North Tyneside mag4U Summer09

I

Working closer with communities

ma g

ide North Tynes

Get into politics!

Fashion focus Volunteering Problems sorted!

25 years of football

e for young people pl o pe g un yo by d Produce

Summer 2009

Welcome to the summer edition of North Tyneside’s Mag4U! John Spence is a specialist sports college with more than 870 pupils aged 11-16. We are a very successful school, striving to improve further. We believe our school is a very welcoming and friendly place.

Hello and welcome to John Spence Community High School!

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We often have people coming in to use our facilities from all over the community. We are in partnership with the North Tyneside Adult Learning Alliance, which involves members of the community using our facilities for further studies. We also welcome members of the ‘Tuesday Club’, which provides exciting

opportunities for young people with special needs to participate in various sporting activities.

In our school we take part in lots of different clubs and activities. Just because we are a specialist sports college doesn’t mean it is all sport. We have lots of different tastes and like different extra-curricular activities. The Drama Club is actually run by students and the Scrabble Club is also popular.

The key is to get involved and participate in the different things your school and community have to offer.

Through our edition of this magazine, we will look at the theme of participation, and about how getting involved can build self esteem, help you learn about your community and change decisions that directly affect us, as young people. So get active, take part in something and make a difference to your own life and your wider community of North Tyneside.

You know you’re worth it!

Contents Introduction

Contents and credits

Different cultures, one school!

Volunteering

Getting into politics Young Mayor

Children and young people participate!

Short story

Dance culture

Sophie’s letters We would like to thank John Spence Community College for their hospitality.

Special thanks go to the pupils who made up the editorial team: Bethany Richardson, Laura Alexander, Amy Jensen, Katherine Stutz,Abbie Dodds, Matilda Manser, Sophie Peacock, Samantha Taylor, Charlotte Thompson,Anna Johnson, Robbi Connell,Amy McHugh, Gabby Taylor, Lauren De Bruin, Beth Parnaby, Carie Robson, Hannah Leggett, Jessica Leggett, Laura Hetherington, Lucy Thompson, Chris Kirkwood, Chris Clements and to Joe Champken from the Tuesday Club.

Football tournament Fashion focus

Theatre/film review Puzzles

Music talk!

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Thanks must go to Sarah Diggle, for her help throughout the process, supported by Michael Moat.

Also thank you to Louise Bray and Mannie Vahid.

We would love to hear from you about your ideas and suggestions about living in North Tyneside and future ideas for Mag4U.Visit the http://childrenfirst.northtyneside.gov.uk or email: childrenfirst@northtyneside.gov.uk or Tel: 0191 643 8133.

This publication was produced by a team from John Spence Community High School.

Published by: Children,Young People and Learning Directorate, North Tyneside Council, Quadrant,The Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside NE27 0BY.

North Tyneside Council wants to make it easier for you to get hold of the information it provides.We are able to provide our documents in alternative formats including large print, audio and community languages.Tel: 0191 643 8133.

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Different cultures We can all like different things, come from different cultures and have different beliefs but during school time we all belong and participate in the life of our school.

We asked some pupils with different religious and cultural beliefs if their differences caused them any problems.

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“In my opinion it isn’t hard being a Buddhist in school.

There isn’t any prejudice said against me, well not that I know about anyway.

“Hey, I’m Sam.

I don’t know anyone who is the same religion as me who comes to John Spence.

There’s nothing in particular that you have to wear if you are Buddhist, but when you go to Temples you can get lucky bracelets and, well, it brings you luck as long as you wear it.”

“Areet!

My name is Paul.

Don’t let asthma ruin your health

One School “Hello, I’m Chris.

I think that it is very easy to be a Christian in school.

Nobody really realises. I don’t get discrimination off anybody; most people in school are Christians, too. I wear a purity ring, although I don’t feel the need to. I sometimes go to church around Christmas and Easter time.”

“Hi, I’m Matilda.

No, it’s not the easiest of things being a Goth in school because some people find Goths scary. I don’t know why. I get prejudice off some people because of what I wear and what I listen to. There are other Goths in school who I get on well with. I wear mostly black stuff, like skinny jeans. I go to The Green in Newcastle with my friends and we have a great time just hanging out together.”

