issue72 by Exposure

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ISSUE 72

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GENERATION

WAR

Exposure is open to anyone between 14 and 21 living in and around Haringey. If you’ve got something to say, get involved. Regrettably our office is inaccessible to wheelchair users but we will make every effort to include your contributions. The Bigger Shoe Box, Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park N10 3QJ Tel: 020 8883 0260, Fax: 020 8883 2906, Mob: 07947 884 282 E-mail: editor@exposure.org.uk

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

badly-organised bunch of teenagers and twentysomethings. Kids!

In 1914, Britain entered the First World War which began when Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of AustriaHungary, was assassinated one chaotic afternoon by a

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Back then, when countries went to war, you really knew about it. In Britain, over five million people were mobilised, including kids who lied about their age to sign-up. Nearly a million never came back from the trenches and twice as many left bits of them behind limbs, litres of blood, sanity. Thousands of soldiers were lined up and ordered to clamber through mud, bodies and barbed wire, with heavy packs and rifles, towards large machine guns.

10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00

am am am am am

7.00 3.00 7.00 7.00 4.00

pm pm pm pm pm

Nowadays, what with boy racers, moped thefts, police chases and mobs of kids attacking people on busses, a growing number of people would like to see teenagers once again lined up in front of machine guns. So, if you’re getting fed up with the endless negative news stories, being unfairly judged by your teachers and banned from the streets after bedtime, perhaps you should consider a career in the military.

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We had forgotten that the wars were fought by babies. When I saw those freshly shaved faces, it was a shock. ‘My God, my God,’ I said to myself, ‘It’s the Children’s Crusade. Kurt Vonnegut

social spider

ISSUE #72 NOV 2004

sophia

CURFEW, COPPER - 04 Sophia Koumi stays out past bedtime.

tayyaba

MODEL STUDENT - 06 Tayyaba Bhatti interviews Mubashir Malik.

nosmot

BREAKING OUT OF THE BOX - 08 Nosmot Gbadamosi unpacks herself.

victoria

GBH? WHATEVER - 12 Nothing to do with Victoria Iles. BIG GAME HUNTING - 14 Arghh, (gurgle, splutter) sharks...

semra

MUSE - 15 Poems by Ike Enenmoh, Samantha Akinuli and Semra Kati.

samantha

UNDER EXPOSURE - Abortion

nick

THE WAY TO ROLL - 16 Girls!... Cars!... Girls!... Cars!... Nick May is driven to distraction.

STOP BULLYING Speak up.

pacman

FEDS AND ‘PEDS - 18 Pacman runs but can’t hide.

victoria

joely

ENIGMA - 22 Joely Johnson and Victoria Iles autoreply.

EVENTS - 26 What’s hip and happening in Haringey.

kira

STAR SIGNS - 24 Kira Shaw reads you like a book.

www.exposure.org.uk The Tottenham Grammar School Foundation

BY SOPHIA KOUMI THE ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ACT, WHICH BECAME LAW IN JANUARY 2004, MAKES HANGING AROUND ON THE STREETS WITH YOUR MATES ILLEGAL. The Act includes provisions for a curfew for under-16s that starts at 9.00 pm and ends at 6.00 am. This means that you’re not allowed on the streets during this time and can be taken home by the police if you are. The Act also gives power to the police to disperse ‘threatening groups’ of teenagers at any time. This means that if you’re in a group of two or more, and not with a responsible adult, they can force you to go home and even ban you

teenagers’ territory and which are thought by the council to be anti-social behaviour hotspots. The trouble there started when teenagers became restless and started ‘tagging’ everything: bus stop signs, telephone boxes and even the pavement. Then there was the repeated smashing of the same bus stop window and sometimes even massive after-school fights with the whole school involved and teachers trying to break it up: just a bundle of heads, legs, arms and hands. The police now patrol these areas 24/7 so under-16s have no escape. Teenagers

“THE TROUBLE STARTED WHEN TEENAGERS BECAME RESTLESS AND STARTED ‘TAGGING’ EVERYTHING” rush home at 8.45 pm because after 9.00 from going back to that area for 24 hours. Even if you’re doing no harm! Apparently this is a ‘discretionary power not a curfew’ but it’s a restriction on our private life, even if it is a free lift home. The curfew has already been introduced in areas like The Cherry Tree and Hampden Square in Southgate. These are all places that have been made into

pm the police take over. They’ve been given too much power and are abusing it. They’re discriminating against teenagers who aren’t doing anything wrong. Under the curfew, if you’re under 16 you’re going home. But what if you’re 17 and look really young, or 14 and look really old, or just passing through a curfew area on your way home? How do the police know the difference? Will they

sophia

just take everyone off home because they’ve got lots of friends and are therefore in a big group? Teenagers are already used to walking into a shop and having the security guard immediately on their back, checking they don’t steal anything and being threatened with arrest because the Community Officer thinks they’re ‘acting suspiciously’ by walking around. We’re used to being in the park and seeing all the parents slowly backing away, giving you evil looks and wishing there was a sign on the gate saying ‘no teenagers allowed’, or sitting on a

