creepy man who swore he was only

“nuzzling.”

Best band: Kingsof Leon.

SATURDAY

If you’re like us, Sunday was all abo

ut the

NME/Radio 1 Tent. If you exclude s

mall intervals to mosh

on the outskirts ofthe, shall we say,

more heavier-

inclined crowd during Marilyn Manso

n, the day was

dedicated to the Kings of Indie Rock

and Roll and their

pretenders. The lead singer of the R

akes was ill or

something (at thetime we didn’t rea

lly care) so they were

joined on stage bymany a cool Indie

mofo. Then we got

to stand at the very front to observe

Maxïmo Park’s

keyboardist doingfreakish chopping

hand gestures, but having the chanc

e to

see The Futureheads followed by B

loc Party, well, that has to be a gig th

at

only fools dream of, surely? Well, fools and dreamers

we are, but see them

both we did! We left the arena to the

sounds of an organiser thanking us,

no

less, for making the weekend what it

was. We ate Super Noodles that we

cooked ourselvesand cried a little b

ecause it was all over (and secretly,

mostly because there was so much

smoke in the air).We left to the sou

nds of

people still chanting, “We all follow th

e Trolley” and came home smelling l

ike

wood smoke.

Bands seen: TheRakes, Sons and

Daughters, HAL, Maxïmo Park, The R

ifles,

Incubus, Marilyn Manson, LCD Soun

dsystem, The Futureheads and Bloc

Party.Highlight: Enjoying

the thumping dance beats in the Bac

ardi B-Bar and being

dragged to the front by Jake (bigges

t, strongest man you’ll ever meet) in

the

NME tent for TheFutureheads.

Lowlight: Four/Five days of no sleep

and heavy rockingstarts taking its tol

l.

AWARDS

Best Dressed: ’Crazy Welsh People

’

The Cutest Couple: Nick and Jimmy

Best Fire: Our one, hehe.

Best Signing: Razorlight (Johnny go

t around)

Best band of the weekend: Can’t dec

ide…even

the most decisiveperson couldn’t do

it.

Best up and coming band: The Arctic

Monkeys, no doubt. And now, with

a Number One under their belts, not

hing and no one can stop them.

Thank you, Reading, we were dirty

and

we were rocking. And we’d do it all

again.

See you next year!

Nazrene and Alicexxxx

P.S. Don’t forget your wellies trolley.

OVERVIEW

SUNDAY

Take the Bank Holiday weekend in August, mix in somebands both old and new, sprinkle thousands of music-crazy, rockstar hungry fans, and leave to simmer in themud, the rain, and the scorching summer sun…

As usual, the summer of 2005 broughtus a whole range of music festivals, butif you really like your ROCK, you had tobe at Reading. As Dave Grohl told thescreaming crowd, “V Festival’s for theclean people, Glastonbury’s for thehippies. Reading’s for the dirty f*ckingrockers!”WELCOME TO READING FESTIVAL 2005

BY NAZRENE HANIF AND ALICE MARMION

END

Hoards of teenagers were millingabout in cliques in the church inanticipation of the doors openingto THEVENT; a night where local

bands come to play for those organisedenough to book a ticket on time.I lounged on a sofa inside and wondered

why I didn’t feel at all intimidated by thespiked lip piercings, studded boots, wild hairand uniformly black clothes that sucked alllight from the surrounding area. I put it downto the general friendliness and happiness ofmost of the people there. Many people satoutside to chat over free drinks of hotchocolate.Others sat in the prayer tent for deeper

conversation and prayer (hence the name).Most people appeared to know each other,yet even if they didn’t they were ready to getto know new people. If given half a chanceconsidering the deafening rock music inside.Whether people had come to see the

bands or just meet with friends, everyoneenjoyed the music, jumping together, moshingtogether, dancing together…I reckon they all agree with me that

THEVENT is one of the easiest places tohave a good time.

(To get tickets for the next Vent visitwww.oxygen-online.org)

THEVENT

BY THOMAS HOLMES

LETTING OFF STEAM AT

END

PAGE 9

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TOMUSIC: SHOWCASING THEHOTTEST NEW TALENT INYOUR AREA AND REVIEWINGTHE LATEST SINGLE ANDALBUM RELEASES…

RedStorm Rising are John, Spencer,Duncan and Craig. Now, they writetheir own songs and play gigs atvenues like The Peel and The

Garage. Three years ago, they did a coversgig. Before that, each were part of various otherbands "who rocked". Before that, like everymusician in the business and any aspiring rockstars you might know, they had to learn how toplay their instruments.

But why'd they start anyway?Duncan: Because bass looked easier to playthan guitar…John: There are only four strings!Duncan: I started after I saw that gig withThree Colours Red and Pete wore a nice suitwhile playing and he's got nice hair as well. Isuppose I was just inspired by that if weneeded one sort of inciting incident.John: Well I started doing music becausemy mum plays the piano and by granddadplays the accordion, started playing piano whenI was about four and then other instrument. Istarted guitar at seventeen. So it all stems backto my mum and my granddad - that's how coolI am. It wasn't a gig that did it; it was my mumand granddad.Craig: Um, I, well, I actually started playingthe clarinet and I sucked at that, so I gave thatup. I was about ten.John: And those hopes of playing theAlbert Hall were dashed forever.Craig: I started having an interest inplaying the drums after listening to my dad'srecord collection and listening to The Who,which was the most incredible sound I've everheard. I actually started playing air drums in mybedroom for about a year, I used two woodenspoons and tried to play along to Keith Moon. Igot my first actual drumkit when I wasseventeen and just kind of developed.Spencer: I'm similar to John, I think my dadand my grandparents were all sort of concertpianists, concert violinists, and I learnt violinwhen I was five and I finished all the gradeswhen I was about fifteen. My sister told me itwas cool to play the drums so I went to havelessons - it was good fun. After that, I startedplaying around on bass and started to take an

interest in acoustic guitars. I got my first electricwhen I got my first credit card.