It is really good to be a Charva and I never really have any hassle at school.

The image of a Charva is troublesome and rude, but not all Charvas are like that. Just because we wear hoodies, doesn’t mean we carry knives.

There are many other people like me in school, but we don’t cause any trouble.”

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Have a laugh while

volunteer!

For John Spence Tuesday Club contact:

Jayne Dixon 07967435484

Bobby Graham 0191 2001252

On the 7th June, it was the 25th anniversary of ‘Volunteers week’ 6

‘Volunteers week’ plays a huge part in raising the profile of the millions of volunteers who regularly contribute to society, while inspiring others to get involved too.

There are loads of ways you could volunteer within your community, from helping to carry shopping bags for a neighbour or taking part in charitable causes, to helping out in your local community centre or club.

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation was founded by Sir Bobby Robson himself and uses many fantastic volunteers.

Some of his supporters include Newcastle Football Club, Sunderland and Middlesbrough Football Clubs, National Express and House of Fraser.

Even though he has been battling with cancer himself for 15 years, he is still determined to help others cope with cancer, through his charity. He is a fantastic role model to adults and children alike, and we are all wishing him well!

On July 26th there is a charity football match at St James’ Park. The England and Germany squads of the 1990

you learn World Cup will play a re-match, to help raise money for Sir Bobby’s Foundation.

Both sides will compete for the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy in the all-star game that will also feature special guests from the world of television and film. Tickets are on sale now through NUFC website.

The charity match at St James’ park is a great example of people from different countries, volunteering their time and participating for a common cause.

Our own John Spence pupil, Joe Champken, told us how he felt about volunteering and what he felt he gained from it.

He volunteers at The Tuesday Club, which gives young people with disabilities the

opportunity to get involved in different sporting activities. said:“Another leader at The Tuesday Club recommended that I join the group as a volunteer.That’s how most volunteers get involved.

“We play team games like football and practise coordination skills like dancing.

We also practice catching and communication games as well.

“It’s an incredible, and fun, learning experience. Being able to help the children involved not only benefits them, but benefits me and gives me a sense of self-pride.

“I enjoy playing team games and the dancing, seeing how the children can communicate and coordinate.

“Why do you I help out? To give the children a chance to participate, have fun and learn, and volunteering at this group also gains me a qualification for ‘Voluntary and Leadership Work’, which can go on my CV!”

’s Foundation: For more information on Sir Bobby www.sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk www.nufc.co.uk

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Getting into

politics British Prime Minister

Enter British Politics

Euro MP

Local Member of Parliament

Get involved in the UK Youth Parliament

University Students Union

College Rep

Form Rep / Year Rep

10yrs

Class Representation

15yrs

5yrs 8

Ways into Politics

Work for Government

Stand for Young Mayor

20yrs

25yrs

Career in Politics

+ 30 yrs

Average age timeline

Work for Local Council

Use it or lose it

Vote!

These are what we think are the main positive points of having a Young Mayor in North Tyneside;

There will now be a representative for children and young people on the council. This will be for all ages as he works with people up to 18 years of age He will have a budget for children and young people and he will try and stretch it as far as he can There will be suggestion boxes and other ways of contacting him, so we can tell him our ideas and opinions.

We would like to encourage even more young people to vote and participate in future Young Mayor elections and here are some of the ideas we came up with to help this happen;

John Akinropo was elected as the Young Mayor for North Tyneside on the 25th of March.

By having a Young Mayor, the younger generation will be able to participate within the Council. This means children and young people will have the chance to give their own ideas or opinions on different issues and have an effect on what decisions are being made.

We would like to find out more about all the candidates, so we can see the reasons we should choose them. This should be done in school We think there should be less candidates so it is easier to learn about what each of them wants for North Tyneside We also think there should be a big advertising campaign for the next one, so everyone knows about it, whatever their age.

Overall, we think the Young Mayor is a really good idea!

If you would like to find out more about the Young Mayor, you can contact the Participation and Engagement Team on 0191 2005601 or email participationteam@northtyneside.gov.uk.

