The Chronicle 2017 by Malvern St James

chronicle the

CONTENTS

05-06 Gender stereotyping in western society

23-24 Volunteering abroad

09-10 How does a child’s colour preference vary with age?

25-26 Safe social media

11-12 A holistic experience 13-14 Poetry by Flora Barber 15-16 Female shortlists - friend or foe? 17-18 Be solitary, be silent and be at peace 19-21 Teenage girls and mental health problems 22 Police brutality

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EDITORIAL

27-28 Interview with Carolin Lucas 29-30 Artwork details 31-32 Truth and War 33-35 Should 16 year olds be allowed to vote throughout the UK? 36 Photographs by Charlotte Spittle

In this year’s edition of The Chronicle, we hope to showcase a series of hard-hitting articles on a range of current topics including mental health, sexual violence and the impact of social media on young people. As a result, we believe that we have created an unapologetically honest publication. We are hoping that this year’s minimalistic design reflects the uniqueness and individuality of The Chronicle’s fourth edition, which focuses on current affairs and new areas of research. Keen to offer an insight into the various literary talents at MSJ, we have sought and received contributions from throughout the school. The articles you will read demonstrate the passion and

determination of the authors and their unashamed ability to ask challenging questions. Our thanks must go to Dr Jones and Mr Vaughan who have worked with us to make this issue everything we hoped it would be and those who have written articles, taken photographs and composed poems, without whom this would not have been possible. We hope you enjoy reading this edition as much as we enjoyed editing it.

If you would like to submit an article for inclusion in the next issue of ‘The MSJ Chronicle’, please contact the editorial team on: msjmag@malvernstjames.co.uk

Sarah Jackson & Imogen Townsend Editors

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ARE THERE ANY DISCREPANCIES IN THE TREATMENT OF MALE AND FEMALE SEX OFFENDERS BY THE MEDIA AND WHAT DOES THIS REVEAL ABOUT GENDER STEREOTYPING IN WESTERN SOCIETY?

By Yewande Oyekan

he UK is a society that protects against discrimination and promotes equal treatment of all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2016) or sexuality (GOV.UK, 2016). This, therefore, suggests that every individual should receive the same treatment for the same crime. However, the perceptions of gender and the prevalence of traditional gender stereotypes in Western society suggest that this may not be happening. I decided to look at how cases were presented by the media to identify the dominant view that is presented.

broadcasts such as ‘Inside the Mind of a Female Sex Offender’ This Morning (2015), and ‘Female sex offenders: A growing threat?’ on CNN (2015) that suggests that there is an increasing number of female sex offenders. This coverage and discussion about female sex offenders shows that they are not reported in the same way as their male counterparts. Initial readings would imply that female sex offenders are generally viewed in what could be interpreted as being in a more ‘favourable’ light than their male counterparts; this means that women, unlike men, are not portrayed as the villain in a story.

Alongside the rise in feminist discussion in mainstream media, including ‘You Don’t Hate Feminism. You Just Don’t Understand It.’ (Shire, 2014) - championed by activists such as Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and celebrities like Beyoncé and Meryl Streep - there has also been a surge of media coverage and information including television

Many social media profiles have discussed the double standards between men and women and how they apply to sexual offences. One such article on a men’s rights website (Collins, 2015) presents evidence for the hypotheses that women sex offenders are generally given lower sentences by the legal system for their crimes and are, in many cases, believed to be less harmful

Holy Bible (n.d.). Bible Gateway passage: Romans 12:11-12 - New Living Translation. [online] Bible Gateway. Available at: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A11-12&version=NLT [Accessed 12 Feb. 2017]. Iskander, M. (n.d.). Abba Arsenius. [online] Copticplace.com. Available at: http://www.copticplace.com/Saints_E/Lives_of_Saints/Arsenius.html [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]. Wikipedia (2017). Desert Fathers. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Fathers [Accessed 9 Feb. 2017].