Any tips for young scenesters who mightjust be starting out?John: Do it for the fun.Craig: Do it for the girls!John: Don't sit there and start playing andthink you're good enough to play because youwon't be. I'm not being mean there, am I?Duncan: Yeah, you are.John: If you're gonna be a rhythm guitaristlisten to GreenDay because it's nice and easyto play along to. If you're gonna be a leadguitarist listen to stuff that's got lots of Slash init, Van Halen, Hendrix. Practice until you getgood, don't practice until you think you're kindof all right and mess up, otherwise people willwatch you and think "Oh you're a bit rubbisharen't you?"Craig: I'd say the best thing to do isprobably to listen. I never learnt to play thedrums properly, I never had a lesson, so I'd justsay listen to as many drummers as you canand develop your style - find a guy that you likeand try and play like them, if you can get ateacher then all the better, because there's stillthings that I don't know and will never knowbecause I was never taught properly. Just listenand develop your sound.

So how would you describe your soundthen?John: We're Pop Rock Punk or thosethree words in some kind of order. That's theeasiest and loosest term to put us in.Spencer: Craig's very influenced by 60s/70sbands like The Who so his drumming is likepure rock and Duncan's a bit of a punk bassistat heart and I'm influenced by 80s bands likeVan Halen and Guns 'n' Roses, stuff like that,and John's big on pop rock.John: Yeah, I love Wild Hearts and everyrelated band to them - Yo Yos - and also stufflike Butch Walker who's been working a lot withAvril Lavigne recvently. And he did a song withTommy Lee, which was so cheesy it hurt.Spencer: So it's quite a mix…and also - don'tquote us on this one - John and I are quitebig…Beach Boys fans.

Do you guys do this professionally? Is thisyour jobs?John: Yeah, we're unsigned, we've gotthis album that we've been working on sincelike June, it's kind of nearing the end, we'rehoping that it'll be out by Christmas and thatthrough that we'll get some kind of interest fromrecord companies. I mean, we just sort of dothis for fun but to do this for a living and getloads of money out of it would be great as well!

Do you have any crazy stories fromgigging? What was with the spacehopperthing?John: I think it was last Christmas, I gaveyou my heart, but then…no, wait, that's a song.The Christmas gig was excellent - really goodfun - we had about ten or a dozen differentspacehoppers and they were bouncing up anddown and I don't think I've ever signed so manyspacehoppers in all my life! And then it kind ofhappened again around Easter but it's kind ofstalled since then because I don't think peoplecan be bothered to take their spacehoppersanymore.

What bands going around nowadays wouldyou like to support on tour?John: Blue.They're over though!John: Lee Ryan, he's got his solo careergoing…oh I dunno.So not Simon Webbe?John: …No. Not Simon Webbe. I meanobviously your best bet is to be supportingpeople who are a similar sort of style really butthat you're also different enough from. So anyof those punk bands…Blink-182…just anything.Duncan: I'd love to support The Pixies.Spencer: I'd love to be headlining really.What do you think about the rock 'n' rollstereotype? Are you all wild like Pete Doherty?Craig: F*cking wasted knob.John: He just acts like an arse. At Live 8,he just came on stage and just made noise inthe microphone and didn't actually perform ordo anything and there's all these peopleworshipping him like he's the new saviour ofmusic.

When can you smash drumkits, play with plenty o' pedals, be secret fans of The BeachBoys in a "Pop Rock Punk" band AND find loads of fit girls armed with spacehoppers?Why, when there's a Red Storm Rising of course…

PAGE 10

INTERVIEW ANDPHOTOGRAPHY BYNAZRENE HANIF

Stuck for the ultimate Xmas gift? Here are myTop Tracks for November/December. Glad tohelp, Nazrene xxx

- - - SINGLES - - -

WHEN I’M GONE – EMINEM (12/12/05)Hooray! The only rapper out there – at least, inmy view – that has attitude, style and thought-provoking lyrics. Thank God he’s back…aworthwhile investment, and hopefully a goodindication of his upcoming album.

JERUSALEM – KEEDIE: ENGLAND CRICKET TEAM(12/12/05)It’s Christmas so songs like these areinevitable, but what can I say? People out thereseem to buy them, so I thought I’d give you ahead’s up.

MASTER HAS COME BACK – DAMIAN JR GONGMARLEY (12/12/05)It’s as if Bob Marley was back (for me, henever left us), and the true spirit of reggaecertainly resides within young Damian. His lastsingle was superb and this one’s just as toe-tappingly good.

NO GOODBYES – THE SUBWAYS (12/12/05)Very few rock/alternative bands at the momentare quite so pretty. Boys love Charlotte, I likeBilly, but nothing will separate them, as therewill be ‘no goodbyes’. Catchy tune. Clever stuff.

ULTRAVIOLET/BALLAD OF PAUL K – MCFLY(12/12/05)I love McFLY. The new album was far morecreative and musically brilliant than the first, ittook a while to get into, so if you’re still notsure…invest in this CD, which features two ofthe best tracks!

STAY AWAY FROM…Crazy Frog’s Jingle Bells/U Can’t TouchThis…unless you are that way inclined.

- - - ALBUMS - - -

CHEMISTRY – GIRLS ALOUD (5/12/05)I don’t usually like TV-manufactured pop, butthere’s no doubt about it, Girls Aloud can struttheir sassy stuff and make good music too.Relating back to the singles…this album’s justas funky.

HYPNOTIZE – SYSTEM OF A DOWN (5/12/05)The great return of System of a Down. Still aseccentrically alternative and heavy as ever, ifyou loved them back in their Toxicity days, youwill still have a place on your CD rack for themnow.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EARTH – STROKES(02/01/06)I LOVE the new Strokes. Their single Juice Boxwas a little bit weird but tonnes of fun and thisalbum is exactly that and will get those indierockers out there jumping like a…jumping bean.

ARCTIC MONKEYS (30/01/06)BUY IT! BUY IT! BUY IT!There is no better album available in Dec/Janand the title of it’s still TBC but you gottareserve your copy fast. Who knows how fastthis little number’s gonna fly off the shelves!

