Free Iss ue 26
March 2015
What about
BASKETBALL?
Tips
He for She
to manage your time effectively
Health and Fizzy Drinks Special Delivery: Flowers for the mean lady
Lone-Wolf
Where are all the
Terrorists and Terrorist Plots
women?
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Dear Readers, International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world since 1913, on the 8th March. It is a global day to promote equality, celebrate the achievements of women, and inspire the new generations. But although there has been progress since a century, there are still areas that can be improved. At ACF, we celebrate women every day, and we dedicate this issue of the New Gen to all the amazing women of the community. We invite everyone, women and men, to read, share and comment Alice’s view on the He For She campaign, to wonder with Safraz, Where are the women in politics? For those of you who are putting themselves under pressure in order to obtain good grades, we suggest Exams and depression on page 10. Compassion is at the heart of a flower delivery on page 9, while precious tips on time management are waiting for you on page 14. Our cover picture was taken during a workshop we organised to raise the community’s awareness on the issue of ‘Jihadi Brides’, teenage girls and young women who leave the UK to join ISIS controlled territory: a phenomenon we all have to pay attention to. We know that it would be impossible to give proper thanks to all the amazing women in our lives, but we should be doing our best to empower them. Don’t hesitate to follow us on social media! Fatima
An electronic copy of this magazine can be found on our website.
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Chief Excecutive Hanif Qadir: hanif@activechangefoundation.org Chief Editor Fatima Lahnait: fatima@activechangefoundation.org Deputy Editor: Alice Roder Writers: Maxwell Adjei, Safraz Ali, Balgees Barendilla, Dave Elleray, Ehab Hassan, Maria Karim, AbdulGhaffar Mahdi, Alice Roder, Esther Trienekens, Head of Communication and Media Shafiul Islam: shaf@activechangefoundation.org Pictures: Outreach Team /Shafiul Islam Printed by: FOZ Designs Ltd, hello@fozdesigns.com
The New Gen Magazine is printed in Great Britain for the Active Change Foundation, by FOZ Designs Ltd. All rights of translation and reproduction reserved. All articles and images in this magazine are under the exclusive copyright of the Active Change Foundation.
CONTENTS 5.
Lone-Wolf Terrorists
9.
Special Delivery:
14.
Flowers For The Mean Lady
Tips To Manage Your Time Effectively
18.
Health and Well-Being:
21.
Youth of the Month
NewGen 3
Fizzy Drinks And Health
6. 10. 16.
The ‘He For She’ Campaign In Review
Exams And Depression
How To Select A Career That Makes You Happy
19.
On The Ball: What About Basketball?
22.
Coffee Break, plus solutions last month
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7.
Where Are All The Women?
12.
Events at ACF
17.
Ladies Initiative – Women Coffee Morning
20.
Business of the Month
March 2015
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March 2015
Lone-Wolf And Jihadism
In order to fully understand what is at stake in the current international situation and to safeguard yourselves, it is important to distinguish between several aspects of the notion of ‘terrorism’. There is: a) the extremist, terrorist ideology, b) extremists and terrorists and c) Terrorist plots. As for the first, the extremist, terrorist ideology, or what has been known to the scholars of the Muslims for 1400 years as the Kharijite ideology - a renegade sect prophesized by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to appear recurringly, putting the Muslims to trial. They excommunicate Muslim rulers, governments and societies and unleash murder and terror upon them. This is the ideology of al-Qaida, ISIS and groups like them. This ideology is NOT created by any foreign policy. It is a crooked, twisted, anti-Islamic, evil ideology. As for extremists, terrorists, then the right circumstances and factors can lead to radicalization and extremism of individuals but only in the presence of ignorance about Islam or a distortion of Islamic teachings. In other words, the un-Islamic extremist ideology itself still remains the crucial factor in the synthesis of a terrorist mindset. As for Terrorist Plots, whether failed or executed, then not all Terrorist Plots - particularly in the Western countries - are genuine. In fact, genuine acts of terrorism are far more abundant in the lands of the Muslims than anywhere else and the ideology of al-Qaida, ISIS, Boko Haram and groups like them kill more Muslims than non-Muslims, since the ideology, in its foundation, is directed at Muslims and not non-Muslims. Terrorist acts against non-Muslims are only the branch, not the foundation.