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than their male counterparts in Western society. Peterson and Runyan in ‘Global Gender Issues’ (1993) suggest that gender stereotypes are created by society and also perpetuated and fulfilled by said society, as the vast majority of the population subscribes to the expectations of these stereotypes. This creates a continuously developing cycle of stereotypes and generalizations which are then forced upon the next generation. These ideas can be perpetuated and transferred via hegemony, a concept developed by Italian scholar Antonio Gramsci, referring to the ability of a powerful group in society to influence everyday expectations and behaviour of the remainder of society by defining the values and belief systems that become the dominant view in society. As the views of the dominant members of society filter through, they become normalised and understood to be legitimate. Hegemonic masculinity is termed by Connell in ‘Masculinities’ (1995), as the dominant expression of masculinity, occupying the ‘top position’ in the hierarchy of male gender. This view has become to be perceived as ‘traditional masculinity’. However, this hegemonic masculinity has come to be referred to as toxic or ‘hypermasculinity’ in intersectional feminist discussion of gender expression. The concept of hypermasculinity, which was studied by Mosher and Sirkin in 1984, is defined as the ‘exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour’. Hypermasculinity is important to understand as a concept and also how it relates to expressions of masculinity in modern Western societies. It is defined as consisting of three variables: ruthless sexual attitudes towards women, the belief that violence is manly, and the occurrence of danger as exciting. The belief that men are innately sexual beings and enjoy all kinds of sexual activity, is explained as having a negative effect on male victims of sexual assault because it forces them to believe that all kinds of sexual behaviour are not only to be enjoyed but also, to be proud of. Hypermasculine traits are evident in Western society today, with the popularity of male characters such as Tony Montana in Scarface (1983) and The Joker of DC Comics, first appearing in 1940 and still a popular character today - as evidenced by his reprisal in the 2016 film Suicide Squad. Within Western society this hypermasculinity in the media has become a dominant expression of what it means to be male in society. The assumption then becomes that men inherently possess certain characteristics and in order to conform, men can begin to exhibit these characteristics. According to mra-uk, (Collins, 2015) in 2014, of

the 800 school employees who were prosecuted for sexual assault, a third were female. Information provided by the USA Bureau of Justice Report (Nsopw.gov, n.d.), states that 95% of all youth reporting staff sexual misconduct, reported that a woman undertook this sexual misconduct. This information would suggest that, taking into consideration some defendants will be innocent, or that some charges were dropped, roughly under a third of sexual offenders in prison or on the sexual offenders’ register would be female; yet this is not the case. Less than 2% of the sex offenders on the register are female and, according to 2013/2014 data (Australian Bureau of Statistics), only 0.7 to 1% of imprisoned sexual offenders are women. What this implies is that the majority of female sexual offenders do not receive punishment from the legal system for their crimes, go unpunished or are not being prosecuted. Social media presents itself as an available and accessible means of sharing views on a range of topics. When provided with facts about a case of a female offender sexually assaulting a minor and abusing their position of power and authority as a teacher, a surprising number of men responded with comments such as, ‘Wish I could’ve had a teacher like this’ (@big_jun816, 2016, @viewsfromRJr, 2016, @goonergordo, 2016). What this reveals is that whereas male sex offenders, and particularly paedophiles, are met with reactions of disgust, the comments aimed at female offenders do not recognise the offender’s criminal status. The case of Hannah Heslop (Daily Mail, 2016), received multiple anonymous comments and reactions online. Heslop, a former Lance Corporal, was jailed for seven years after being convicted of assault by penetration of a sleeping female colleague. One reader commented ‘that seems a harsh sentence for her [Heslop]’. (Sly1661, 2016) Other readers commented that she, Heslop ‘looks rough’ (English Geoff, 2016) and then goes on to express disappointment in Heslop for not having risen higher in the ranks professionally during her time in the army. Their comments do not focus on recognising Heslop as a criminal, but rather as a woman to be judged physically or for the lack of progress within her professional life. In another case, Amanda Wheeler, a mother, molested a few boys at a birthday party while drunk, in 2011. Wheeler was convicted of one count of sexual assault and four counts of sexual activity with a child. She was spared jail after the judge heard that the victims had recovered from the assault. The judge in stating that the molestation arose ‘out of drunkenness and foolishness’ (Huffington Post, 2013) and that he did not consider Wheeler to be dangerous, provides a negative

