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LoudspeakerISSN 1475-6129 YOUNG NCB MEMBERS MAGAZINE ISSUE 28WINTER 2012
Young NCBpriorities
update
Young NCBNorthernIreland
Politicaleducationand votes
at 16
Thescrappingof GCSEs
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Join Young NCB for free at www.youngncb.org.uk For details phone 020 7843 6099 or email info@youngncb.org.uk
No regrets with Air Cadets 2
The scrapping of GCSEs:
What does it mean for us? 3
Freedom 3
What have Young NCBmembers been up to 4
Young NCB priorities update 4
Young NCB Advisory Group 5
Political education and votes at 16 5
Young NCB Northern Ireland 6
Save our hospitals 7
Energy Bill Revolution update 7
Member proles 8
WhatsInside ..? Welcome to Loudspeaker winter2012 - we have lots to update you on
since our last edition so please take a
look inside!
On page 2 Rana tells you what its
like being an Air Cadet. Ugo writes
about the scrapping of GCSEs andwhat eect he thinks this may have
on children and young people, and
Finn talks about moving up from
GCSEs to A Levels on page 3.
There are photos for you to have
a look at on page 4 to see what
members have been up to, as well as
an update on Young
NCBs priorities. On
page 5, Shivani talks
about the Advisory
Group residential
and leaving the
group, while Yasmin
tells us what she
thinks about votes
Welcome from Young NCB!
Disclaimer
Theviews expressedbymembersinthiseditionofLoudspeakerarenotneccesar
ilythoseof
YoungNCB
Sara-Jane
Air Cadets- not only an army based project. Not only linked to the
Royal Air Force (RAF) but a fun and exciting adventure of my life. I
have made new friends, had new experiences and been given new
opportunities. Who wouldnt want to join? I joined because I have a
passion for physics, such as understanding how aircrafts are able to
y and also to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, shooting,
camps, BTECs and parading.
As with anything you have to work hard to achieve it,
and the same applies with being a cadet. It takes a couple
of months for you to pass out, meaning graduate. But
to get to that stage you will have to pass some exams
consisting of the history of Air Training Corps (ATC) and RAF.In addition, you have to pass some practical tasks such as
drills, which are always fun to do.
One of the best things I have done so far is having
a fancy dress Halloween night. We all dressed up and
everyone looked amazing! Prizes were given out for the
top three best dressed. It is great just to relax and socialise
with everyone and we played apple bobbing and it was
hilarious as some people managed to get
extremely wet.
In conclusion, I think that joining the Air
Cadets was one of the best decisions I have
made and I would encourage all teenagers
to take the opportunity and join.
Rana, aged 16
NoregretswithAirCadets!
Rana
at 16 and how this ts in with political
education.
You can read about what Young
NCB Northern Ireland members have
been doing on page 6. On page 7,
Sadaf tells us about a protest shewent on to save her local hospital and
there is an update from Young NCB
members involved in the Energy Bill
Revolution campaign.
We hope you enjoy reading this and
if you want to nd out more about
Young NCB please visit the websiteor
drop us a line to tell us what you
have been doing.
Thanks for reading!
Sara-Jane - Young NCB
www.youngncb.org.uk
info@youngncb.org.uk
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The scrapping of GCSEs: What doesit mean for us?
in Shakespeares Twelfth Night?Does it honestly matter
that a2+b2=c2? But the truth is, regardless of whether
or not these facts are useful to us, they are all part of one
enormous learning curve. Our rst taste of freedom!
We have reached young adulthood and seventeen year
olds across the country have emerged from their cocoons,
blinking in the sunlight of further education. We are more
liberated than we ever have been before. Sixth Form
prepares us for a lifetime of free will. And regardless of how
terrifying that may sound, we should forever respect the
words of Jim Morrison.
Expose yourself to yourdeepest fear; after that,fear has no power, and thefear of freedom shrinks and
vanishes. You are free.
Finn, aged 16
\Freedom
Finn
Ugo
As was the move from primary to secondary school terribly
daunting, so too is the transition from GCSE to A Level study.
Day after day, essay after essay, grade after grade ...The entire
experience is exhausting. The sudden release from the cradling
wing of statutory education into the sixth form mine eld has
opened my eyes to an entirely new concept that I dont think I have
ever truly experienced before freedom!
This new sense of independence is arguably the most
signicant aspect of sixth form. While we had previously
been conned in our Key Stage 4 cocoons, dependent on
our teachers and our parents, being told what to do and
where to be, how to act and what to say, we have now
been thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool of
snakes and spiders and all manner of grisly and graphic
metaphors.