to the deaths of 5042 people, the overwhelming majority of which were in Irāq (1770), Nigeria (786), Afghānistan (782), Syria (693), Yemen (410), Somalia (216) and Pakistan (212). Peter Neumann, the author of the report states, “This report, therefore, tells the story of a movement in the middle of a transformation - one whose final outcome is impossible to predict. The immediate focus, however, is jihadism’s human cost: with, on average, more than 20 attacks and nearly 170 deaths per day, jihadist groups destroy countless lives - most of them Muslim - in the name of an ideology that the vast majority of Muslims reject”. And he notes in the conclusion, “In just one month, jihadist groups killed 5,042 people - the equivalent of three attacks on the scale of the London bombings in July 2005 each day. Contrary to the often articulated complaint that jihadism is overreported and that groups like the Islamic State get too much coverage, our survey seems to suggest that most of the victims receive practically no attention. Hardly any of the attacks that formed the basis for our analysis were reported in the Western media. Indeed, even the suicide bombings of which there were 38 - made virtually no headlines except in the countries in which they took place. Yet most of the victims of jihadist violence continue to be non-combatants, and the vast majority is Muslim.” […] In Western countries, mentally unstable, disillusioned Muslims or even new converts are targeted and preyed upon by undercover extremists, brainwashed, directed and then supported, financially and with materials, to organize acts of terrorism. […] The very rare genuine acts of terrorism that may take place in the West alongside the abundant fake, manufactured terrorist plots are given huge media attention, whilst the daily terrorist atrocities performed by the takfiri Kharijites against Muslims in their lands receive very little, if no media attention at all. Source: courtesy of www.islamagainstextremism.com
A report titled “The New Jihadism” which was published by the Department of War Studies at King’s College London indicates that during the month of November 2014, chosen as a sample month for the study, a total of 664 attacks led NewGen 5
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March 2015
Where Are All The Women? By Safraz Ali Irrespective of this, the real issue here is proportion, more than half the inhabitants of the UK are women according to the 2011 census. Now they need to be represented in Parliament, but by more than under a quarter?
The general election is upon us and the likes of Ed & David have already been grilled on live television by the legendary Jeremy Paxman. This can only signify one thing: the general election is upon us. The spectacle only occurs every half a decade, where voters have the opportunity to cast their democratic ballot. Though, when looking around the political hierarchy, there seems to be a lack of women representation. There’s only been one female Prime Minister in history, Margaret Thatcher (Conservative), and astonishingly no female US President, however this may change next year with Hilary Clinton. A shortage of women in the top positions of the political pyramid can be worrying. One might wonder ‘are all sectors of society actually being represented?’ Women represent only 23% of Parliament, compare this figure to our allies, the US, who have a mere 18% and it doesn’t seem so bad on the international scale. That is until you look at what we class as, ‘third rate’ countries such as Afghanistan (28%), South Africa (45%) or even Rwanda (64%) and it seems that the UK are staggering behind. Even our EU counterparts such as Sweden (45%) are superior. Nevertheless, just because the UK doesn’t have the highest percentage of female representation, doesn’t mean women fail to have their say in Parliament. Walthamstow’s very own MP, Stella Creasy, has brought numerous campaigns to life such as Payday Loans to name an example.
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When looking at turnout figures, 64% of women eligible to vote in the 2010 election did as such, compared to 66% of men, only 2% higher but higher nonetheless. Would this figure increase if female representation were to follow a similar route? That being said, two of the seven main party leaders (if you’d call it that) are actually female. SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon or Green’s Natalie Bennett are both at the top position of their respective parties. One resides in Scotland and the other’s party has one seat in the UK. The point being illustrated here is that the Labour or Conservative party would do no wrong by nominating a woman as their next leader! The latter seems to be doing as such. With Cameron recently ruling out a third term, meaning the battle to become Tory leader has commenced, the favourites being Boris Johnson, George Osborne, and of course Theresa May who happens to be a female. If she were to be anointed as leader, perhaps the Tories can reclaim a potential lost throne. Even Labour would do no harm in electing a female as their leader. Ed Miliband’s approval ratings are lower than that of his party. He isn’t popular, not particularly likeable, and this may possibly hinder Labour’s chances of forming a majority. To all the politicians: 9.1 million women did not turn out to vote in 2010: this figure has only increase, and if tapped into, could give you the keys to No. 10. Men dominate mainstream politics in this country; one only has to watch PM Q’s on Wednesdays to see the atmosphere it produces and the verbal spat that ensues between the two main party leaders. Maybe a woman at the helm is what this country needs, apathy is at all a time high and this could be exactly why.