We’re not going to hurt anyone for no reason. We’re only on the street because, when you’re broke and have nothing better to do, the streets are free. Most teenagers are just bored. If the government gave us something better to do we wouldn’t have to be peeled off the street and stuck at home. People are scared because their minds have been moulded to believe that all teenagers are rude, annoying, drug addicted yobs, full of raging hormones and out to cause damage. But we’ve been given a bad name by the very few teenagers who do get high to escape, or

“TEENAGERS RUSH HOME AT 8.45 PM BECAUSE AFTER 9.00 PM THE POLICE TAKE OVER” damage something for a bit of bench, talking and joking around, and then being ‘caught’ and threatened with arrest. Walking down the street, people avoid you completely, feeling threatened by the hands in pockets, the heads down and the hoods up. In doing this most teenagers are just trying to blend in but apparently this scares everyone into removing us from the streets.

entertainment. These are the ones who brought on this curfew but we’re all being punished. All teenagers want is something to do but people seem to believe the way to stop them feeling restless is to limit their freedom.

MODEL STUDENT BY TAYYABA BHATTI WE ALL WANT TO BE FAMOUS WHEN WE GROW UP BUT HOW MANY OF US COULD MAKE IT BY THE AGE OF 21 AND STILL GET AN EDUCATION? Its a Saturday afternoon. A black BMW pulls up and I knock on the tinted window. The door opens and sitting in the driver seat is Mubashir Malik, student, actor, scriptwriter, TV presenter and international model. We set off to Vectone studios. Although we nearly get lost in North London, he still manages to answer all the questions I put to him! “I’ve modelled for magazines like Snoop, Visage, She and other top magazines in Pakistan,” says Mubashir. “I used to make frequent trips to Pakistan and Dubai but at the time I was a student at Mill Hill Boarding School and I couldn’t leave until I was 18. I was at a fashion show when I met people from ARY Digital who offered me a sports programme. That was my real break into TV. By chance, really. “I got interested in acting because I got a lot of offers last year from Bollywood and

Lollywood [the Pakistani Film Industry]. I did consider a Bollywood offer very seriously but I couldn’t take it up because of university commitments. My parents said: ‘You can’t leave university’. I’m going to Mumbai after my exams so we’ll see what happens.” Not only is Mubashir successful but he’s got his head fixed on the right way. Sometimes famous people don’t know how much love and respect people have for them. But it can be lost so easily by the way they treat their fans. I once met a famous cricketer on the tube at Warren Street station. I noticed him looking my way but assumed it was because I was staring at him. He came over and asked the time and I plucked up the courage to talk to him. He asked me for my number and said he’d get in touch and invite me to meet the whole cricket team. I was thrilled. The next day he started chatting me up over the phone. I already knew this guy was married - it had been in all the newspapers - but he must have forgotten. I told him just what I thought of him. Mubashir gets a lot of female attention but has it ever gone to his head? “I get thousands of letters, emails telephone

tayyaba

“I TREAT EVERYONE EQUALLY, EVEN BOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES” calls and girls sending me presents and gifts on Valentine’s day,” he says, “But I treat everyone equally, even Bollywood actresses. I don’t give anyone any extra attention. I mean, as soon as they stop liking me that’s it. It’s all very short-lived. There was a 6 week period when I wasn’t on TV and some people just stopped talking to me. Now that I’m back it’s like I’m all popular again. So I know who my friends are. But I don’t have the time for a special relationship; no one would be willing to accept the small amount of time that I can give to them at the moment. I’m just so busy, it’s impossible.”

I don’t think he quite understands that there are girls out there who are willing to accept even that small amount of time he has to offer! “I also have to study. I’m studying Economics, Finance and Management. I’ve such enthusiasm for marketing, advertising and PR, I’d like a career in that. I may need a Masters degree which is something I also want to do. All the rest is just for fun. I’ll probably work in media for a few more years but I don’t want to be a presenter until I’m 60. Screen life is very short lived… remember that.” But if you put your mind to it anything is possible.

BREAKING OUT BOX

THE

TO MY FORM TUTOR I WAS JUST ANOTHER DUMB BLACK KID WHO WOULDN’T AMOUNT TO MUCH. He wasn’t white but a highly respected black teacher who had the same stereotypes of black kids as his white counterparts. As I filled out a UCAS form, he took one look, winced, shook his head and pointed to a white student opposite me. Loud enough for the whole class to hear, he said: ‘he can apply to those universities: he’s smart.’ The London Development Education Commission’s 285-page report on how the education system is failing black pupils is hardly surprising: ‘Low teacher expectations played a major part in the underachievement of AfricanCaribbean pupils’. The study recommends that black teachers should benefit from fast-tracking and ‘golden handshakes’ but this grossly misses the point. 33% of black Caribbeans gain five A-C grades at GCSE, compared with 41% of black Africans, 51% of white students, 65% of Indians and 42% of Pakistanis. In the classroom, teachers don’t see

nosmot

BY NOSMOT GBADAMOSI

education, someone writes: ‘They get the same facilities and opportunities in schools as any kid from any other ethnic background. It’s what they choose to do with those opportunities that make the difference.’ Other comments, including black kids being ‘just plain stupid’ and ‘the disgusting behaviour of the black crime problem... fuelled by the drug culture’, express all-too-familiar stereotypes of black people as crack addicts with a fondness for guns instead of books. But the fact that many black parents are choosing to send their children to school in the Caribbean (where results show they are doing fine) suggests the problem is not to do with black kids themselves but with a society that expects them to fail. Attending a mixed school in North London with a healthy amount of ethnic minority teachers meant that I ended up leaving secondary school with nine GCSEs, most of them A or B grades. Then I went to an almost all-white Sixth-form with only a handful of ethnic-minority teachers and students and began a daily struggle with their preconceived ideas of what a black student should

“WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS DISPEL STEREOTYPES OR AT LEAST LEAVE THEM OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM” look and behave like. individual pupils but these facts and figures. Most black students go on to do IT and business studies, most Asian students go on to do medicine, and these statistics are all that teachers are aware of. This is all they expect from their students. Teachers can have a positive impact on a pupil regardless of race. It doesn’t take a black teacher to influence a black pupil. What we need to do is dispel stereotypes or at least leave them outside of the classroom. The problem of how to tackle black underachievement has fuelled many racist and antagonistic remarks. In a discussion on the BBC website on whether black children are being unfairly disadvantaged by mainstream

To my teachers I was just a dirt-poor afro-Caribbean girl who’d grown up in the ghettoes of Tottenham and Brixton, and loved listening to Missy Elliot and reggae. It didn’t matter to them that I was actually an African-born middleclass girl who’d never been to Brixton, or that while I might bop my head to some reggae, it’s not really my cup of tea. To them I was not an individual but a set of stereotypes based solely on the colour of my skin. Filling schools with black teachers and offering them ‘golden handshakes’ and ‘fast-tracking’ is not the solution. There’s only one solution and that is to instruct teachers to leave their negativestereotypes outside of the classroom. I don’t believe that teachers are racist

BREAKING OUT

THE

BOX

(though some probably are) but I do believe that they carry around with them the same racist stereotypes as the rest of society. After all, they’re only human. Faced by such low expectations and a daily struggle to convince them I wasn’t the embodiment of their ideas about black people, I started to bunk my lessons, something I’d never done before. I’d hand in coursework I spent less than 15 minutes on and before I knew it I was turning into the failure all the teachers mistook me for. What stopped me from ending up in the rubbish heap was my family’s high expectations. There was no way they were prepared to see me apply to a falling apart, damp, community college.

The more my teachers looked down on me, the more I wanted to look down on them from the towering heights of success. I applied to one of those high class universities that was supposedly beyond me and graduated with a 2.1. There is a stereotype of what it is to be black, white, Asian or anything else. Unfortunately the black stereotype is seen negatively by both whites and blacks and any kid who doesn’t fit it is bound to have a hard time. The education system simply reflects society. Teachers see black males as trouble makers who listen to noise-polluting rap music, who not only don’t want to learn but are determined to stop others from learning. They are seen as violent, aggressive individuals with parents who are too busy meddling in illegal activities

“TO MY TEACHERS I WAS JUST A DIRT-POOR AFRO-CARIBBEAN GIRL WHO’D GROWN UP IN THE GHETTOES OF TOTTENHAM AND BRIXTON” to care about how their children are doing at school. Appearance is everything. When people see a black boy with his hoodie pulled over his face they assume he’s been nicking some poor mug’s mobile just as a white skinhead in the same clothes could be misjudged as a BNP fascist. We hear the same old argument, if black pupils are discriminated against then why do Asian pupils, who suffer just as much discrimination, still perform well in schools? Asian pupils are also met with preconceived stereotypes too. They’re expected to do well in science, get A grades and go on to university to study

medicine, dentistry or optometry. An Asian pupil who decides he wants a career in fashion is met with as much disapproval from teachers as a black pupil who wants to become a member of parliament. The teacher who labelled me a failure held a set of stereotypes that had been promoted by the media and which are embedded and reflected in the education system. It takes great determination to dispel these negative stereotypes, determination which a lot of kids don’t have: it’s hard to see the light when clouds block your view.

WHAT EVER

I WENT TO SEE A FIREWORKS DISPLAY FOR A BIT OF FUN AND GOT ARRESTED FOR SOMETHING I DIDN’T DO.

on suspicion of Actual Bodily Harm: ‘You have the right to remain silent...’ and all that. I was so shocked I started crying.

I caught a bus with my family and some friends. At the next stop a big group of my friends got on, some through the back, some through the front until the bus was packed with pushing and shoving. The other passengers were probably frightened to death at the amount of rowdy black heads getting on.

At the cop shop they took my description, a picture and a DNA swab. They took away my flashing light for the fireworks, my phone, my fat graffiti pens, my bus pass and my cousin’s jacket which I was wearing. They thought the stain of oil from his ‘ped was blood. Then they put me in the cell.