Two years of seemingly endless essays, equations andexams may seem rather excessive. I mean, whats it all
about? Does anyone care whether Richard of York gave
battle in vain? Must I really understand the theme of excess
Michael Gove (the minister of education for the current UK
government) intends to scrap the standard GCSE course. There has
been outcry from the supporting unions of the Labour party, whoare saying that a return to O-Level qualications means a return
to having a CSE qualication. Before the Conservatives introduced
GCSEs, CSEs existed as a form of lesser O-Level. For example, if you
got a Level 1 (Distinction) grade in your CSE, you had the equivalent
of a C in the same subject at O-Level.
Generally, CSEs were poorly regarded in terms of
employment. However, they were the qualications the
masses could attain, so they were needed anyway. The
unions who strongly protest against a two-tier system have
clearly forgotten about the dierence between Higher and
Foundation papers. Right now at GCSE level, getting the
highest mark in a Foundation paper will give you a grade C.
Isnt it this the same as the CSE anyway?
I suppose you could say that because Ive sat my GCSEs,
this wont aect me. But if GCSEs change, then A Levels
will too. What concerns me most is the fact that I am a
candidate who will not have been through these new
qualications. So what does it mean for me and my grades?
For starters, will my GCSEs fade in comparison to those
who have done the harder exams? Will they become more
employable? The same goes for when A Levels inevitablybecome harder. Will other peoples grade As or Bs be worth
more than mine?
If thats the case, a whole restructuring will take place
and people like me who have worked hard at what weve
been set will be displaced in the employment system.
This must, again, be accounted for. I think that the eects
will be minimised because the changes will happen at A
Level very gradually. Hopefully, even with the very gradual
movement, the government can produce a scheme of
work that I can complete to bring my knowledge up to
the standards they expect.
These are just my thoughts. What I
want to ask you is what do you think
about all of this change and do you
support Gove or not?
Ugo, aged 16
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What have Young NCB members beenup to since the summer?
Young NCB members have been involved in a varietyof
events and activities since our last edition ofLoudspeaker.
Hereare a few photosofwhatwe have beenup to
Young NCBs Advisory Group have been working hard on the two
priorities- Wake up to Your World and Challenging Discrimination.
The Advisory Group have nished their poster forWake up to Your World which includes what children
and young people need to know about Parliament
and how it works. We have sent this out to all of our
members as part of Parliament Week which ran from
19-25 November 2012.
The Advisory Group have also completed their
questionnaire to send to children and young peoplein order to nd out what you think are the most
important areas that we should cover under the topic
of discrimination. You can take part in this survey to
tell us what you think, so keep your eyes peeled on the
website to have your say!
Parliament Week briefing andtour at the Houses of Parliament
ThePersonalFinance EducationAdvisoryGroup atthelaunch oftheirtoolkit
Launching theGet Money Savvy Toolkit
British Youth Councils AnnualCouncil Meeting
TheAdvisorygroupworking on
aproblem solvingteamactivity.
IshwarandBillal readytohavea go
onthezip wire!
Young NCB Advisory GroupResidential
Claire and Shivani at the Houses of Parliament
Young NCBs priorities update
NCBs Annual General Meeting
YoungNCBmembersattheAGM(Ben,Teri-An
n,
Jamie,Aneela,AdamandOrtega)
Aneela
andKiran
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5
One of our current Advisory Group members talks about the
residential she went on in September, her time on the Advisory Group
and how she is feeling about leaving
At the residential, we discussed the main areas
related to our two priorities, Wake up to Your World and
Challenging Discrimination.
We decided on content and design for a
poster for Wake Up to Your World explaining
to young people the importance of politics and
what they can do to nd out more information
and get involved. For Challenging Discrimination
we nalised the questionnaire for young people
about their views on discrimination. We also had
team building exercises where we did activities
like problem solving and a zip wire.
My favourite part of the residential was getting to knowthe members who I have worked with better and learning
new skills like leadership and teamwork. It was good
to go to the residential to be able to work in a dierent
environment with the members and learn new things
along the way.
Young NCB Advisory Group
I am really upset to be leaving the Advisory Group as I
am so attached to everyone and its a shame to leave them
all. My highlight of being an Advisory Group member is
that I have been able to express my views about topics we
have discussed, and knowing that everything I have said is
being taken into account and that having my opinion heard
has made a dierence. I have seen a big change in
my personality as a whole. I have become a more
condent and independent person.
I would suggest that anyone who comes across an
opportunity like this should seize it with both hands,
as it is a life changing experience, but also a lot of fun!