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March 2015
The ‘He for She’ Campaign in Review By Alice Roder ‘He for She’ is a UN led initiative, created by UN Women in recognition of the gender imbalance in the fight for gender equality. It’s rather clever, really. Clever to recognise that the fight for gender equality has traditionally been ‘the woman’s role’, and that this is sexist in itself, is it not? The campaign therefore calls upon men to advocate the rights of women as equals, and for us all to fight together in the mission to close the gender gap. The Gender Issue So, what is this gap? Why should men fight gender inequality? We thought feminism was yesteryear’s news. This campaign is perhaps necessary in reviving public belief that gender inequality is in fact, a contemporary issue. Many people look at their lives in the UK and think of gender inequality as a minor problem; what they don’t often realise is the extent to which sexism is ingrained into social economic structures in the UK, and how it affects millions of women in a life limiting capacity. Women make up two thirds of the world’s poorest people, despite the fact that they only represent half the population. We can’t go a week without a woman being killed by a violent partner or ex-partner in the UK. At least 24,000 girls were at risk of female genital mutilation in 2007, again in the UK. These are just some of the shocking statistics concerning violence and world poverty, but even privileged, safe, and happy women suffer from structural inequality of an even broader reach. It was shocking to see in a recent diagram that there are more powerful people working as CEOs called David than there are all women. In fact other male names also overtook women, or came very, very close. Despite an equal pay act in UK law, women still bring in lower incomes than men. We can play with shocking statistics about the ‘glass ceiling’ women face in employment all day long and never run out of numbers, why is this deemed a tired issue? Why is it not worth our time? I suppose because feminism has become a dirty word in recent years. So many people attach character stereotypes to feminists: ugly, man hating, bitter, woman. They are but a few of the common NewGen 7
misconceptions. In a society where women are underrepresented in positions of power, powerful women rarely feel comfortable addressing patriarchy. Doing so only opens them up to personal accusations and the sticky situation of responding to sexism with sexism. Like, “how can you judge all men the same?” The Aims of ‘He for She’ Bearing in mind the sticky situation of a female’s predicament, ‘He for She’ is something designed to take a new angle on approaching sexism. ‘He for She’ calls upon men to take up the fight for gender equality in solidarity with women, “Initially we were asking the question, ‘Do men care about gender equality?’ and we found out that they do care,” said Elizabeth Nyamayaro of UN Women. “Then we started to get a lot of emails from men who signed up, who now want to do more.” ‘He for She’ kicked off in September 2014 and aims to reach over 1 billion boys and men this year. The popular actor Emma Watson has acted as a motivation with a speech that went viral, breaking down the uncomfortable feelings around feminism by saying, “If you believe in equality, you’re a feminist. Sorry to tell you.” The UN has laid out a multi-faceted agenda for the campaign gaining online pledges for individual men and boys but also appealing to corporations, universities, schools, and governments. The Impact plan has laid out careful suggestions as to how these partners can assist in promoting ‘He for She’ directives. A Good Move? Emma Watson’s UN speech hit at our hearts, I myself was urged by several friends to watch it as one of the nearly 7million views on YouTube. The speech reached far more people than that, inspiring hundreds of powerful and popular men to hold their own discussions. A plethora of TedX talks, promotional videos, TV debates, and tweets hit the scenes. ‘He for She’ had a voice, a voice with strong male tones from people like Barack Obama and Matt Damon as examples of hundreds of our most powerful and influential men. The Issues But, how far has this campaign really ‘reached out’.
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March 2015
Relying on voluntary cooperation, Watson’s speech seems to be one of the only hard hitting tools in promoting equality. I myself haven’t heard anything about anti-violence services rolled out to educate men. I haven’t heard much about people at all. Corporations, Universities, States, celebrities. Are these people and institutions not already in touch with gender issues and aren’t most of them fighting for all round equality? They mostly hold power in the liberal northern hemisphere, and I wonder how many of the world’s poor (two thirds women) are actually in touch with ‘He for She’. In addition to this there are certain hypocrisies involved. Attempting to absolve the man hating from feminism has not been entirely effective, as past Watson’s acceptance that males suffer from sexism too, the UN Impact strategy mostly focuses on the inequalities of women and girls. Even in the name ‘He for She’ we are still distinguishing a gender divide, should he be for he and for she? Shouldn’t we all be for ‘we’? And finally, I personally can’t help but feel the campaign sometimes gives license to ‘superhero’ man egos. On the campaign’s website is a very well presented quote from Obama, saying that men need to lift women up and support them. It seemed a bit out of place to me, and a little cheeky that perhaps the invite for male involvement in feminism could so easily define the progress of women. Sure, a lot of men look upon the campaign as the protection of a sister, a friend, a mother. But doesn’t protection indicate some sort of power, or superiority? I can’t help but feel a little like a lot of men sit back and think: “Oh, He for She! She’s asking my permission to be equal to me. If I gift it to her, she’ll be forever in my debt.” Should equality become an act of chivalry? It’s just a misconception that may undermine the whole history of the gender struggle.
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March 2015
Special Delivery: Flowers For The Mean Lady
By Ehab Hassan
It was a hot summer day. I had just graduated from high school and was working a summer job to make some side money for college. I was a flower delivery guy – bringing happiness to people and getting paid at the same time. It didn’t get much better than that. This was almost 20 years ago now, but I’ll never forget one of my deliveries. I drove up to the house, knocked on the door, and a young lady answered. There I was, as cheerful as could be, with a big smile on my face and an even bigger bouquet of flowers in my hands. I introduced myself and asked the lady how she was doing. With a very cold and emotionless face, one that said she hated the world and that I was no exception, she replied: “I’ve been better.” I was so annoyed that day. You go out of your way to be nice to people and sometimes you get quite the opposite in return. Perhaps she thought she was better than me. After all, I was just a flower delivery boy making $7.50 an hour. Coincidentally enough, a day or two after that, she got another delivery. I decided to give her another chance. I knocked on her door and was very nice and cheerful. But I was met with the same mean look and unimpressed tone. This time, I was borderline angry. Lo and behold, she received some more flowers, but this time, I would get my revenge. I walked up to the door, with a stern look on my face far meaner than any look she would be able to make, and said with the coldest voice possible, “You have flowers. Sign this.” I walked away, feeling like I had regained some of my dignity. Thankfully, I was able to build on it when she received more flowers the next day. I made sure I had my stern face on when I went to the door, and spoke as coldly as possible without saying anything that would get me fired. “Here. Sign”, I said as I shoved the clip board in her hands. She took the flowers and I left. The words that were exchanged between us that day were very few, but I do remember feeling that I had hopefully done just enough to ruin her day as much as she ruined mine a couple of days earlier. And it was a good feeling. Regardless of how it had impacted her day, if at all, I at least felt much better about myself now.