A man who was with his girlfriend made a racist comment and obviously everyone had something to say because everyone was black. Someone got in a first punch and the man tried to hit back, which was a bad idea because the bus was packed with us. He took a couple more licks to his head and someone stabbed him. Some random woman thought it would help by shouting ‘Stop! Leave him alone’. She took a lick to her head with an umbrella. She tried to stand up and got chucked off the bus, kicked to the ground and pounced on by everyone that wanted to join in. My cousin told me to use my brain and get away from the scene. Walking along one of the back roads the police came slowly driving past. A policeman jumped out and shouted ‘Stop where you are... all of you. Don’t move.’ I was so shocked. He asked us where we were coming from and if we’d seen what happened on the bus. We all just acted like we hadn’t. More police came until there were two cars, three vans and a helicopter. The policeman asked me to stand away from everyone else so the witnesses could look at me. I was busy telling the police that I had to go out. Then one of the officers told me I was under arrest

The cell was small and there was a little wall blocking people from seeing you using the toilet. The toilet looked like a hole in a box. The tissue was just sitting there. I was just thinking about how many people had pissed around it. People’s names were engraved into the wall and even when I stood on the bed I couldn’t see out of the window. The bed was concrete with a mat like you use in primary school to do roly polys on. I was freezing cold so I asked for a blanket

“HE TOOK A COUPLE MORE LICKS TO HIS HEAD AND SOMEONE STABBED HIM“ and they gave me this nasty prickly sheet. But I had to use it. I pressed the buzzer four times asking them to take me for a walk outside. I told them I felt sick and was claustrophobic but the man just kept saying ‘You’re not allowed’. They woke me up at 2.00 am to say I was also being charged with Grievous Bodily Harm. I was so tired I was just like ‘whatever’. Then they took me to the doctor to check if I was fit enough to stay there. The next day they interviewed me, recording it on tape with my Dad next to me as an ‘appropriate adult’. They try to trick you and say ‘If you talk now you can get yourself out of it’ but I didn’t fall for it and they let me go home. I had to keep going back to the police station to see my solicitor and do an identity parade until I got a call from my solicitor. She said the case had been dropped because there wasn’t enough evidence but that one day the police might bring it up again. So even though I never got charged with anything I still might get another call.

WIN!

WIN! WIN!

BIG GAME GIVEAWAY If you’ve seen Shark Tale at the cinema, bought the soundtrack, pyjama set and cuddly Lola teddy-fish, and can’t wait for the DVD release, Shark Tale the Game is for you. Playing as Oscar, dodge crabs, jelly fish and sharks as you rescue furniture from a sprawling underwater metropolis. Featuring voices that actually sound like the actors from the movie (including Will Smith, Robert De Niro and Angelina Jolie), Hip Hop tunes from stars like MC Hammer and a wild footslinging Dance-mat section, Shark Tale is, unlike Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt or Full Spectrum Warrior, good clean fun (although we wouldn’t recommend boxing with sharks or spending extended periods of time underwater, even in the

bath. Drinking huge amounts of Finilla Coke is fine though). If you haven’t already got the hang of spending all your money on the massive product-push formerly known as movies, we’re giving you a hand. Thanks to Activision, we’ve got an X-Box, Dance-mat, Shark Tale t-shirt and game to give away. There are also two runners-up prizes of a t-shirt and game. To enter, draw a picture of a shark eating fat, complacent marketing executives and post, email or hand-deliver it to us (addresses on page 2). Or send your name and contact details with the message ‘Just give me an X-Box. I’m lonely’. Competition deadline: 13 December 2004

WIN!

I LOVE YOU

muse

Love is such a wonderful game so full of pleasure, So full of pain. The day that you met he was there with his friends. You couldn’t help but wonder if you’d see him again. You feel yourself falling down into a zone. Late night conversations. Can’t get off the phone. Every time you link him, you have so much fun. Your mind keeps on thinking, ‘could he be the one?’ Hubby and wifey, for now and for ever, It’s been six months now since you’ve been together. JUST YOU But he’s acting strange, don’t answer his phone. Stop. Stop. Don’t wake me up. Your hearts slowly breaking, you feel so alone. It’s you again in my dream. Every time that you argue your heart starts to race, Don’t move your hand on my hand. The shouting, the screaming, his fist to your face. Don’t move your lips on my lips. He says that he loves you but what does that mean? This is just a dream. You’re hardly together so where has he been? Don’t wake me up without you. Your friends keep saying to leave him alone, Ok, wake me up, but just you. ‘You’re too good for him, you should get up and go!’ To kiss your lips and to hold your hand. But inside there’s this feeling, it’s been here for weeks, But wake me up, just you. You keep feeling sick, you don’t get no sleep. SEMRA KATI, 15, EDMONTON You’re putting on weight. This can’t carry on. Your body keeps changing, you wonder what’s wrong. He had no intention of you being wife but the condom burst, Now he’s ruined your life. Like a trick from a book, sweet talk must have worked, Because your legs opened up with the three magic words. You find out you’re pregnant but he doesn’t care, It’s too late for abortion, your heart fills with fear. He said that ‘it’s over!’ You don’t want to live, Now he keeps saying the baby’s not his. Between love and hate lies a very thin line, But you miss him so much you’re losing our mind. So you drop to your knees and pray above. ROUND HERE The price that you pay for falling in love. Your life is a mess and the baby is due, Me and my friends used to kotch round here. All ‘coz he said ‘I love you’. There never used to be guns round here. There never used to be drugs round here. SAMANTHA AKINULI, 16, ISLINGTON It used to be safe round here. We always used to have beef round here, But never with guns just fists round here. We used to catch jokes round here Without the need to resort to drugs round here. Too many guns on the streets these days. Anthony Blair doesn’t care these days. Too many youths on crack these days. Too many mums on their own these days. Roundabout now I’m getting kind of vexed ‘Cos HIV’s spreading through unprotected sex. Roundabout now I’m feeling kind of sad ‘Cos my gran just got beaten and robbed of her bag. IKE ENENMOH, 15, TOTTENHAM Send your poems together with your name and address to: The Bigger ShoeBox, The Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park, London, N10 3QJ. Alternatively E-mail: editor@exposure.org.uk