If you would like to contact the Young Mayor himself, you can email; youngmayor@northtyneside.gov.uk

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Helping to shape The North Tyneside Children and Young People’s Conference is held every year and is a chance for us to say what we think is going well in North Tyneside and what still needs to get better.

It’s also a chance to have a fun day and work with lots of other young people.

What makes it special is that it is planned for young people by young people, which is what participation is all about. Some of the workshops this year were even run by young people. This year’s conference was held in February at the Langdale Centre in Howdon.

Around 120 children and young people were invited. They came from all over – from schools, Young Voices, the Base,Youth Council, and Young Carers. This is really good because it means lots of different young people get to have their say and represent other young people.

On the day, after playing some games, we were asked lots of questions about different things in North Tyneside. We answered by giving them a green, orange or red sticker Green – Yes / Agree Orange – Not Sure Red – No / Don’t agree

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This helps the Council easily see what we think of different issues.

So if questions on bullying have lots of red stickers, they know we still think things need improving.

After all the questions and discussion, we fed back all the information to the Mayor, The cabinet member for Children,Young People and Learning and Gill Alexander, Director of Children,Young People and Learning. It is then put into a report, and used by the decision makers in the Council to plan what they may do over the following year to make things better for us.

il be involved in the next conference ema If you would like to find out more or 1 560 200 .gov.uk or call 0191 participationteam@northtyneside

your community These are some of the points to come out of the last conference: North East

Improving the mental health of children and young people Providing access to play and leisure facilities.

Providing information about what is going on reducing offending behaviour.

North West

Diverting children and young people from alcohol, tobacco and substance misuse.

Improving participation in training and employment.

Tackling bullying and harassment reducing offending.

South East

Reducing teenage conception rates.

South West

It makes me fe el happy to share my ideas. d We’ve got a life to live an we want it to be the happiest we can get it.

Improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Improving participation and involvement of children and young people.

Bullying and harassment.

Providing information for children and young people about what is on.

I think it’s good because I feel I’m doing so mething for the commun ity.

It’s good because you do n’t normally get asked a lot about yo ur own opinion.

Helping schools provide environments that support children and young people.

Reducing offending behaviour Providing information for young people.

I’ve nev er think, th really said wh at is first thin is probably th I e g I’ve do importa ne. But nt it are gett that more pe ’s ople ing invo lved.

And above are some of our thoughts about the day.

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The

Rubbish Collector

It was an eventful day and both teams were winners. I looked across the stadium. It would soon to be empty of its wrappers and food tubs. The rubbish collector, an ugly man, with a wrinkly, pitted face and small round eyes, was at the far side of the field scouring for trash.

I could feel her stares. Her face said it all. I’m the one nobody likes, just because of how I look. But still she reminded me of the daughter I once had.

I stood up and walked along the field, heading towards the changers. The rubbish collector stared at me as I left. Even when I was out of sight I could feel him glaring at me with his beady eyes. There was a crash, I jumped with shock. I ran out of the changing rooms to find the rubbish on the ground; the rubbish man was nowhere to be seen.

It was beginning to get dark as I headed home. The streets were empty, except for a ghostly figure swaying back and forth under a pool of light. I blinked hard, not wanting to open my eyes again but when I looked back, it was gone.

I didn’t mean to scare her. My daughter was just like her, bright and

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sporty. But it’s too late for that now too. She left with her friends to travel the world. I never understood what it was like to have real friends. She didn’t come back. She didn’t want anything to do with me.

Training was intense; it was early morning so there was a lot of dew on the pitch. Alex and I were partners for training. At the far end of the pitch I saw the figure again.

“Can you see him?” “What are you talking about?” she spoke in disbelief.

The coach was calling us.

“Now, some of you may not know, but sadly our cleaner – Mr. Robson - died the other day. As he had no family we will go to the funeral.”

The cleaner, the figure! If I had known he was lonely, I would have tried to talk to him, involve him.

In a match soon after his funeral, we were losing hope, three all with only two minutes to go. I thought of Mr Robson and saw his face once more in my head. I decided I should just try my best. I shouted for the team to pull together and dig deep and...GOAL!!

Dance Culture Lately, Street Dance has become the newest thing everyone is doing!

Here in the North East we don’t like to miss out, so the North Shields Dance Festival took place on Monday 2nd to Wednesday 4th March at The Parks Sports Centre.