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Several days later, I came across an article in the local newspaper. The title read: “Eight Year Old Boy Crushed by a Garage Door”. The article described neighbours who were walking by a house and saw the legs of a little child sticking out of the garage, with his chest pinned under the garage door. They ran and beat on the front door of the house where a family was inside having dinner. It gave details of the boy’s mother, running out hysterically, seeing her child and screaming, “My baby! My baby!” as she tried with all her strength to lift the garage door off him, but just didn’t have enough strength to do so. More neighbours saw what was happening and rushed over to help, and collectively were able to get the garage door up just enough to drag his limp body onto the driveway. His body was lifeless, his face was blue. One of the neighbours tried to give him CPR, but it was too late. What a horrific scene that article painted, as I tried to avoid reenacting it in my mind. Finally, when I saw the name of the street, it all hit me. I finally understood why so many people would be sending flowers to such a “mean” lady. And now that I’m a father, I can only imagine what must have been going on in her world at that time – an incident which probably still haunts her to this day. There I was, so upset that she couldn’t force a smile back at me, when she was probably going through the most difficult thing anyone has to go through in their life – she had just buried her own child. I learned a very valuable lesson that day. Let the little things go, and have some compassion with people. You never know what struggles they’re going through in their lives. This is a powerful reminder that we must always be kind, even when it is not reciprocated. We must be agents of hope in the lives of others. Every single human being is fighting his/her own internal battle, even when we do not see it. I think we often interpret other people’s attitudes as arrogance, coldness or uninterest, when in reality what they are feeling is insecurity, guilt, shame, or sadness.
Source: Courtesy of Islaam.info.com
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March 2015
Exams, Stress, Depression By Dave Elleray At this time of year thousands of students are facing the daunting gauntlet of exams and course work. As deadlines loom so can the impending clouds of worry, stress and self doubt, seldom does excitement and happiness fill this period for those going through this testing chapter of life. With more and more pressure to be successful put onto younger shoulders, never before have the statistics of teen depression been so high. Sadly these are not the only worries that the young people of today face. Family, relationships, drugs, peer pressure, social pressures, media and social networks can all take their toll, and leave some feeling inadequate with out any understanding or methods to cope. So in order for us to be able to deal with the mountainous task of beating the stress monsters into submission, we must first understand what stress actually is. In psychology, stress is an un-nerving feeling of strain or pressure. Psychological stress always boils down to an individual perception of a situation, with the daunting belief that they will not have ability, skills or time to cope with the problem at hand. When we are stressed we release Stress Chemicals such as Adrenalin and Cortisol into the body, some of these chemicals released over long periods of time can do physical and further mental harm. However some smaller manageable amounts of stress can sometimes be desirable in order for us to get things done, motivating us to achieve our goals in time and to a high standard. In the latter case - in time the cause of the stress will pass and the individual should return to a happier healthier mind set. Some however don’t and this can lead to what we all know as depression. Depression might be described as a continuous state of low mood, which in some cases can have a direct impact on the individual and also the suffering persons family and friends lives. A depressed person can feel many emotions, but generally none of them being
positive ones such as joy, peace of mind or excitement. Feelings of sadness lack of self-worth, anger, irritability, guilt and emptiness along with a whole load of other negative emotions, can consume the person suffering from depression. Ask a person suffering from depression and they will often refer to it as a personal hell. So what can we do about the problem of depression? In order for us to fight our demons we must first understand the fundamental building blocks of their creation. As living beings, we guide ourselves from the moment we are born until the moment we die using a miraculous energy. This energy creates our whole experience of life, happening around 60 000 times a day and being 98% repetitive, building belief systems, egos (self image or identity) and creativity. This massively overlooked energy is thought. So what actually is a thought and where do they come from? In truth no one actually knows the answer! Everybody has different individual thoughts relating to any given situation. Using our 5 senses we sense our surroundings and collate all the information, and using thoughts, we simply and continuously create in our minds a constructed interpretation of the series of events we have unfolding in front of us. We then overlay our individually created and held beliefs (built up of previous experience, but still created by thoughts). We do this for every moment of our waking day (and some parts of our sleep - we call it dreaming) interpreting and creating as we go, all on a subconscious level, ultimately we are literally creating ‘our own reality’ that we perceive in front of us. This reality that we have created is so real to each of us, it is easy to think that everyone else is seeing and feeling the same, but they are not, they are having their own ‘personal reality’ experience. This explains how one person reacts one way and another differently, how we can have different opinions, preferences, worries and pleasures. This is where it gets a bit interesting. Because everybody is seeing and creating individually their own interpretation of planet Earth, everyone sees different things in different situations in what people call ‘The Real World’. Nelson Mandela, to some a Freedom fighter, but to some a terrorist or murderer, what ever your view, you have used thought as the building block to achieve your result, meaning that the term the ‘Real World’ actually has no truth - as the real world has over 7 billion different individually created views,
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March 2015