THE WAY TO WRITING, PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN BY NICK MAY LATE AT NIGHT, IN SUPERMARKET CAR PARKS EVERYWHERE, YOUNG MEN ARE SHOWING OFF, PICKING UP GIRLS AND DOING WHEELSPINS, DOUGHNUTS AND HANDBRAKE TURNS IN SOUPED-UP VAUXHALL NOVAS THEY GOT OFF THEIR MUMS. BUT WHERE DOES THE ROAD TO SUCH MAXED-OUT HOT-ROD GLAMOUR BEGIN? Well, it starts with getting hold of a car. Danny, the sales manager at Fast And Furious Performance, a garage specialising in modification, says: “There’s a whole range of cars: Saxos, Corsas, Renaults, Fiestas. The normal, everyday cars that you’re going to be able to buy bits for. Start from the bottom.” James, managing director at Fast And Furous Performance, says: “The first thing people change when they buy cars are the wheels and then the speakers.” Then it’s front and back bumpers, side skirts, spoilers, a neon glow kit, a new steering wheel, gear stick, bucket seats and racing belts. Anything they can change on the car, they change. The films The Fast And The Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious, the games Need for Speed Underground and Midnight Club 2 and car magazines like Max Power filled with new gadgets and performance parts are making more people interested in soupedup rides. “It’s like a hobby to a lot of people,” says Danny. “Anyone can buy a car and just

ROLL drive it around but if you’ve got something, an ambition, a mission to do something, it can make you stand out more and sometimes people like that. And it keeps you off the streets.” “People feel accepted going to shows and meet a lot of new people,” says James. “There are lots of clubs out there where they meet up. It’s like a social scene as well.” And you can win trophies for your car and get women in bikinis to rub their booty all over your hood. Apart from just driving around looking cool some people do illegal street racing, which is racing for money when it’s dark. They think traffic lights just add to the thrill and other cars are obstacles to get round. “Street racing is not legal and it’s dangerous,” says Danny. “People like the thrill of the chase. They like something that’s got a little bit of an adrenaline rush.” “They watch too many films,” says James. By adding turbos and air filters to your engine you can make your car faster. Canisters of nitrous oxide (NOS) can be fitted to your engine. There’s a button inside the car on the steering wheel or where the cigarette lighter is. When you press the button the nitrous oxide is released and gives your engine two or three times more boost.

nick

“THEY THINK TRAFFIC LIGHTS JUST ADD TO THE THRILL AND OTHER CARS money modifying and tuning their ARE OBSTACLES TO GET ROUND” “The best place for NOS is on racetracks,” says Danny. “It is now legal to fit them on road cars but we try and steer people away from that. But anything like that should be fitted by ourselves. It gets it fitted right and keeps you safe. Everything we do is professional, from the spark plugs to a bodykit to a TV screen.” Max Power holds a car show every year in Birmingham so enthusiasts can go there to look at other people’s cars, see what they use, and even race on the circuit. This year, they had some bad-boy cars including the yellow Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII from the film 2 Fast 2 Furious and cars from the new games Need For Speed Underground 2 and Juiced. The bonnets are open so you can see the engines. They’re all shining and people have spent a lot of time, effort and

machines. And if the cars aren’t impressive enough, there are loads of girls in skimpy outfits too. Modifying cars is great if you’re careful, know what you’re doing and use the stuff right. “We’d encourage you to get an advanced driving certificate,” says James. “You go out on tracks with an advanced driver who’ll show you how to control a car in a skid and bring it back into control, how to do perfect reversing and so on. It gives you a bit above and beyond your normal driving.” Once you’re in your souped-up, bad-boy honey-magnet don’t act too stupid because you don’t want to ruin your or anyone else’s life (and you’ll look like an idiot in front of your friends and all the admiring ladies when you wrap your car round a lamppost).

BY PACMAN AT 13 I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME IN THE TUNNELS UNDER MORANT PLACE RIDING PEDS AND HAVING SWINGERS AND BEEF WITH MY PEOPLE. Back when I was a little nerd, I saw couple of heads riding ‘peds up and down my road. I recognised one of them. He saw me and said: ‘Wah gwan? Look out for feds yeah, ‘cos man don’t wanna get shift.’ I just stood there watching them blitz up and down. Do you know how small that made me feel? They were riding ‘peds and all I had was a banged up BMX. My friend T. knocked for me: ‘Yo there’s a ‘ped on the top of the road. Do you wanna blitz it?’ Five minutes later you see me riding the ‘ped up and down with a big smile on my face. Two days later the bike was written off because everyone crashed it. That made me wanna get my own.