With entries from schools across the borough as well as the North Shields junior and senior dance groups, who all based their choreography on a theme, it was a fantastic night of dance and community celebration.

John Spence kicked off the night’s entertainment with a dance based on the culture of the circus, followed by a very energetic dance performed by students at Beacon Hill School. St.Thomas More closed the first half with a dance inspired by their school

links to Rwanda, with music supplied by the Djembe drum group, also from the school.

The second half opened and closed with the North Shields dance groups; to begin with, the juniors performed a dance inspired by Indian celebration and Bollywood. Then the grand finale was performed by the North Shields senior Key Stage 3

and 4 ‘Mix-up.’ Their dance was a tribute to a range of dance cultures including hip hop, ballet, Irish dancing and salsa.

With the full support of their families and friends, the participants of the dance festival put on a fantastic show.

Well done everyone concerned!

Keep dancing!

Find Your Talent

Find Your Talent is a scheme to help young people aged up to19 years, take part in all kinds of arts activities, including dance.

The Customs House, South Shields has been chosen to deliver the programmes for the North and South Tyneside area.

If you would like any more information, visit the Customs House website: www.customshouse.co.uk/findyourtalent The Customs House, Mill Dam, South Shields, Tyne & Wear NE21 4QQ or call 0191 454 5450

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Sophie’s

Letters Dear Sophie, Ever since moving from primary school to high school, I’ve found it really hard to make friends. I went to a different high school to all my primary school friends, and I get bullied by people in my year.What can I do to make friends?

Lonely

Dear Lonely, Having no friends and being bullied is very hard. You can feel like there is something wrong with you, or you’re never going to get any friends. But in reality, there is nothing wrong with you.

Maybe, since you went to a different school, with no one to talk to in lessons or at break, your confidence has been knocked.

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You could get involved with after school clubs, or clubs at your local youth centre. Sports clubs are very popular, but if you’re not the sporty type, drama clubs or creative writing clubs are a good way to find friends. Tell an adult about the bullying; no one deserves to be treated differently. Ring your

local youth/community centre, and you’re halfway to making friends.

Dear Sophie, I really like my school, and I have lots of friends. I’m doing very well in lessons. The only problem is that my school is on a very rough estate, and it has a bit of a bad reputation. My mum hates me going so much; she is making arrangements for me to go to a private school where my uncle works. I’ve tried talking to her, but she won’t listen.What can I do to make her listen to me?

Thanks Mr Frustrated

Dear Mr Frustrated, Your mum isn’t listening because it’s not what she wants to hear.

Sometimes people get so determined to do something they forget to take into consideration other people’s feelings. Ask your mum to sit down with you, and ask her why she wants to move you, when you’re happy where you are.

I get your mum’s point of view too though. She only wants what is best for you, and for you to have the best education possible. Tell her that you are happy where you are, and you’ll get the best education if you are where you want to be. Good luck.

25

years of

international football at Churchill

North Tyneside’s International Youth Football Tournament celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

The tournament is played at Churchill Community College. It kicks off on the 29th July and ends on 2nd August.

With countries visiting from Germany, Holland, USA, Spain, Canada, Italy and Sweden, expectations for the tournament are high.

With great players, such as Alan Shearer, Lee Clark,Wes Brown, Michael Carrick and Michael Chopra having played in the past, it has become one of the best known football tournaments and attracts scouts from all big professional clubs.

Mostly As

Couch potato, you’ve got to get moving!

No matter where you travel from, you can expect a warm welcome and a competitive and well-organised tournament. It is also a great way for young players to experience the different styles of football from different countries.

For more information on the Churchill tournament go to www.ntyouthsoccer.com

Test your fitness and see if you need to do more!

How many sports do you do?

A. None B. One C. Two or more You have a day off school.

What do you do?

A. Play on console or watch TV B. Play out C. Go for a run

Mostly Bs

You’re ok but could do better.

Reasons for playing sport

Fun way to get fit Good way to make friends Good way to get rid of stress Teaches discipline Develops teamwork and leadership skills What do you do in your free time?

A. Watch TV B. Play on PC or games console C. Play sport How many hours do you watch television or play on the PC? A. All the time B. A few hours a day C. An hour a day What is your favourite food?