rather then one external truth that we are all seeing in the same way. So what has this got to do with exams, stress and depression? Well…if we create our reality as individuals using our great gift of thought, we are also creating the ‘reality’ of the perceived stress we feel inside of us. Our feelings or moods could be described as a barometer to our thoughts; positive thoughts create happy, excited and joyous feelings, whilst negative thoughts create the feelings of stress - as mentioned earlier, and in some cases - depression. How do we take control of these feelings? We learn to understand Thought. We don’t need to control thoughts, feelings or moods, we just have to be aware of how they operate and what our role as the thinker of our thought is, and in turn will explain the feeling you have at any moment. Our feelings are a 100% accurate reflection of the quality of our thoughts, temporary in nature they change with the changing of a thought, but always reflecting back to us even if we didn’t consciously acknowledge the thought that created it. Thoughts have as much power as WE choose to give them; they only have impact if WE give them credibility or put them into action. If WE allow a negative thought to take hold of us by giving it credibility, it can take us down causing stress or depression. However if we understand and tell ourselves that ‘they are JUST A THOUGHT that WE have created, and that WE don’t have to listen to them’, they will fade away being replaced by a new thought in a second. Remember any power given to a thought has been given by you, and you have the power to take that away, rendering the thought powerless, and lifting the feeling of stress or depression that we had created. Liberating stuff!! There are however some practical things we can do to try and reduce the impending stress of exams, coursework or life.
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We can begin by planning ahead. Organise and set aside time to do research or revision when needed. Use this time wisely and focus on the project at hand. Take notes and read them thoroughly. Equally important is rest. As the mind fills up, so do stress levels, making us tired. Understand that a tired stressed mind does not function efficiently, and so you could be wasting valuable energy by continuing to force information in at this point. On average a human can concentrate for just 20 minutes before distraction thoughts start to arise. Eat healthily and exercise regularly, both of these help the body and mind function in a healthy efficient way. Take a walk for half an hour, play football or swim for example.
Should the worst happen and we don’t achieve what we hoped, DON’T PANIC!! This is not the end of the world. Some of the world’s best known business people reached their pinnacle of excellence with no formal qualifications. We can re-sit or re-write any of our pieces, and negotiate with teachers or lecturers should any problems arise during these times. EVERYTHING in life can be sorted out, it is just maybe that it isn’t taking the route that we had thought it would. There is plenty of help around for those of us who don’t make the grades that we had hoped for, and there is always a way to achieve the goals we wish for. Just please don’t despair! Remember that we create the reality of everything in front of us, so we create whether we can or we can’t. If we give everything in life our best, then we can always walk with heads held high knowing we gave our all. We mustn’t punish ourselves if a situation was not feasibly achievable. Do YOUR BEST that is all we can give, and remember as Henry Ford said… ‘If you believe you can, or you believe you can’t – you are correct!’ This article has been first published in the issue of May 2014
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March 2015
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EVENTS AT ACF EVENTS AT ACF
Closing Ceremony Walthamforest
Closing Ceremony
Redbridge NewGen 12
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March 2015
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EVENTS AT ACF EVENTS AT ACF
Football Competition
Table Tennis Competition
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March 2015
Tips To Manage Your Time Effectively
By Maria Karim
work, and your life before your death.” [al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak]
It gives me a sense of relief to realize that I am not the only one juggling various roles. From being a mummy to a wife to a nanny to a driver to a cook to a baby sitter to a tutor to a janitor to a nurse to a teacher to a student and what not…the list seems endless. Being a mother of three proactive children of different ages my hands (and er… feet) have always been full, […] but I’ve always felt the need to do something that would have a lasting impact on them and would leave them with something substantial even after I’m gone. […] However, as I was already on a roller coaster ride with the kind of eventful life I had, it seemed almost impossible for me to even think of finding time to pursue my ambitious plans. So despite still being naïve and ignorant about the importance of having a significant purpose in life and being clueless about how to fit it all in within my already crazy routine, I felt the urge to embark on a promising journey for my family and myself. So now here was I, rushing from this to that, shifting places and switching roles, trying to handle all that came my way while feeling drained, stressed and exhausted with very little or no spare time whatsoever. Despite following an organised routine my stress levels were skyrocketing. Worse was the sense of incompetence that lingered with an unfinished routine. I realised that being organised was not the only thing that would help. I needed to get a grip on my time to get the kind of life I was aiming for. Does this sound familiar? Has this role shift within long waking hours drained and stressed you? Are you finding it difficult to complete your tasks? Are you feeling a sense of loss as you try to interweave the different aspects of your life? Most importantly are you unable to find time for yourself? If your answer is yes, then your life could use a serious change with a strong grip on your time […]: “Grab five things before five others: your youth before your decrepitude, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your leisure before your NewGen 14
You might doubt the possibility of accommodating your routine within a day without feeling stressed but trust me ‘impossible’ is just a state of mind, something that your brain has accepted and given in to. […] So, are you all geared up for the much needed change? Yes! Grab a note pad and get……set……go! Tips To Manage Your Time Effectively Sincere Intention and Strong Resolve Have a sincere intention and strong resolve to take charge of your time through patience and perseverance in order to make the most of your life oal Setting G Have a clear focus regarding what you want to achieve in life. […] Once your goals are determined, you can design your days, weeks, months and years according to those goals. Plan Ahead Prepare your routine or checklist of tasks to be done, an evening before. Before that you must know your list of priorities, from mundane to critical, in order to create an effective checklist. Prioritise Prioritise tasks according to the level of productivity and how important it is for you to accomplish them […]. Productive Slots A very smart and effective way to get a grip on your time is to identify your productive slots. Distinguish the times when you have most energy to do those tasks that require you to be mentally and physically focused e.g. Self-Discipline Get rid of bad habits like laziness and oversleeping. They work as black holes that suck up all your positive energy leaving you lethargic and dull. Concentration Studies have proven that if you start a task, put it down
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March 2015
and come back to it later then it takes 500% more effort than it otherwise would. Therefore, try to complete the task once you start it.