Spencer: Craig and Duncan take care of thewild side; John and I have responsibilities.John: I have responsibilities in the respectthat I have a girlfriend. And I'm a teacher so Ican't really go mental generally. The most crazystory I've got is that I was in a folk band and I rankaraoke at Uni, that's the most crazy I get, I think,or the fact that I know all the words to Vanilla Ice- Ice Ice Baby. By heart. That's either very verysad or very very impressive.Duncan: There was that Halloween party youturned up to at Uni dressed as Ginger SpiceJohn: Yeah, I was with four mates and wethought, "Let's go as the Spice Girls".Craig: I break drumkits.John: Yeah, very often.Spencer: I haven't done anything. I've been good.

So no groupies at all?Spencer: Not groupies in the traditional sensebut we have people who follow us around.John: Anyone interested in the traditionalsense see Duncan or Craig.Well, ok, going back to the Spice Girls, what partsdo you each play in the band? Scary? Sporty?Spencer: Duncan's the moody bassist.John: Yeah, definitely the moody bassist.Duncan: I'm not a moody bassist!John: Craig is a beast. He is like Animalfrom The Muppets but not quite as mellow. I'vegot a double persona, I'm either absolutely stupidand cracking bad jokes all the time or I'm kind ofscarily intense and it depends on what mood I'min…but I'm mostly stupid. I do crap jokes. That'smy thing.Duncan: Spencer is our guitar hero.John: The man with more pedals thanbrains.Duncan: To be fair we only have one brain.John: All right, fair enough. Though I've gotfive.Duncan: And I'm not moody.John: No, you're not moody. OK, Duncan isactually completely stupid.Craig: Yeah, we don't mean stupid as in he'scrazy stupid…as in he's just stupid.John: Yeah, he's just a bit dim.Duncan: Cheers.Craig: You're coming out really well in this,mate - moody bassist or dim.

John: He's very moody if you compare himto someone who's very happy.

And finally, aspirations for the future - whereare you gonna take your band?Craig: Get signed, tour the world, spend allthe money, split up in a hail of drugs and boozeand then…John: I'll claim that I wrote everything in theworld EVER. Spencer will do a side project withall guitars, I'll do a side project with all the songsthat never made it to Red Storm Rising becausethey were a bit rubbish and so that will sell aboutfifty copies and then people will realize how bad itis and take it back and then they'll all buyDuncan's album which will be a spoken wordalbum, I reckon.Spencer: Yeah, I mean, I think with the albumcoming out I think we're gonna push it as muchas we can next year to try and actually dosomething.Craig: Next year, it's make or break.John: If we don't make it we'll kill ourselves.Spencer: Well, even if we don't' make it we'restill gonna be playing and doing this.John: I think we'll stop playing togetherwhen I stop writing cheesy songs, Duncan stopswriting cheesy lyrics, Craig loses…Craig: An arm.Spencer: And I stop playing guitar to take onproducing.John: 'Cause then we'd have no cool solos.Anything else you'd like to add?Craig: Stay in school, kids!John: Yeah, stay in school, don't play withfire, don't cross the road without looking, don'tdrink and drive.Duncan: Don't do drugs.John: Don't follow the crowd, staycool…thank you Renton mosh pit for the greattimes and thank you to my girlfriend for letting melive with her for the last year. Thank you to theseguys for letting me be in a band with them, er,thank you to my car for not dying…Craig: And we want to thank you for puttingus in the magazine.John: Yeah, we want lots of fifteen year oldsat our next gig! So, fans, if you want to be on ourmailing list, e-mail us atredstormrising@hotmail.comEND

PAGE 11

Every issue our resident grumbler Tommy WC has a whinge about the latest things that get right uphis nose. This month, Tom has a major problem with: TAGGERS

This issue, I thought I wouldlook at taggers, and how exactlythey can get fun from what theydo. So, why do some people find itnecessary to write their names onwalls? Well I guess it is their wayof gaining a bit of fame aroundtheir area. I suppose they thinkthat this is the only way of themgetting their 15 minutes withoutactually having any talent. What Ilike to call the “Peter Andreeffect”….. It’s insania.As for what they actually write,

I’ve seen such brilliant tags suchas: “NET” and “PROTO” whichleave me wanting to buy electricalgoods, but also make me wonder ifhalf the word has been scrubbedout. Other great ones include “TopBlunk,” probably David Blunkettout there spray painting walls forcheap thrills under the cover ofdarkness. However, my favouritehas got to be one found on theinternet saying “sucker”… sheerbrilliance! You have to love the factthat this person had theopportunity to be known as anyname in the world that theywanted, and they chose “sucker”.Please if you find any other greattags such as “dunce” or “divcheese” contact me at themagazine so we can all have agood laugh!I’m not talking about big proper

3D dub writing on walls, but ratherjust people with no talent wantingto mark their territory. The problemis, that the actually GOOD graffitiartists get (please excuse the pun)tarred with the same brush asthose who simply write theirnames on walls. There has been alot of talk about legal graffiti areasin the borough and if they would

be possible. Myself and othersbelieve that this is a definitepossibility, but only if we sort outthe problem of taggers. If therewas a definite chance of wallsbeing saved just for respectfulgood graffiti artists, there would bea chance. The problem is thateveryone and his uncle think thatthey are clever if they can writethings like “YOGE” on the side of abus shelter. I don’t actuallyunderstand why people do it…Reputation?…Respect?… Somesort of cults?The fact is, I personally believe

that graffiti done properly takesamazing skill and talent. Far morethan any of nowadays “modernartists”... who just seem to signtoilets and proclaim they havecreated a new genre. The onlyproblem with graffiti being treatedas a major art form is its reputationfor spoiling urban landscapesaround the country. I would justsay to all those people out therewho “tag,” that if they want morerespect for graffiti artists, stopspraying words on walls, (stick to apen and some paper) and let thetrue artists get the credit theydeserve!

Other great tags Ihave foundinclude:“Jimmy”“Double dose dave”

(possibly an aspiring chemist/

TOM’S RANTREGULAR

PAGE 12

So why do I feel aneed to stop it? W

ell for a

start they’re just rubbish. graffiti do

ne properly

takes amazing skill and talent.

Cheers

Food is good but being able tocompete in sports and feel goodabout your appearance is alsogood

Life these days is an unhealthybusiness for many our age. Thequestion is, is it the fault of the piepushing corporates takingadvantage of our wealth or shouldwe look further into ourselves forthe root of the problem?