A. McDonald’s B. Pizza C. Pasta

Mostly Cs

You’re really fit, well done.

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Fashion look behind the clothes Fashion individuality is a very important factor in society.

People often use clothes and fashion to show their individual tastes and social groups.

However, some teens believe that because they don’t dress the same as somebody else, they can’t be friends.

Clothing shouldn’t matter.

Personalities do not change because of fashion garments and you should aim to see past the clothes.

If people were all the same, with the same fashion tastes, the world would be very boring.

The public often discriminate young people because of the clothes they wear. Teens in ‘hoodies’ make them feel intimidated when they may be very nice kids and may just be trying to keep warm.

Goths are normally associated with depression, self-harming and social disorientation. All of the

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Goths I know are very nice people and have lots of friends.

The time has come to change our opinions on the way people dress and reserve judgments on what type of person is behind the clothes.

Watch it On Thursday 12th February, two buses loaded with John Spence pupils and members of the elderly community visited the Theatre Royal to see West Side Story, the musical twist on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

The Sharks and the Jets are two feuding street gangs in 1950s New York, the Jets being white and the Sharks being Puerto Rican. At a dance at a gym, Jet Tony falls in love with the leader of the Sharks’ sister, Maria. They know they

Love films? –

can’t be together because of the gangs war, but as with Romeo and Juliet, that doesn't stop them.

This production had clever choreography during fight scenes, with outstanding performances. But it was extremely long and sitting for so long makes you fidgety!

It was a very enjoyable day and the production was as good as reviews had highlighted in local papers.

of this summer...

The up and coming film

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince out 17th July.

Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts turns out to be as eventful as ever and the arrival of a new teacher, Horace Slughorn, turns out to be more useful to Harry than he realises.

He then finds a potions book that belonged to the mysterious half-blood prince. The ancient scribbles turn out to be very useful to Harry in his potion lessons, but all is not as it seems.

Overall this looks to be as exciting as the other Harry Potter films, and should be another must see this summer. As usual Harry and Hermione are joined by Ron, Albus, Severus and Draco.

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Puzzles page Participate – do the wordsearch!

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Can you name these NSPCC supporters?

A

B

C

D

E

F

Answers to the picture quiz: A-Noel Edmonds , B-Johnny Wilkinson, C-Peter Andre, D-Amir Kahn, E-Tom Daley, F-Jacqueline Wilson

Photo Quiz

assistance consideration contribute cooperation engaging helping involvement participate sharing teamwork

Music talk Take That

Jonas Brothers

Taylor Swift

The Script

Queen

After one of the biggest comebacks in history,Take That release their fifth album, the second after their return. Led by singer songwriter Gary Barlow, the Circus hits all the right notes. Songs like 'What Is Love ? ' and ‘How Did It Come To This' prove what a brilliant band they are. But 'Greatest Day' stands out from the rest and is one of their best ever songs.

The Jonas Brothers ' highly anticipated third album shows how much the brothers have grown, as they have experimented with a number of different musical styles. For example,World War III is quite a funky track, and the rap song Don’t Charge Me for the Crime is different from what they have previously done. Every song is different and is the perfect music to listen to over the summer.

Taylor Swift, aged 19, is most commonly known for her country pop single ‘Love story’. Her new album ‘Fearless’, reached number one on the U.S. billboards chart with singles like ‘Love story’,‘White horse’ and ‘Teardrops on my guitar’. If you like the sound of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers then check out this album. www.taylorswift.com The indie pop act from Dublin have made an album that is very emotional. Singles ‘We Cry’ and ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ really show off their style for guitar rock with feeling. It is very easy listening, although some people might say it is middle of the road.They are a little like Maroon 5, but if you have recently suffered heartbreak, their lyrics are perfect.

We have chosen Queen to be our ultimate ‘band of all time’.

Queen have had more than five number one hits in the UK, from 1975-2000. ‘We will rock you’,‘Under pressure’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ are some of the most well known. They currently have a platinum collection album out, which not only has the really famous songs on but all their other classics.

So go and rejoice in the brilliance of the one and only Queen!!! Rock On!!!!!

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