Shivani, aged 16
We will be recruiting for the Advisory Group in December andJanuary, so if you would like to get involved then please email
info@youngncb.org.ukand complete an application form. You will
nd more information on the Young NCB website and if you are a
member we will email you all the details.
Shivani
In the UK there are more than 1.5 million 16 and 17 year olds and
according to Votes at 16 they are knowledgeable and passionate
about the world they live in and are capable of engaging in thedemocratic system. Are we really that knowledgeable and passionate
about politics?
In 1998 the British Youth Council surveyed 1000
young people about participation in society and the
understanding of the political process. The results were
then published in the report State of the Young Nation.
This was the rst time that many people thought about
lowering the voting age to 16, and it reinforced the British
Youth Councils campaign on the subject.
Ever since then there has been an ongoing debate on
whether it is right to let young people vote at 16. At the
age of 16 the law says that you can do a number of things,
such as:
leave school and enter work or training
pay income tax and National Insurance
obtain tax credits and welfare benets in their
own right
get married or enter a civil partnership
join the armed forces.
Many people argue that if young people can take on so
many responsibilities, that they should be able to vote.
The main opposition to 16 year olds having the voteis that there is not enough political education taught in
schools and therefore young people dont know enough
about current aairs and
politics. Citizenship has been
compulsory since 2002
but many schools are not
using this to teach political
education early enough.
Teaching political education
in schools from a young age
would equip 16 year olds
with the knowledge and
maturity to vote at 16.
However we still need to
ask is there enough interest
from young people to
vote and how much of an
impact would it make in national
and local elections?
Yasmin, aged 14
Do young people really need to learn about politicaleducation so that they have the chance to vote at 16?
The Houses of Parliament
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If you want to contact Young NCB Northern Ireland send
an e-mail to: info@youngncb.org.uk
NCB in Northern Ireland are running the ENGAGE programme,
providing support and advice for projects funded through the
Reaching Out: Empowering Young People programme, on behalf of
the Big Lottery Fund.
ENGAGE is also supported by a young persons reference
group to make sure that young people are central to the
delivery of the support programme.
Two of the Young NCB Northern Ireland members tell you
what they have been getting up to:
Hi my name is Lauren and Im an Engage N You
member. In September we made a DVD about hard
to reach young people. It involved members from
Phoenix ADHD Project and other young people who
are part of NCB. We went to Mountsandel forest park
to do some lming. By making the DVD we are trying
to get adults to understand what young people are
going through these days.
Lauren aged 16
My name is Robert and I also worked with NCB to
help make the DVD. To help us make it we also did
some group work. I enjoyed making the DVD because
a lot of people will see it. The people at NCB have all been
very helpful and caring.
Robert, aged 15
The young peoples views on how adults could improve
working with hard to reach young people was shown
at an Engage workshop and this DVD can be seen at the
Participation Works website.www.participationworks.org.uk/northern-ireland
Engage NYoumembers atameeting
Join Young NCB for free at www.youngncb.org.uk For details phone 020 7843 6099 or email info@youngncb.org.uk
Workingwithhardtoreachyoungpeople
Workexperience
For one week in October I got the opportunity to
do work experience in NCB Northern Ireland. I got
to help out with everything going on in the o ce
and to nd out what NCB does.
I helped the research team by going
out to a school to get them to ll in
a questionnaire and I also got the
opportunity to help judge this year s Anti-
Bulling Poster Competition for the
NI Anti-Bullying Forum.
I feel that I have learned so
much this past week and I would
love to work with NCB Northern
Ireland in future. I have alsojoined Young NCB and I hope to
be doing great things with them.
Anthony aged, 15
Anthony from Young NCB Northern Ireland
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Mariyam and Kiran highlighted the impact on children
and young peoples health of living in cold, damp homes.
They provided the young peoples view, while Dot Gibson
from the National Pensioners Convention gave an older
persons perspective. Together they provided a really strong
voice to show just how critical it is for people to live in safe,
healthy homes.
Kiran said I think it was important that we were there
to reinforce the message that fuel poverty isnt just an
old peoples issue but something that aects everyone,
especially children and young people.
NCB supports the Energy Bill Revolution campaign which
calls on government to use the money it will receive from
carbon taxes to make homes energy e cient. This will
help reduce fuel poverty and slash carbon emissions. You
can nd out more about the campaign on their website orwatch the Young NCB Fuel Poverty Champions speak about
the campaign on the NCB website:
http://ncb.org.uk/sustainable-lifestyles
/fuel-poverty-and-childrens-health
www.energybillrevolution.org 7
Save our hospitals!