brain and allow you to use your intelligence to achieve bigger goals rather than wasting time struggling to find things in a cluttered place.
Deadlines Set a deadline ahead of time with some room to spare, as this reduces stress and anxiety.
Learn to Say No, Politely According to statistics only 5% people truly value their time. Therefore, most people will not value yours and probably would not even consider meaningless activities as time wasters. Hence, you need to learn to say no, in a polite manner, in order to save your time from being wasted.
Timed Breaks Pre-select your break while setting your deadlines and reward yourself after having accomplished a particular task. Train yourself to have a positive consequence for everything that needs to be done. However, it’s important not to allow yourself to have a prolonged break. Procrastination There are two types of procrastination; positive and negative. For effective time management you need to use positive procrastination, which is when you delay unimportant tasks in order to accomplish the important ones.
Healthy Lifestyle To achieve more from life you need to learn to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle by developing healthy eating habits and by establishing adequate sleep patterns. Time is eternal success. Not valuing your time implies not valuing your life. Make the most of the time that has been gifted to you to work for the life that you’d die for!
Delegate Out-source your mundane chores such as cleaning, laundry etc if possible. Do not waste your productive time in doing mundane stuff. If you cannot delegate or get help then use less productive time to carry out the mundane jobs. Delete Distractions Identify time wasters and delete these distractions. Some of the biggest time wasters are: television, internet, phone, etc. If you are unable to delete them completely then minimize their use. Assign a short period of time for using your technology and stick to the time slot. Use the phone as a tool, not a luxury and use it for important things while keeping your conversations short and to the point. Group Your Tasks Put similar tasks in batches and perform them together e.g. If you need to email people, decide a time in which you can send all the emails before moving on to the next batch of tasks. Chunks of Time Allot blocks of time to get important work done. You can get an entire day’s work done in 3 to 4 uninterrupted hours. Neatness Being neat and tidying up your surroundings has been proven to increase productivity. It can untangle your NewGen 15
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March 2015
How To Select A Career That Makes You Happy
By Balgees Barendilla
Where do you start? Are you one of those that are unsure of what the future holds? Are you waiting for something to happen that will point you in the direction of what your future career may be? Are your parents deciding your future career? Are you studying for a qualification unsure of where you’ll find employment? If any of the above ring true don’t despair, there are many young people and a few adults that find themselves in the same position. When you think of a career, you think about something that you’ll most likely be doing for the rest of your life. So that means that it will need to be something that interests you and meets your needs. Economist Neil Howe says that only 5% of people pick the right job on the first try. Long gone are those days when individuals chose a career and had no room to change fields or jobs. Today we find ourselves in a society where engineering graduates can become HR Managers and qualified Social Workers are working in Recruitment & Selection. Yes there are a few careers that limits you to only working within in that field but even then, there are opportunities to change positions and jobs. We live in a society whereby we are told in order to be happy we need the dream job that pays a fortune, we need the latest car on the market and we need a house with more rooms than is needed. Therefore there are people in positions that instead of enjoying what they are doing on a daily basis, face each day with the resentment and frustration.
than a job, more than a career but ultimately finding a lifestyle that will allow you to be paid for doing what you enjoy and love. Once you’ve answered these questions honestly, the best way to find out more about professions that you are interested in is through speaking to professionals in the field. This can easily be achieved through networking and volunteering with organisations that are in the field. Career networking involves using the people you know and people they know to help with a job search. If you want to go into medicine, think of any family members or friends of the family working in a hospital or as doctor or ask them if they might know of anyone. Make use of your extended network. Social media is another tool that can be used when networking, it allows you to canvass the area and put out the message that you are seeking to gain more information and experience about a particular career. If this fails, you can resort back to old school cold calling, pull out the phonebook and look for local businesses in your area that you can ring up and ask to meet. Not only will this give you an opportunity to get to know your local community better but you will improve your communication skills and if lucky you will get the opportunity to learn more about your future career. You can be as creative as you want with regards to networking; only your imagination is the limit.