First off, there is being overweight and being obese, the latterbeing the worse for you and your armchair. In 2004 thegovernment believed that 15% of UK school children wereobese and overweight. Young people are eating more, they

are doing so because it is easier to find cheap food but since JamieOliver’s attack on our lifestyles our schools’ vending machines arebeing removed. The problem with this over consumption for theindividual is an increased chance of obtaining:

A heart attackDiabetesBowel cancerHigh blood pressureNasty Nicknames

There is also the issue of self-esteem. Larger people can be foundless attractive, less able at sports, and in an increasingly shallowsociety these impediments can greatly hinder your enjoyment of schoollife.I could now go on about what you must do to maintain a healthy

weight but every one of us is aware what makes us fat and what wecan do to sort it out. However it is this fact that makes the largernumber of overweight people around harder to swallow (pause forlaughter), people simply can’t be bothered to stay healthy. If sport isnot a regular part of your weekly schedule make it so, join a gym, takeup tennis, or cycle more. Simply doing enough to negate the caloriesyou consume that week will keep you healthy enough. I feel it is alsoworth dispelling a popular myth among the portly population, geneticsmake little or no difference on your size, it is your lifestyle and the foodyou eat that makes you out of your trousers’ reach.Should obese children be treated with contempt? No, of course not,

they should instead be given support. Parents who maintain that their‘little darling’ is just enjoying his food and should be left to do so are inthe wrong. Constructive criticism has to be put out there, if it’s left, thenthe bigger they are the harder they will fall. Food is good but beingable to compete in sports and feel good about your appearance is alsogood, and sacrificing one for the other is both foolish and ignorant. Ifyou can help it (and you can) don’t have another helping.

FULL TOBURSTING?

BYCHRIS FULLBROOK

END

PAGE 13

� Tell him all your problems. When I say all, Imean all! Tell him everything! Even thestuff he doesn’t want to hear… (Girlyissues… you get me…)

� Always complain that he never talks toyou, even if he does.

� Say you know what he thinks. This willreally make him mad. Say, “I know whatyou think of me!”

� Always talk about, and compare him to,your ‘wonderful’ ex-boyfriend.

� Create a big problem and tell him about it.Say how it’s tearing you up inside and cryall over him!

� Just say ‘Sorry mate, but you’re not mytype.’

� Give him really embarrassing nicknames.Such as ‘Princey’ or call him ‘Yours.’

� Buy him a girlfriend/ boyfriend wristbandand make him wear it, especially in front ofall his friends! Mahwah!

� Insult his football team or support hisopposition team.

� Make him listen to really girly music likeMaria Carey and sing and dance all thetime!

� Make him meet your parents in the firstweek you’re going out. Tell him that yourdad is very protective of his ‘little girl’ andsay “he is a boxer, but once you get toknow him he’s great!”

� Ask him loads of questions about hispersonal life and life in general. Basicallyannoy him by asking loads!

� Forget his name or worse call him your ex-boyfriend or his best friend!! Oh deary me!

� Complain all the time! “Nothing is evergood enough!” “Why did you buy meflowers?” “Why are we sitting here?”

� Say you pulled another guy but ask him tostill go out with you.

� Go really emotionally unstable on him.Keep having mood swings! First be reallyhappy and hyper with him, and thensuddenly change to being cold and distant.Then go all depressed then be happyagain.

� Dump him and then 30 minutes later askhim back out again. My guess the answerwill be…NO!

� Make sure you don’t get on with any of hisfriends. Annoy them and make sure theyhate you. This way you can get them tobitch about you.

� “Accidentally” pass msn conversations tohim from other guys saying how much theylike you. This will either make him crazy,jealous or he will just ignore it and go on.

� Tell him how you have beenasked out 4 times in onenight! He will then thinkhow much of a flirt youare with everyone andanyone.

ALL THESE

HAVE BEEN

TRIED AND

TESTED

HOW TO LOSE A GUY......IN 1 WEEK

This boy has no brains,no emotion... Let thedoctors of pure girlieevil help you out….

THE CURES

BY ABBI WEBBAND BEKA GHOSH

Ok, so you meet this really hot emo guy with his cute lip-ring and black hair, or this reallyamazing sporty blonde, or this totally cute Usher look-a-like. You flirted, used your girliecharm and wrapped him around your little finger. Sounds sweet! Urm, no, actually yourealised you’ve messed up. This boy has no brains, no emotion and can’t even mutter threesimple words, ‘I love you’. Or even worse, he uses them at the end of every sentence.Damn girl, what are you going to do to get rid of him? Let the doctors of pure girlie evil help

THE SYMPTOMS

END

PAGE 14

First of all, here’s the finger to all your narrow-minded, preconceptions of NewMalden as a “dump of a town”. I mean, how can the greatest concentration ofKoreans outside Korea be casually dismissed as just “a disorganisedhotchpotch of chicken noodles”? Hmm? This is the kind of belligerently

ignorant attitude that I hope to expose to you, (yes you) in all its ugly prejudicedwrongness.Now New Malden may look a bit shabby on the outside but, to paraphrase a

common proverb, you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and accordingly atown by its looks. After all, good looks lose their charm if there’s nothing within to

BY ADOL EMERITUS SCENCE

Good aftermorning to thee, ladies, gentlemenand all in-between or both

NEW MALDEN

- A HIDDEN BEAUTY

attract; like one night stands that don’t blossom and all that kinda lovelessphilandering. If you can see through the façade designed perhaps to deter the faint-hearted British tourist, there’s a wealth of things you can indulge yourself in…There be beautiful cafes with plush, sexy sofas for seats as standard, internet

cafes with an byte transfer rate to die for, shops selling hot Korean food, dirt cheapDVD rental, a swimming pool much more decently sized than the Kingfisher, Beefmountain, Teletubby hill, a free outdoor basketball court, a cool roundabout to vroomround and round when you’re bored and of course loads of stylishly attired Koreans toadmire as this already overlarge list swells and groans with growing pains.I suppose some of these hot spots aforementioned are so well hidden that they

are only found by the favoured few, and some you just have to be Korean to knowabout… Well, I hope now that some will appreciate the nature of New Malden as ahidden beauty, as of yet undiscovered by most of the non-Korean world.