Things started to go wrong. I wouldn’t come home for a couple of days because I was hanging on the road with my people doing all-nighters. Anything that caught my interest was mine. I was living like a hood rat. My people were getting arrested and I was just counting myself lucky. I’d go to Wood Green and hear my people talking about me: ‘You see that boy there, he’s a top guy for movements’. That made me a bit big headed and I started boasting about myself, bigging myself up. They kept calling me the ‘Indian Criminal’ because I was the only non-black person there, which made me feel lively and hyped. One morning two of the people that started me off were riding a Gilera 125. I jumped out of bed and went to join them. Up near Alexandra Palace station, overtaking cars and popping wheelies, I looked back and

“THEY KEPT CALLING ME THE ‘INDIAN CRIMINAL’ BECAUSE I WAS THE ONLY NON-BLACK PERSON THERE, WHICH MADE ME FEEL LIVELY AND HYPED” My boy T. was talking about bolt cutters and that he knew how to jack a ‘ped. We went out near Nightingale Fed Station by the park and saw a Gilera. My bredren couldn’t get it started so we popped the seat looking for a lid. Inside was a kind of little ball. T. told me it was herb wrapped in foil. We carried on searching the ‘ped and found three blocks of skunk. Back in the endz we saw a boy who lives near my crib. He shots so we showed him what we’d found and he told us it was nearly half an ounce.

saw blue lights and heard sirens. I decided not to stop and took the chase. As I bust the turn near the supermarket, hitting 70 or 80 miles per hour, the police car hit the back of my ‘ped and licked me off the ground. I skidded across grass and concrete at least 6 or 7 metres. With half my body stuck under the bike I looked up and saw the feds getting out of the car. I jumped up, threw the helmet at one of them and ran. With the feds behind me and a riot van driving through the park I thought I’d never get away. Something hit me on the back of

pacman

’ “OVERTAKING CARS AND POPPING WHEELIES, I LOOKED BACK AND SAW All the bad people from school BLUE LIGHTS AND HEARD SIRENS” out. disappear and the good ones won’t speak my leg and I dropped. At least five feds surrounded me and two were sitting on the back of my legs, pinching me. Straight away I felt pissed knowing they were sending me to the bin and knowing that my parents would find out. The first time anyone gets arrested they feel proud. But it was stupid and everyone found

to you. That makes you feel more stupid. When I was in court, my teacher faxed a letter saying how good I was in school. Half of it was a lie but that made me change my mind. School’s just a piece of paper, but that piece of paper’s half your life. Get an education, do what you want to do and don’t let anyone put you down.

Sponsored by Haringey Safer Schools Project

STOP BULLYING MOST PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BULLIED. It makes you feel sick. Bullies control your life because you can’t do anything you’d like to. You want to be able to do fun things without worrying when or how bullies are going to hurt you. They take your feelings away from you until all you can express is anger because you’re so hurt inside. You want them to leave you alone forever. “You should speak out and talk to someone instead of holding it in. Not talking can make the problem much worse,” says Ekene Williams, a Safer Schools Project Worker who works in three secondary schools in Haringey with

will deal with bullying. Bullying should not tolerated in schools and teachers should take you seriously when you say you’re being bullied and make every effort to stop it. Some young people don’t always want to go to teachers but its important to remember that teachers aren’t just in schools to teach you, they’re also there to support you. But you might feel more comfortable talking to someone else: learning mentors, school-based police officers or the many other youth agencies, help-lines, and key workers like Ekene who are willing to help and listen. If you are being bullied it’s a good idea to keep a written diary that records all of

“YOU SHOULD SPEAK OUT AND TALK TO SOMEONE INSTEAD OF HOLDING IT IN BECAUSE IT BUILDS UP,” the incidents of bullying, the times you’ve young people who may need extra support. “It’s not easy to confront bullies alone but it’s important not to resort to bullying yourself as this can get you into more trouble. Don’t retaliate with violence, talk to someone and get help.” All schools have been asked by the government to have an anti-bullying strategy which explains how the school

talked to teachers or the police, and what they’ve said and done. It is important not to ignore bullying done to you or others as this can lead to other problems such as depression which can lead to self harm and, in the most extreme cases, suicide. Being bullied might affect your education but missing school because of it only makes things worse. Why let bullies jeopardise your future?

If you need advice or support about bullying you can contact any of the organisations listed below.

Anti-Bullying Campaign Helpline 020 7378 1446. www.kidscape.org.uk Connexions Direct 080 800 13219 Haringey Education Welfare 020 8489 3866 It may seem like you are in a no-win situation. If you tell someone the bullies might hurt you and if you don’t they’ll just carry on. But speaking out can make everything change, and not just for you. “Bullies are bullying for a reason. In my role as a key worker I try and build up a relationship and find out what the issues are behind the bullies’ anger, understand why they take it out on others. I help them realise what they wouldn't want done to them, they shouldn’t do to others,” says Ekene. “How would you feel if it was your younger sister or brother or even your mum or dad getting bullied? When they think of it like that they realise that it affects others too. They start looking at the bigger picture.” But talking about bullying is the first, and hardest, step.

PROBLEM TYPE ÌËÙ>Ø All my friends have big boobs. All it takes is a low-cut top and they can get any boy they want, but even when I fold my arms and lean forwards, I can’t get anyone. Should I get plastic surgery? My friends said I shouldn’t but they just don’t want me to look better than them.

PROBLEM TYPE IØÌÔ I’m a 14-year-old boy and I hang around with ‘famous mans’ from my school. The problem is they’re always jacking people but I’m scared to. I make it look like I do: I got a new phone for my birthday and when they asked me where I got it from I said I jacked it. Are there any books I can study about how to jack people? They’ll have to be short: I get lots of homework.