If you truly want to find a career that makes you happy, you need to ask yourself the following questions: • • •
What are my values What are my needs What are my strengths
http://lifehacker.com/5978475/how-to-pick-a-career-you-actuallylike Penelope Trunk How to Pick a Career You Actually Like
It is only by honestly answering these questions that you are able to move in the right direction and find more NewGen 16
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobsearchglossary/g/career-networking.htm Career Networking
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March 2015
Ladies Initiative Women’s Coffee Morning By Esther Trienekens
This month topic for our Women Only Coffee Morning was ‘Health and Illnesses’. We had a representative from ‘Forever Living’ as a guest speaker who discussed the best options in term of healthy supplements. The company’s whole assortment is based on aloe vera. Drinking half a glass of pure Aloe Vera gel every morning is supposed to help in the following ways: * Cleans and supports your digestive system * Infuses you with energy * Hydrates your skin * Soothes and promotes skin renewal * Supports your immune system * And much more Some of the ladies at the event were already users of aloe vera but for others, including me, it was totally new. My colleague Zahra, a homeopathy student, suggested as well a different approach for treating illnesses rather than using medication. Besides talking about different treatment methods, we shared our views on the health system, the hospitals in our area, and their lack of good services. Our experiences were similar which shows that it is an issue to be addressed by the politicians.
What is it about? Our Women Coffee Morning is a free event that takes place, once a month, at the ACF Youth Centre. It is a great opportunity to meet new women and get to know each other in a friendly and safe environment. While drinking coffee and eating some biscuits, we discuss and exchange information on important topics. We give women a voice to speak about what is on their mind (open discussion). Next month’s topic will be health and illnesses. It will be held on 26 March.
The event was obviously too short to discuss all the aspects of this interesting topic, so we agreed to follow up our discussions next month, and to focus more on healthy lifestyle and food. Join our group for our next Women Only Coffee Morning on Thursday 30th April!
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March 2015
Fizzy Drinks And Health By Abdul-Ghaffar Mahdi
Carbonated drinks also known as “fizzy drinks”, and are consumed by millions of people on daily basis. As each day passes, the demand for carbonated drinks increases. More and more people are consuming larger amounts. However great they may taste, carbonated drinks are quite unhealthy, and are the cause of health problems that many people face today. Research has confirmed that fizzy drinks with added sugar are substantially responsible for an increase in the number of diabetic patients in the UK. Fructose (which is found in carbonated drinks) is the main cause of serious health problems. Fructose is the natural sugar found in fruit but it has far more negative effects when added to processed food and drinks. According to Barbara young of Diabetes UK, the government need to start thinking seriously about introducing a new legislation to restrict or reduce the marketing/distribution of unhealthy food and drink. This is the only way forward to reduce the significant number of obese and type 2 diabetic patients.
Coke is a very common brand of fizzy drink consumed in the UK. Each can of coke contains 8 teaspoons of sugar. Consuming this amount daily will surely lead to some of the health problems mentioned above. According to Oxford and Harvard universities, popular drinks like Lucozade and PowerAde: drinks that are promoted as healthy and hydrating, contain large amounts or sugar and encourage weight gain. One very obvious reason why fizzy drinks are consumed on a large scale, is because the prices are fairly low. A Daily Mail news report suggests that a 20% tax on carbonated drinks would reduce the number of overweight Britons by over a quarter of a million. Fizzy drinks are unhealthy, as are most things available to us nowadays. There are alternatives to carbonated drinks, e.g. Natural fruit juice. For those who are not prepare to stop drinking fizzy drinks altogether, I urge you- it is of upmost importance- that you reduce your carbonated drink consumption to benefit to your health.
Here are some facts you may not know about carbonated drinks: • Women who have more than 3 carbonated drinks a week are at higher risk of developing breast cancer. • Drinking large quantities of fizzy drinks can affect bone growth. • Carbonated drinks lead to a bloated stomach and affect the digestive system. • Sugar from carbonated drinks react with bacteria and produce harmful acids that attack your teeth. • Fizzy drinks can lead to heart disease and liver failure. NewGen 18
To learn more on this topic, have a look at: http://www.nhs.uk/ news/2013/08August/Pages/Could-three-fizzy-drinks-a-day-damage-your-health.aspx
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March 2015
What About Basketball? By Maxwell Adjei
The Bulls will not be reimbursed by insurance, as there are only 25 games left this season. NBA teams only start to be reimbursed for injuries once a player has missed 41 consecutive games with the same injury. The Bulls guard Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will undergo surgery once again. Rose reported right knee pain earlier in the day. A medical exam and subsequent MRI confirmed the tear. A timetable for Rose’s return will be determined once he has surgery, the team have said. The Bulls and Rose decided to fix the meniscus tear instead of cutting the damaged part out, in order to elongate Rose’s career. The 26-year-old was averaging 18.4 points, and 5.0 assists in 46 games this season. The general feeling within the organization from several team personnel on Tuesday night was one of disbelief and sadness, after all the rehab work Rose put in over the past two and a half seasons.