So, less of the ignorant comments, if you please? yes/no/maybe?

� If yes, you be enlightened and have gained true separation from thewheely of life.

� If no, ye shalt know that ye be wrong, when ye start the next life as ano-legged turtle.

� If maybe… Step thyself down from thy fence and choose. Life is aboutchoices as literature is all about consolation… Beefeaters.

Disclaimer: The narrator/thesis proponent/moomoo of this here heavily opinionated,largely whimsical exposition accepts no responsibility for feelings of outrage orannoyance caused to any conservative/boring/bored/clinically depressed readers, partlybecause he/she/it couldn’t care less, and partly because he/she/it is a fictional constructthat (hopefully) cannot be taken to court against. So *ahem* scootle along to Longtownand leave me alone if you hate this article. As they say… Like it or lump it. Have a niceday L. You all know that the big mango shaped revolution will eventually roll down the hillEND

MUSIC CROSSWORD1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13

14

15 16

17 18

19 20

21 22

23 24 25

26

27 28

29

30

Across:1. Automatic, supersonic _______ funky fresh. (8)3. Let me take some of the _______ for you. (7)7. Taking over the show, with this new ____. (4)10. Just to be _____ in your arms. (5)12. Standing in line to see the show _______ & there’s a light on. (7)14. A door without a key a face without a ____. (4)15. Whatever I ____, whatever I did I didn’t mean it. (4)16. Got me looking so _____ right now. (5)17. Made to feel the way that every child should ___ and listen. (3)18. I ____ I knew how it would feel to be free. (4)19. Jealousy, turning ______ into the sea. (6)23. You’re watching your back, like you can’t _____. (5)24. as long as there’s a bed beneath the _____ that shine. (5)26. Maybe we need some time _____. We need to let it breathe. (5)27. I’m just a love _______. (7)28. If you never try, you’ll never ____. (4)29. Snap back to reality, oh there goes _______. (7)30. My heart’s in overdrive & your ______ the steering wheel. (6)

Down:1. Air _______, I like the way you dress. (7)2. And through it all, she ______ me protection. (6)4. For the love you bring, don’t mean a thing, unless you ____. (4)5. You say it ____ when you say nothing at all. (4)6. Knock on my door. I want to make you feel _________. (9)8. ________ for the land. Turn forever hand in hand. (8)9. And you promise me faithfully, that you will be my ____ man. (4)11. So when I bust my rhyme, you break your _____. (5)12. A few times I’ve been around that _____. (5)13. And if my _____ falls down now, I wouldn't have a clue. (5)20. I’m addicted to you. Don’t you know that your _____? (5)21. Words can’t _____ you down. (5)22. On the boulevard of ______ dreams. (6)23. I’m getting old & I need something to ____ on. (4)24. _____ you’ve been gone, I can breathe for the first time. (5)25. In the ____, where I was born. (4)27. She was with another ___. (3)

BY THOMAS HOLMES

Help and advice on smoking, drinking, drugs,general health, feeling low

...or anything else you want to talk about

We also provide free contraception and sexual health advice.No appointment needed.

PAGE 18

SCHOOLS//////////

Ihaveno idea what sprin

gs

to mind when youhear

the words ‘Tiffin Girls’

School.’ I don’t know if

what you’re thinking is good or

bad, but for me, Ithink back to

the busiest and most bizarre

few years of the school’s life.

On the evening ofMonday

15th December 2003, much of

the main teachingblock was

completely destroyed by a fire.

This left the majority of

students crammedinto the

school’s main hall, two gyms,

and even the dining hall.

Obviously, funds had to be

raised; we could not carry on

this way. Soon, the girls were

moved into huts on the field,

which seemed tobe of a

better quality thanthe

teaching rooms inthe old

building. This realisation

pushed the school to aim for a

substantial sum of £100,000

or more towards building,

refitting and equipping a new

building of 21st century

standards. At present, the

school has already beaten its

target, raising £167,091.

We’ve had Rory Bremner,

Matthew Pincent,David

Attenborough andLawrence

Dallaglio grace our hall (to

name but a few).We’ve had

an Auction of Promises,

concerts, meals, raffles, and of

course the Tiffin Trek. You try

walking the sevenmiles

around RichmondPark for

charity and see ifyou can still

keep in mind thatit’s all for a

good cause. And that’s what

will strike you themost, the

fact that the girls all enjoy

contributing whenit comes to

fundraising. Whether

individually like Lauren Russell

in Upper Sixth who raised

over £80 by swimming 5,000m

in one and a half hours, or as

a class like 11F who raised

over £570, or even as one of

our Young Enterprise teams

did when they putonto the

market (would youbelieve it)

Tiffin bricks. Yes, that’s the

bricks from the old burnt-down

building.So now it’s all go,

go, go,

and builders haveinvaded

Tiffin Girls’ School. We seem

to be getting moreand more

involved in construction

projects, as moreinnovative

plans for the future are

cropping up. WithThe Fire

Appeal still goingstrong and

the new building set for

completion in July2006, the

long postponed plans for a

revamp of the Music and

Drama facilities isnow under

way. There are even ideas

circulating of doingup the

Sixthform block and sports

halls, and if that happens, who

knows where to next?

Don’t think all thisfire

business means TGS isn’t

thinking about others

anymore. On Friday 4th

November, the school held a

Pink Day for Breast Cancer

and has become one of the

first Fairtrade Schools thanks

to our terribly hardworking

International Schools’

Committee. Yes, we supply

Fairtrade chocolate and it

tastes doubly good.

I have no idea what came

to mind when I mentioned the

words ‘Tiffin Girls’School’ but

here are the facts. Our present

site on RichmondRoad was

originally a 1950sschool for

boys. Now we’re on our way

to becoming a very updated,

very cool (if a school can truly

be cool) 21st century building

fit for all you 21stcentury girls

out there. But what’s really

important is that despite the

last two years being the

busiest and mostbizarre years

of the school’s life, the staff

and the girls all got through it,

and the girls are still all having

fun.

“GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN”

BY NAZRENE HANIF

//////The nebe mgive smore

e

much of the mainteaching block wascompletely destroyed

by a fire.