PROBLEM TYPE ıBÁÎ I’m 15 and I’ve been going out with this girl for two months. We see each other every day after school when she’s waiting for her bus. We stand and talk until the bus comes and then she waits for me to kiss her. But I’m scared and all I ever do is give her a peck on the cheek. She’s going to dump me. Help!

PROBLEM TYPE +ÍÌÊ˜ I really fancy this boy I see every morning at the fruit and veg stall. One day I was crossing the road nearby and I nearly got hit by a bus. I was so scared I fainted and he saw everything. I’m so embarrassed. How am I ever going to watch him again?

• Your nearest ENIGMA host is: • Autosend your life problems by terrestrial mail services to: Exposure, The Bigger Shoe Box, Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park N10 3QJ Digitalia to: enigma@exposure.org.uk

victoria

joely

ENIGMA Solutions Corp. because Your problems are Our problems ENIGMA SOLUTION ``ŒÊ You should listen to your friends. They only want the best for you. Plastic surgery won’t make you happy with yourself. You should be grateful: big breasts are heavy, you get crumbs in your cleavage and dribbled on by boys and one day they’ll be hanging round your knees.

ENIGMA SOLUTION ¬ÎÅ There are no study guides so here are a few tips. Stop doing your homework. In fact, stop going to school. You don’t need an education where you’re going. Second, get an attitude like you’re Mike Tyson and Billy the Kid rolled into one, even though you’ll be robbing little girls to buy trainers and pirate DVDs. Third, get used to being on your own. Crime means time and trying to impress people who are probably just better liars than you is where it all starts.

ENIGMA SOLUTION È¨¨´´® It’s not unusual to have reached 15 without ever properly kissing someone. In fact, there’s many a lonely pensioner who wishes they’d been brave enough to try it while they still had their own teeth. She’ll only dump you if she thinks you don’t want to kiss her, not because you don’t know how. So try.

ENIGMA SOLUTION Ç^^¥ How are you ever going to watch him again? What are you, some sort of stalker? You’ve either got to confront him and say ‘hello. I saw you the other day and nearly died’ or give up your voyeuristic vegetable-and-fruiterer fetish immediately.

The System loves you 23

chinese

rooster

star dog

1969•1981•1993

1970•1982•1994

It’s that time of year again; it’s cold and wet and you’re getting fed up. But come on, preen those feathers, broaden those shoulders and stop crowing to your mates about how annoyed you are with the world. It’s gonna’ get real old, real fast.

This month your loyal and friendly traits have finally done you credit. Your friends and family are offering you lots of support and you won’t be short of company either. They’ll be flocking from far and wide to catch up with you.

pig

rat

page design concept and illustration by natasha lockyer

1971•1983•1995

1972•1984•1996

You’re in the mood for partying and a bit of a laugh but remember to keep those jokes for the appropriate time or you could upset somebody. So watch your words.

Nothing seems to be able to keep you down but don’t ignore the problems your mates might be having. Spread your happiness around a little. A few calming words and a warm smile can work wonders.

tiger 1973•1985•1997

Your strong determination finally helps you get that nagging feeling out of your mind. Get that chore done and you’ll have lifted a boulder off of your shoulders. Then you can get on with the more enjoyable things in life.

1974•1986•1998 Your trademark confidence may be wavering at the moment but soon enough things will pick up urging you to try out new things and move in the right direction.

kira

signs dragon 1975•1987•1999

1976•1988•2000

The sunshine may have disappeared in our skies but you’re all bouncy and smiley this month. You may discover a few interesting things that you find it hard to keep to yourself but fight the urge to share. Those who should know will find out without your help.

To you this task might seem like a one man job but if you’re struggling don’t be too proud to ask for help. They won’t think any less of you. In fact they’ll be flattered you asked.

snake

horse 1978•1990•2002

1977•1989•2001 This whole winter thing really isn’t doing it for you but stop pushing your mates away. Spend some more time with them even if it’s just a night in watching a video. Just because the summer’s gone doesn’t mean your fun has to fade away with it.

Things are all getting on top of you and you want to rush everything to get it over and done with. But you’ll end up with even more work to do unless you take a break. Slow and steady wins the race.

monkey

goat 1979•1991•2003 Everybody’s coming to you for advice and guidance this month but you’re close to losing your tether. Hang in there, have patience, show support and it will all pay off.

1980•1992•2004 Your faith in human nature is a little too trusting and people will take advantage. Be firm but reasonable and stand up for yourself! Don’t let anybody make a monkey out of you!

Find the sign that matches the year of your birth. You’re an animal.

Events

ALL EARS

LIGHT FROM A DARKROOM

As the most expensive election campaign in history, with advertising the biggest single spend, the re-election of George Bush shows just what good ole’ democracy can do. And even though you might be too young to vote, it doesn’t mean you can’t have your say in what happens here in Haringey. The Council would like to improve the way young people are involved in making decisions and want you to tell them how to do it.

An exhibition showcasing the work of young photographers, offering a unique look inside the lives of young people living in Seven Sisters and featuring juvenile svengali and budding Machiavelli, Nick May. Laurels Healthy Living Centre, 256 St Ann’s Road, Tottenham, until 3 December. Free. For more information visit www.imaginemore,co,uk or call 07931 774 852.