Save Ealing Hospital
Mariyam and Kiran at the event in London
On the 15 September, I was involved in the protest in London to Save
Ealing Hospital. Ealing Hospital is in close proximity to working class
areas that are heavily dependent on the hospital, and the closure
will aect the poor and the vulnerable, especially those who do not
have the means to travel. This to some feels like the beginning of a
two-tier system whereby those who live in wealthier areas close tohospitals will have better access and response times and those who
live further away will suer, particularly the economically dependent
elderly outpatients.
It cannot be denied that all the hospitals being closed
are close to or neighbouring poorer areas. Saving our local
hospitals is an issue very close to my heart as I believe
the areas close by have little investment or infrastructure
development mainly when considering population sizes
and tax contributions.
Without Ealing, Charing Cross or Hammersmith Accident
and Emergencies, ambulances would have to travel miles
and deaths would rise. The residents need their local
hospitals. Ealing Hospital alone is used by 100,000 people a
year and without it patients in desperate need would have
nowhere to go.
With gas and electricity prices set to rise again just in time for
Christmas, the cost of fuel bills are a real concern for many families
again this year.Mariyam and Kiran Iqbal, two of Young NCBs Fuel
Poverty Champions, were asked to speak at the Local action
for warm homes event in London in October. The event was
organised to show how councils can help to reduce fuel
poverty in their areas.
Highlighting the impact of living incold homes on children and young people
Throughout my community in Ealing there is a general
feeling the restructuring of the NHS is a cover, that the
government is not planning on making our health care
better by closing our hospital as they claim but rather a
simple exercise in cutting costs.
The NHS is responsible for Ealing Hospital; it is the fault of
the NHS that the hospital is under performing, not that of
the residents themselves.
The people of Ealing are paying for the mistakes of
a select few in the city who have made poor nancial
decisions, possibly with their lives.
Sadaf Moosvi, age 15
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Join Young NCB for free at www.youngncb.org.uk For details phone 020 7843 6099 or email info@youngncb.org.uk
Member profiles
Name: Lauren Caldwell
Lives: Coleraine
Age: 16 years old
How long have you
been involved in
Young NCB and what
sort of things have you done?
For about a year now. I have been to the
Belfast activity Centre and taken part in
things like questionnaires.
What other interests do you have?
I like to play sports.
What are you studying?
Childcare at Rutledge Recruitment
and Training.
What are your plans for the future?I would like to run my own childcare
business one day.
What qualities do you like in
other people?
Sporty people because I like sports and
also people who are friendly.
And what do you dislike in people?
When they are very rude!
Who do you most admire in life and
why?
I admire David De Gea because he
makes me try to succeed when I play
and Martin Luther King because he
fought for everyone to be treated
equally.
What are the main things that stop
young people from getting their
voice heard?I think its when they are too shy to give
their opinion.
What are the biggest issues for young
people your age today?
Getting pressured into things.
Do you have any words of wisdom for
your fellow Young NCB members?
Dont give into peer pressure and voice
what you think - dont be shy!
Name: Ethan Gulliford-
Knight
Age: 12 years oldLives: Bradford
How long have you
been involved in
Young NCB and what
sort of things have you done?
I have just joined the NCB, this is my rst
o cial involvement but I am keen to
contribute in the future!
What other interests do you have?
Scootering, laser-tag, guitar, karate,
hiking, rugby, pool and reading
What are you studying?
My favourite subjects are English, Maths,
Drama and PE.
What are your plans for the future?
To acquire the Duke of Edinburgh
Award, GCSE English, Maths and Physics,
A-Level Maths, English, Physics, Politics,
Law, Psychology and Id like to study
philosophy.
What qualities do you like in
other people?
What I truly like in people is honesty andI like people to inspire me to be positive,
by being positive towards everything
and to bring an optimistic vibe when Im
with them.
And what do you dislike in people?
People who act like they are superior
and who walk around with a chip on
their shoulder.
Who do you most admire in life
and why?
My grandpa, who I call Bampa! He
is so intelligent, knowledgeable and
accomplished.
What are the main things that stop
young people from getting their
voice heard?
Children can feel self- conscious
because other kids prejudice them
and make feel that their thoughts and
opinions arent cool.
What are the biggest issues for
young people your age today?
Kids not getting the right start in lifethrough poverty, not having access to
the best schools and opportunities. They
are not able to reach their full potential.
Do you have any words of wisdom
for your fellow Young NCBers?
When opportunities emerge take
them! Trying new things will build your
condence regardless of what other
kids say.
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