END

PAGE 19

Beverly Boys, or Coombe Boysas they will be known fromJanuary, is about to undergomany changes. Theseinclude:Design and Technology/ Art Rooms:The new rooms will be bigger, newerand updated…therefore giving us betteropportunities in subjects such as Artand DT. The new classrooms will bemuch lighter and give students a muchmore pleasant learning environment,with good facilities to display people‘sartwork.

Canteen: The new canteen will bebigger; currently lunch times are fairly

chaotic with huge queues, so the newcanteen will make lunch times muchmore relaxed!Bike sheds: The previous bike shedswere rusty and unsafe, with very littlesecurity for student’s bikes. The newsheds will be much more secure, givinggreen minded cycling students greaterpiece of mind about the safety of theirbikes and allowing them to concentrateon their lessons!

The Name: As a student at Beverly,soon to be Coombe Boys, the namechange doesn’t really seem too much ofa big deal. Apart from the change inhead teachers, the transition from

CHANGE COMES TO BEVERLY BOYSBY LEWIS WOODHEAD

Have you ever gone to school think

ing that

you are incrediblylucky? I doubt ma

ny have,

but we really should start to look aro

und at

everything we areblessed with at ou

r

schools. Living ina democratic coun

try with

laws saying we have to attend schoo

l should

feel like a luxury not a chore. Tuesda

y 20th

September was the day it truly hit m

e that I

have a large amount to be thankful fo

r.

This was the daywhen Coombe Gir

ls’

School held a veryauspicious ceremo

ny

within their newlybuilt Sports hall an

d

Performing Arts Centre. It was a day

to

celebrate the opening of the new fac

ility as

well as the school’s 50th birthday. M

any

guests were invited including the Ma

yor of

the Royal Boroughof Kingston upon

Thames Yogan Yoganathan, and HR

H

Princess Alexandra officially opened

the new

facilities. Also to celebrate the 50th

anniversary of theschool, many peo

ple who

once attended Coombe Girls’ were i

nvited

for a reunion.

I was fortunate enough to be involve

d

with the ceremony. Part of the event

involved groups of pupils, all repres

enting

different aspects of the school, formi

ng one

great parade full of colour and spirit

to greet

the guests insidethe sports hall. Be

ing a

year eleven prefect I was representin

g the

prefects. We made our way to the fr

ont

where we greetedthe Princess. It tru

ly was

a great experienceto walk in with the

orchestra playingto there full capac

ity, the

many flags wavinghigh and to see th

e

happy faces of allthe guests.

After the ceremony had ended it wa

s time

for the prefects togive tours to any e

x-

pupils. Another prefect and I were tou

r

guides to someone who attended C

oombe

Girls’ School in 1973. As you can pr

obably

imagine a lot would have changed s

ince she

attended Coombe. As we went roun

d the

school I had a feel of what it was lik

e when

the school was first open. She descr

ibed

their uniform which included a green beret.

We walked through, looking at the s

chool in

a completely different way. She wen

t on to

tell us how muchthe school had ch

anged

and how much more we have now.

Retrospectively, the day helped me r

ealise

that school todayis such a luxury.

Coombe now hasa state of the art s

ports

hall, along with brand new trampolin

es and

mats, two drama rooms connected w

ith

videoing and sound recording facilitie

s and

also a magnificent music recital roo

m with

apple computers each connected wit

h their

own keyboards. This is a great step

up to

what I had experienced starting back

in

year 7.I, and many other

s, have never

experienced so much school spirit a

t one

time. What else could you ask from your

school when its sole aim is to prepare you

for the world of opportunity?

COOMBE GIRLSSCHOOL UNVEIL

S NEW SPORTS

HALL AND ARTS CENTRE

BY NATASHA PATEL

/////////////////

ew classrooms willmuch lighter andstudents a muchpleasant learningenvironment

school tod

ay issuch

a luxury

END

END

If you want to include some news about your school or an interesting story, call Vicky Metcalf on 07795 813052

PAGE 19

GAP YEAR PROGRAMMES

Parents’ view:

Some parents worry that their children might stop working andlose the interest to continue with their education, especiallythose who have to be encouraged to work hard at school, butall in all, few are actually against the idea. There have beensome very sad and well-publicised cases of accidents andeven deaths occurring during gap year programmes, whichwould naturally make most parents worry, especially if theirchild is doing a physically demanding activity or is in a remotearea of the world. However, most organisations take healthand safety very seriously; the Year Out Group works hard topromote common aims among organisations and hasgovernment backing to ensure gapers are safe.

University views:

Uni tutors are usually happy for people to differ entry but thereare some exceptions, mainly in the science and maths field orin strongly academic universities. If tutors can see that a gapyear will help the subject of study then they’re bound to beimpressed. In fact some tutors notice that gapers are usuallyhighly motivated, well organised, communicative and mature.Similarly, employers are aware of the skills that could begained or enhanced by a year out.

Not sure what to do after school? Confusedabout university or just don’t feel ready to getback into study just yet? A gap year may bejust what you need to get yourself sorted…

ONE MORESTEP ALONGTHE WORLD I GO

Most gapyear proj

ects give

you skillsthat are v

alued by

employers

BY ALICE MARMION

PAGE 20

Every year thousands of youngBrits take a year out ofeducation in search of anexperience of a lifetime,

escaping from the pressures of sixthform, exams, the endless universitycourses on offer, or the thrilling prospectof having to find a job. Last year 20% ofuni applicants applied for a differedentry so they could take a “gap” and theincreasing interest has sparked newand exciting programmes which caterfor everything, from round the worldtrips to voluntary work in the UK. Thedeadline for university applications isdrawing closer and closer, and as thecost of higher education increases with

top-up fees and living expenses it’smore important that if we do go to uni,we can start our course knowing we’vemade a good choice instead of feelingthat it was just the next step up theladder. So for anyone who isn’t surewhich direction they’re headed afterschool, then a gap year could help sortyou out. For example, you might end uptrying different types of work that youwouldn’t normally consider, and your CVwill benefit from the new skills.Most gap year projects give you

skills that are valued by employers,such as team work, communication andresilience, simply because you’d be in anew situation with new people. For

anyone who already has a career inmind then it’s a great time to gain workexperience that isn’t boring - forinstance teaching English abroad tochildren could help with teaching orpsychology, as well as being fun!

