ISSN 1475-6129

L oudspeaker
YOUNG NCB MEMBERS MAGAZINE

ISSUE 28 WINTER 2012

Young NCB priorities update Young NCB Northern Ireland The scrapping of GCSEs

Political education and votes at 16

Whats Inside ..?

No regrets with Air Cadets The scrapping of GCSEs: What does it mean for us? Freedom What have Young NCB members been up to Young NCB priorities update Young NCB Advisory Group Political education and votes at 16 Young NCB Northern Ireland Save our hospitals Energy Bill Revolution update Member pro les 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 8

Welcome from Young NCB!

Welcome to Loudspeaker winter 2012 - 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 and what e ect 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 Sara-Jane thinks about votes 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 she went 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 website or 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

Disclaimer in this edition The views expressed by members those of of Loudspeaker are not neccesarily Young NCB

No regrets with Air Cadets!

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

Rana, aged 16

Join Young NCB for free at www.youngncb.org.uk For details phone 020 7843 6099 or email info@youngncb.org.uk

The scrapping of GCSEs: What does it mean for us?

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, who are saying that a return to O-Level quali cations means a return to having a CSE quali cation. 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 quali cations the masses could attain, so they were needed anyway. The unions who strongly protest against a two-tier system have clearly forgotten about the di erence 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 a ect 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 quali cations. 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 inevitably become 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 e ects 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
Ugo

\Freedom
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 signi cant aspect of sixth form. While we had previously been con ned 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 and exams 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

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 your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.
Finn, aged 16

Finn

What have Young NCB members been up to since the summer?

Parliament Week briefing and tour at the Houses of Parliament

Young NCB members have been involved in a variety of events and activities since our last edition of Loudspeaker. Here are a few photos of what we have been up to

Launching the Get Money Savvy Toolkit

Claire and Shivani at the Houses of Parliament

British Youth Councils Annual Council Meeting

The Personal Finance Education Advis ory Group at the launch of their toolkit

Aneela and Kiran

Young NCB Advisory Group Residential

NCBs Annual General Meeting

the AGM (Ben, Teri-Ann, Young NCB members at m and Ortega) Jamie, Aneela, Ada

The Advisory group working on a problem solving team activity. Ishwar and Billal ready to have a go on the zip wire!

Young NCBs priorities update

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 for Wake 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 people in 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!

Do young people really need to learn about political education so that they have the chance to vote at 16?
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 the democratic 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 bene ts 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 vote is that there is not enough political education taught in schools and therefore young people dont know enough about current a airs 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 The Houses of Parliament 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

Young NCB Advisory Group

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 Shivani team building exercises where we did activities like problem solving and a zip wire. My favourite part of the residential was getting to know the 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 di erent environment with the members and learn new things along the way.
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 di erence. I have seen a big change in my personality as a whole. I have become a more con dent 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 and January, so if you would like to get involved then please email info@youngncb.org.uk and 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.
5

If you want to contact Young NCB Northern Ireland send an e-mail to: info@youngncb.org.uk

Working with hard to reach young people

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
Engage N You members at a meeting

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:

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

Work experience
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 years AntiBulling 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 also joined Young NCB and I hope to be doing great things with them.
Anthony aged, 15 6
Join Young NCB for free at www.youngncb.org.uk For details phone 020 7843 6099 or email info@youngncb.org.uk

Anthony from Young NCB Northern Ireland

Save our hospitals!

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 a ect 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 to hospitals will have better access and response times and those who live further away will su er, 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.

Save Ealing Hospital

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

Highlighting the impact of living in cold homes on children and young people
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 a ects 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 or watch 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

Mariyam and Kiran at the event in London

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.

Member profiles

Name: Ethan Gulliford-

Knight Age: 12 years old Lives: 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 are the biggest issues for young people your age today?

What I truly like in people is honesty and I 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.

Kids not getting the right start in life through 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 con dence regardless of what other kids say.

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?

What qualities do you like in other people?

What are the biggest issues for young people your age today?

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.

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.

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!

Join Young NCB for free at www.youngncb.org.uk For details phone 020 7843 6099 or email info@youngncb.org.uk