Email your ideas to Geoffrey Woodham at geoff.woodham@haringey. gov.uk or write to him at the Scrutiny Office, Haringey London Borough Council, Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, London, N22 8LE.

CAREERS FAIR

Reckon you’re a bit tasty with a spray can eh? Haul your sorry carcass down to the graffiti jam and learn how it’s really done...

GRAFFITI JAM Can you graff? Raise your rep, get press and TV coverage, and get commissions.

Friday 11 February at West Green Learning Centre, Langham Rd, N15 . For more information call 020 7609 7400

On 20 November 15 semi-finalists will be given a week to create a piece of art using a Marvel comics character. Five will be chosen for the final jam where, on 2 December, they’ll have 4 to 5 hours to create their own superhero in a live event with freestyle footballers, streetballers, DJs, art showcase, goodies, free drinks, giveaways, and more. To enter, take a piece of your art (no larger than A2) to the Urban Species shop at 29A The Stables, Chalk Farm Road, Camden. For more information call 020 7267 9672 or 020 7607 4878 or email hash@urbanattitudeuk.com or sarah@urbanattitudeuk.com.

directory Host Excel House, 312 High Road, Tottenham Tel: 020885 8160

YOUTH CLUBS Muswell Hill Youth Centre Hillfield Park, Muswell Hill Tel: 020 8883 5855 Bruce Grove Youth Project 10 Bruce Grove, Tottenham Tel: 020 8808 1604

Wood Green Area Youth Project New River Sports Complex, White Hart Lane Tel: 020 8489 8940 / 020 8489 8942 SEXUAL HEALTH 4YP drop-in clinic St Ann’s sexual health centre St Ann’s hospital, St Ann’s road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8442 6605 / 020 8442 6536 4YP BUS Tel: 0800 1613 715 www.4yp.co.uk Young Mums To Be Alexandra Court 122-124 High Road Wood Green Tel: 020 8889 0022 Outzone For gay and bisexual men under 26 www.outzone.org.uk MENTAL HEALTH Antenna 9 Bruce Grove, Tottenham Tel: 020 8365 9537 www.antennaoutreach.co.uk email: info@antennaoutreach.co.uk

LEARNING DISABILITIES Markfield Project Markfield Road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8800 4134 DRUGS AND ALCOHOL Step-ahead 40 Bromley Road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8493 8525 Turning Point The Old Health Clinic Suttton Road, Muswell Hill Tel: 020 8883 8887 HAGA 590 Seven Sisters Road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8800 6999 Freephone Child helpline: 0800 389 5257 HAGA 590 Seven Sisters Road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8800 6999 Freephone Child helpline: 0800 389 5257 EMERGENCY HOUSING Shelterline Tel: 0808 800 4444

SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES Duke of Edinburgh Award New River Sports Complex, White Hart Lane Tel: 020 8489 8941 / 07967 336 338 e2e Alexandra Court 122-124 High Road Wood Green Tel: 020 8889 0022 Keep It Simple Training Sentinel House 1 Ashley Road Tottenham Hale Tel: 0871 200 2321 Prince’s Trust Old Fire Station Tottenham Green Enterprise Centre Town Hall Approach Road Tel: 020 8375 3420 BTCV Millenium Volunteers Tel: 020 7843 4292 / 7843 4291 E-mail: mv-london@btcv.org.uk www.mv-london.org.uk Tottenham Connexions Centre 560-568 High Road Tottenham Tel: 020 8808 0333

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Hearthstone 10 Commerce Road, Wood Green Tel: 020 8888 5362

about us STAFF Andreas Koumi Jon Golds Enrico Tessarin

Gary Flavell Ryan Alexander Mirella Issaias

Michael Rally David Warrington Liz Millar

is a registered trademark of Exposure Organisation Limited, registered in England no. 3455480, registered charity no. 1073922. The views expressed in Exposure do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. (c) 2004. All rights reserved. ISSN 1362-8585

AWARDS London Electricity Londoner of the Year Award Nationwide Award for Voluntary Endeavour Phillip Lawrence Award Ed & F Man Award for Best London Youth Publication

ADVERTISING If your organisation wants to get its message across to young people call 020 8883 0260

PRINTERS Miter Press Ltd, Miter House, 150 Rosebery Avenue, N17 9SR Tel: 020 8808 9776

DISCLAIMER Exposure aims to give young people an independent voice which can contribute to the democratic process. We apologise for any offence caused by the way young people choose to express themselves. While Exposure has done its best to check material contained within this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for inaccurate information provided by outside organisations. Organisations mentioned are not necessarily connected with nor endorsed by Exposure. Permission has been sought, wherever possible, for the use of copyright material. Where contact has not been possible we hope that, as a voluntary organisation helping to educate and inform young people, it is acceptable for Exposure to use such material for the benefit of young people. If this is not the case please let us know and any such copyright material will be removed from future publications with our apologies.

Learn how to create, structure and think about graphic design and illustration. Develop skills on industry standard packages like Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark.

Every Tuesday and Friday at Exposure, Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park, N10 3QJ For details contact Jon on 020 8883 0260 or email jon@exposure.org.uk This poster is a product of the design course, created by Keira Shaw, Luke Pantelidou and Zahra Siblies.