The possibilities a

re neverending,

so choosing the pr

ogrammeright for y

ou couldseem a bit daun

ting. You

can go abroad on a

cultural exchange,

work withchildren,

animals or

people with disabi

lities, participate in

conservation proje

cts or community

projects,learn a la

nguage or gain spo

rt qualifications…

just to mention a

few! Thebest prog

rammesusually h

ave a mixof paid w

ork, volunteer

work, learning and

travelling, but can

be expensive. Is it

a waste of money

or a chance of a lif

etime? Some orga

nisationsoffer finan

cial helpto

school leavers to r

aise funds for trips

through sponsorsh

ip, or some

gapers work full tim

e for halfa year to

pay for a3-6 mont

h courseduring

the second half of t

he year.

On the other hand

, when travelling th

ere’s more to think

of than just the

pluses. You have t

o think ofmedical i

ssues likejabs and

first aid kits,

visas andany extra

travel expenses as

well as guidebook

s and maps in

case youget lost!

So, to end, if you f

eel lost and don’t k

now what you wan

t to do or

simply want to have

a good year doing

something a bit dif

ferent then there

are plentyof gap ye

ar programmes ou

t there for you, sho

wing thatgetting

a job or going to un

i isn’t theonly optio

n after school. The

most important

thing is just to do s

omethingthat you e

njoy, andnot be pr

essurisedinto

doing anything you

don’t want to do. A

bove all else,

have fun!

�

� www.changingworlds.co.uk� www.gapwork.com

(masses of online info, guidance about choosing, publications andsurveys as well as parents pages)

� www.gaoyeardirectory.co.uk� www.gapyearfaires.co.uk

(defiantly worth a look to see if one’s happening near you)� www.yearoutgroup.org� www.worldwidevolunteering.org.uk

(has a huge searchable database for young people)� www.i-to-i.co.uk� www.findagap.com

USEFUL INFORMATION

Is it a waste of mo

ney or a

chance of a lifetim

e?

PAGE 21

PAGE 22

SUBSTANCE

SISTERS!

Earlier this

year, I, together

with 6 other young

carers,

took partin a serie

s of

workshops about d

rug

awareness. During

the project, we

learnt about differen

t drugs, and we

ended theproject by

holding our own

drugs workshop fo

r other young

carers. We started

the program in

January by having

an evening out

ice-skating togethe

r to get toknow

each other and the

person running

the workshops, Do

ra, from the

KingstonYouth Se

rvice. Wethen met

up everyThursday

evening at the

FountainYouth Ce

ntre for the

workshops. We lea

rnt aboutdifferent

drugs andthe effect

s that they can

have on different pe

ople. Wemade

posters, played gam

es and used a

CD-rom to revisewhat we’d

learnt.

Dora alsoexplained

a lot about how

we stereotype drug

users andhow

our opinions were s

ometimeswrong.

It’s true –some of o

ur opinions

changedwith what

we’d learnt. In one

of the workshops,

we also came up

with our team name…th

e Substance

Sisters!

During the Februa

ry half term, we

went to Hindleap W

arren Activity

Centre for a few da

ys, wherewe had

some more worksh

ops combined with

outdoor activities. S

ome of us were

really eager to do t

he outdoor

activities,which inc

luded muddy

underground tunne

ls and a zip-wire.

But someof us nee

ded a bitof

persuasion. “The a

ctivities were

scary, but I did som

e of them,” says

one young carer, A

lka. We all had a

lot of funon the re

sidential,and we

got to know each o

ther better. Well,

it’s hard to not get

to know each other

better when we’re

all sleeping in the

same dorm for 3 nigh

ts!

In March,we held o

ur own

workshopto teach o

ther young carers

what we’dlearnt. Th

ere weredifferent

stations –one wher

e peoplehad to

roll a dicewith a su

bstance on it and

then match it with i

ts effect,one

where people used

the CD-rom. It

was quitea busy da

y, but everybody

enjoyed it. Afterwa

rds, everyone went

to LaserQuest to

relax after a hard

day’s work!

After theworkshop

we had a

dinner atNandos a

s a farewell. It was

a terribleexperienc

e. Louisegot

ketchup all over he

r new white top.

Vix didn’tget the fo

od she wanted. It

was awful. Howeve

r that wasnot our

last goodbye. We

designeda logo for

the youngpeople’s

substance misuse

team.On the 8t

h of Aprilwe went

to the

Launch of the new

‘Information

Dealers’and their

new logo. We

listened to all the s

peechesof the

workers there. The

n as theywere

using part of our fo

unded name we

got a JDsports Vo

ucher each. The

food thatwas prov

ided at the launch

was excellent.

At the end of May,

we wenton a

visit to Coldingley P

rison. Some of the

prisonersthere held

a workshop for

us and some other

groups, telling us

about prison life. It

was really

interesting to hear

about their

experiences, and s

ome toldus how

drugs have affected

them personally.

It was also great to

meet upwith the

other Substance Si

sters after such a

long time.

Overall, we all reall

y enjoyedthe

project and learned

a lot about drugs,

group skills, and h

ow to runa

workshopfor other

people our own

age. Weall got a l

ot out ofit. The

most important thin

g that most of us

BY CATHERINE R

ICHARDSON AND AMBER

HILL

Some ofthe priso

ners... told

us how drugs hav

e affected

them personally

Drug Information

END

PAGE 23

POSITIVE

ACTIVITIES FOR

YOUNG PEOPLE

PROGRAMME

Over the su

mmer term,

KingstonYouth Se

rvice

ran theirPositive

Activitiesfor Young

people programme

offering avariety

of challenging, fun,

educational and

new activities for y

oung people who

normallywouldn’t

have these unique

opportunities. The

young people

were referred by d

ifferent agencies,

includingthe Youth

OffendingTeam,

EducationWelfare,

Mechlenburg,

PRU andYouth an

d Social Service.

Activitiesoffered in

cluded Mural

drawing,animation

and music

workshop, Three P

eaks outdoor

pursuit centre, mou

ntain biking,

GuildfordSpectrum

, Go Karting,

water activities, ca

noeing, football

training and horse

riding. Young

people were able

to try these

activitiesover the

summerholiday

learning new skills

as well as building

confidence and sel

f esteem.They

were alsogiven the

opportunity to

receive accredited

and recorded

outcomes.