Chicago got a 41-game credit for the 2012-13 season, a whole when Rose missed the entire season, and a 20-game credit for the 2013-14 season, when he missed 61 straight games! It’s unclear when Rose reinjured the knee. He appeared to be rounding into good form last month, averaging 22.6 points over all his final 14 games before the All-Star break, but he had struggled since returning to the court after the time off. He was scratched for one game last month for soreness in his left knee and missed four games in November with a hamstring injury. After reading this article I think what’s on everyone mind is, he will continue playing basketball or retire at the age of 26? In my opinion I think he should continue to play basketball. Only you can ever know when the time is right for you to hang your shoes up and retire. Till then work hard and get back on your feet!
Rose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs against Philadelphia. The 2011 NBA MVP missed the entire next season and played in only 10 games, before the previous right knee injury shelved him for the rest of last season. Over the past three seasons, the Bulls will have paid Derrick Rose $52.8 million. They have received roughly $10 million (19 percent) of that money back through insurance.
NewGen 19
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March 2015
Business Of The Month By Abdul-Ghaffar Mahdi
Having realised that there is a gap in the market for real Afro-Caribbean food providing elegance and fine dining, Bolanle Lukman Balogun and his wife Dionne Jennifer Hamilton decided to open a breathtaking and unique restaurant, The A & J Restaurant. Unlike any other Afro- Caribbean restaurant, A&J caters real traditional African (specifically Nigerian) and West Indies/Caribbean food, whilst providing a first class service and beautiful surroundings. As an experienced chef with over 30 years in the industry, Dionne provides one of the most palatable Jamaican recipes that the heart and the tummies of Caribbean food lovers have been yearning for over the years.
The A & J Restaurant
This unique restaurant has been thriving and bringing people of diverse culture together. This is in line with one of the visions of ACF: to bring about community together. “We really appreciate what ACF stands for”, Bolanle tells us, adding “we love the events such as the street party which was held last year.” Bolanle hopes to expand the business and create A & J franchise opportunities, as well as to open one day an A & J drive through restaurant! So come on down and try it for yourself, you will understand why the A & J Restaurant has been recognised as our business of the month.
347 Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, E10 7LA Tel: 0208 558 3199 / www.ajrestaurant.co.uk NewGen 20
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March 2015
r
nio u J l e i Gabr
Here at the Active Change Foundation we centre our work on the recognition of youth talent and potential. Each month, a member of our Youth Centre is chosen by ACF Outreach Team /member Maxwell Adjei to recognise their outstanding contribution. This month we are happy to announce Gabriel Junior as youth of the month!
Gabriel is 19 years old. He is an enthusiastic member of ACF since he joined the organisation in 2011. He currently lives and studies in Walthamstow. He comes to the centre with his friends to socialise and relax.
“To me, ACF is a place for fun and joy, where I can socialise and meet new people. I also go there for educational purposes. There are pool tables, table tennis tables, consoles and snacks, but that’s just to name a few. There is also an internet cafe where you can sit down, do research and work on school projects.” Gabriel Junior Gabriel makes the most out of the opportunities available at ACF.
“Staff members at ACF are really friendly and helpful. They aren’t just there for the purpose of maintaining order in the centre. They change lives and help connect youth from different background. They talk to us, they play with us, and they are there if we ever may need them. They also help us with our homework. In return, I am involved in the different activities organised by the centre, especially sport competitions”. Gabriel Junior
He adds: “Sports have a huge major and positive impact in my life. My whole childhood had been defined by sports. I played competitive, yearround, football, basketball, and table tennis for as long as I can remember. I must admit that playing team sports have modelled me into the person I am today, a player, a leader, and highly committed when I take on responsibilities. I wouldn’t change those experiences for the world”. Gabriel Junior Gabriel is on the ACF table tennis team and he is always there to do his best to represent the organisation. He arrived third at a competition organised by London Youth on the 8th April. Congratulations, Gabriel!
YOUTH
of the Month NewGen 21
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March 2015
Solution fo r last issu e
COFFEE BREAK
Across
Down
1. Build (9) 8. Residence (5) 9. Tendon (5) 10. Cloth for removing dust (6) 12. Team (4) 14. Escaping fluid (4) 15. Conflict (6) 17. Sift (5) 18. Commerce (5) 20. Ministers (9)
2. Exclamation of surprise (3) 3. Monetary unit of Israel (6) 4. Flower (4) 5. Jailbird (7) 6. Deliberate destruction of property (9) 7. Sugar (9) 11. Pertaining to Siam (7) 13. Child’s toy (6) 16. Festive occasion (4) 19. Find the sum of (3)
Puzzle: UK Murcury 2
NewGen 22
BACON BAGELS CEREAL EGGS GRANOLA HASH BROWNS HONEY
JAM JUICE MILK MUFFINS OATMEAL OMELETS
PANCAKES PORRIDGE SAUSAGES TOAST WAFFLES YOGURT Puzzle: Breakfast
sue Solution for last is
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March 2015
NewGen 23
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March 2015