When theprogramm

e finished, the

big question asked

by the young

people was “what

happensnext?” W

e

are happy to repo

rt that wealready

have ournext prog

ramme ready;

again looking at ed

ucational, fun,

challenging and re

warding activities

that young people

can enjoy, enabling

them to learn and grow f

rom the

experience. We loo

k forwardto

reportingon these

activitiesin the

next magazine.

To continue suppo

rt for theyoung

people over the sch

ool termwe have

now set up a week

ly music/arts

project onWednesd

ay evening. This

project gives the y

oung people an

opportunity to try v

arious activities

includingguitars, b

ass, drumming,

d’jing, singing, stop

motion, 3D

animationand film making. Y

oung

people are continu

ing to complete the

mural painting on t

he wallsin the gym

at Barnfield that wa

s startedduring

the summer PAYP

programme

achievingrecorded

outcomesand

AQA’s fortheir effor

ts.

The programme a

ims to create a

safe andsecure en

vironment where

our youngpeople ar

e happy to

attend. The young

people are

learning to support

each other and

gain support for the

ir needs/concerns.

We havesucceede

d in building up

a projectthat is rea

ching a much-

needed support fo

r the young people

BY ANIFE FARIA

END

Info for Young People In and Around Kingston & Richmond

SEXUAL HEALTH

Magic Roundabout23 Richmond Road, KingstonMon 3.30-6.30pm, Sat 9.30am-12noon(Megan Dawson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8974 9252

Off the Record2 Church Street, TwickenhamMon 3.30-5.30pm, No fri service(Deborah Kerpner) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8744 1644

Wolverton Centre, Kingston Hospital, Galsworthy RoadWalk-in: Tues 9-11am, Thurs 2-4pmApp. only: Mon 8.30-11.30am, Weds 4.30-7.30pm,Thurs 9-11.30am, Fri 8.30-11am (Was unable to checkthese times) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8974 9331

Roehampton Clinic, Queen Mary’s Hospital,RoehamptonWalk-in: Mon 3.30-5pm (under 18s only),Mon 9-11am, Fri 9-11.30amApp. only Tues 2-6.30pm, Weds 8.30am-12.30noon,Thurs 8.30-11.45am, 2-4pm(Dorinda Philby) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8355 2470/2077

West Middlesex Hospital Sexual Health Clinic,Twickenham Road, IsleworthMon 9am-12noon, 2-6.30pm, Tues 2-4.30pmWeds 1.30-3.30pm (family planning), 4-7.30pmThurs 9am-12noon (women only), 2-4.30pmFri 9am-12noonPlease arrive half an hour before closing time

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8565 5718

Sexwise Helpline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0800 28 29 30

National AIDS Helpline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0800 567 123

TRAVEL

Train Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .08457 484950

London Transport Travel Information . . .020 7222 1234

National Express Coach Enquires . . . . . . .0990 808080

GENERAL WELFARE & BENEFITS ADVICE

Kingston Citizens Advice BureauNeville House, 55 Eden Street, Kingston, KT1 1BWWalk-in Monday, Tuesday & Friday 11.30 - 1.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0870 126 4019

Richmond Citizens Advice BureauLinfield House, 26 Kew Road, Richmond TW9 2NA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .08457 0505152/020 894 2501

GENERAL HEALTH

NHS Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0845 4647

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

Community Drug & Alcohol Team,Kingston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202 549 9279

Community Drug & Alcohol Team,Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8940 3331

Alcohol ServicesKingston & Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8940 1160

Kaleidoscope, Kingston . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8549 2681

National Drugs Helpline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0800 776600

Release – drugs & legal advice helpline .020 7729 9904

EDUCATION, TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT

Kingston ConnexionsSwan House, 51 High Street, Kingston, KT1 1LQWalk-in: Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri 9am-5pm, Weds10.30am-5pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8410 4105

CfBT Connexions1 Ilex House, 94 Holly Road, Twickenham TW1 4HFMon – Fri 9.30am-5.30pm . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8891 6162

INFORMATION, ADVICE, COUNSELLING & SUPPORT

Off the Record2 Church Street, TwickenhamTues, weds, thurs 4-8pmFri, 2.30-6.30pmSat, 10am-2pm(Deborah Kerpner) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .020 8744 1644

///////////////////////////////// YOUTH EVENTS AND STUFF GOING ON ////////

BARNFIELD Youth CentreParkfields RoadKingstonSurreyKT2 5LL020 8546 4103

KINGSTON TOWN

MALDENS& COOMBE

SURBITON

SOUTH OF THEBOROUGH

YOUR LOCAL YOUTHCENTRES

KINGSTON YOUTH SERVICE,

LEARNING AND CHILDREN SERVICES

FOUNTAIN Youth Centre1 Kingston Road

New MaldenSurrey

KT3 3PE020 8942 5251

HEAD OFFICEGuildhall One, Room 103GuildhallSurreyKT1 1EUEmail: youthservice@rbk.gov.uk

KINGSNYMPTON Youth CentreKingsnympton Park Estate

Kingston HillSurrey

KT2 7RR020 8549 5705

DICKERAGE AdventurePlayground

Dickerage LaneNew Malden

SurreyKT3 3EQ

020 8942 1707

The Venner Youth CentreThe Manor DriveWorcester Park

KT4 7LG0208 8330 2805

CHESSINGTON Youth CentreChurch LaneChessingtonSurreyKT9 2DR020 8397 2495

HOOK Youth CentreDevon WayChessingtonSurreyKT9 2RJ020 8397 2216

ALBANY PARK Canoeingand Sailing CentreAlbany MewsKingstonKT2 5SL020 8549 3066

SCHOOL LANE Youth CentreSchool LaneSurbitonSurreyKT6 7QJ020 8390 2056

SEARCHLIGHT Youth CentreKingston RoadKingstonSurreyKT3 3RX020 8549 4514

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE GO TO YOUTH SERVICE

AT WWW.YOUNGLIVIN.ORG.UK

FOR INFORMATIONON ACTIVITIES AN

D EVENTS