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message. It suggests that the legal system, in this case, did not regard a female offender as a danger to others and cannot be held responsible for her actions - drunken or otherwise. Professor Sharon Lambert (Geoghegan, 2009) states that ‘Stranger attacks by women hardly exist’ and that in most cases they know their victim or have a position of care with the victim. This means that perhaps Wheeler’s case has been misinterpreted because of the Judge’s perceptions about the ability of women to re-offend. Wheeler was pardoned, as the judge was assured of the recovery of the victims. The outcome of the Wheeler case - where she was not given a prison sentence after being proved to have molested multiple children suggests that it can be interpreted that if the offender is female, then she may be given a caution or less severe sentence. The language that is used in reports to describe people is important as it sets the tone of the debate surrounding the issue. Adam Johnson, was found guilty of sexual activity with a 15 year old schoolgirl and jailed for 6 years. He is often referred to as a ‘perv footballer’ (The Sun, 2016) or as ‘disgraced’ (The Sun, 2016). All these descriptions convey a judgment on his behaviour and no presumption of innocence. One particular article, headlined ‘How Adam Johnson’s arrogant pursuit of a teenage superfan made England star a convicted paedophile’ (Robson, 2016), portrays Johnson in a negative light, including explicit details of his affair with the 15 year old. The article refers to Johnson’s ‘arrogance and sexual deviance’ and claims that Johnson’s ‘arrogance, coupled with his sexual perversion and a yearlong succession of lies led him to throw away a life most could only dream of’. This statement does not provide Johnson with any excuse, or place the blame on anything/anyone other than Johnson’s own shortcomings. This treatment by the press could be expected in newspaper reports of female sex offenders. In The Gloucestershire Echo, Amanda Wheeler is treated less harshly than Johnson, much of the discussion humanising her by providing details about her life before the assault, referring to her as a ‘mum-of-three’, and a ‘parttime cleaner’ (Gloucester Echo, 2013) and never actually calling her what she is: a criminal. Her molestation of the victims is referred to as ‘indecent touching’, rather than simply stating

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the full details of crime which, according to lawyer Abigail Husbands, could include rape as the definition includes oral sex (2015). Thus she is painted in a less defamatory light than the articles concerning Adam Johnson’s crimes. The language used in coverage of these cases is often revealing and provides an insight into the perceptions of femininity and masculinity, and how they are expressed in today’s Western society. The view of men and women as opposites and completely different is evident by the popularity of books such as ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.’ (John Gray, 1992) which suggest that men and women naturally have different behaviours and ways of communicating. If this is the stereotype that is prevalent in society then the distress of female victims of sexual assault is thus assumed, perhaps on a subconscious level, to be worse than the distress male victims endure. Peterson and Runyan, (Global Gender Issues, 1993) suggest that gender stereotypes are, ‘selffulfilling: if we expect certain behaviours, we may act in ways that in fact create and reinforce such behaviours’. By believing that male victims of sexual assault are less distressed by the assault, male victims may feel forced to conform to traditional masculine stereotypes, and repress the after-effects of assault. If society believes that sexual assault by a woman is less severe than the same assault by a man, then the female offender becomes less deserving of a harsh sentence. Thus, the lighter treatment of a female offender becomes justified. This is dangerous as: ‘Our stereotypical attitudes towards female sex offenders allow them to continue offending – by not viewing them as serious criminals or excusing and justifying their behaviour, we create a culture where they can get away with their crimes.’ (Sanhgani, 2015). Another stereotype is the view that women are innately nurturing, maternal and caring. Portraying women this way would therefore suggest that a woman is unable to be aggressive due to an inherently kinder nature. Psychologist Sharon Lambert observes this in online chat groups for women who experience sexual impulses towards minors, who believe ‘they’re not as bad as men because they’re more loving with their impulses, and a male involved with a child is more abusive.’ (Lambert, 2009) This shows how the gender stereotype of the woman as the nurturer perpetuates and allows

for dangerous women to convince themselves of their own innocence, due to a belief of an inherently female kindness. If female offenders are not given prison sentences, or have shorter jail sentences, it suggests that contemporary society may not be aware of the effect these crimes have on any male victims. It can result in an inability of society to classify male victims of sexual assault as victims, ‘because in a patriarchal society boys are even expected to enjoy that kind of abuse [sexual], and not admit how scared they are by it’ (Geoghegan, 2009). To conclude, in Western society it seems that society still subscribes to dominant ideas revolving around the sexes that result in gender inequality and stereotyping. These gender stereotypes have

infiltrated into society’s perception of crime, criminals and victims, as evidenced through the media reports of these crimes. While the fight for gender equality often focuses on the limits of society and how this affects women negatively, in respect to sex offending, this is one case where the perception of women as weaker and nurturing is beneficial to female offenders - and perhaps specifically in cases where the victim is male. Feminist literature can focus on hypermasculinity negatively impacting on women and children, without realising that many men are as much victims of the patriarchy as women are. These attitudes are so embedded in society that perhaps upholders and enforcers of the law need to re-examine their prejudices and objectively face the reality that females can commit serious sex offences.

Bibliography big_jun816 (2016) ‘Wish I could’ve had a teacher like this.’ [Tweet] BLM Solicitors (2014) Is the law on Rape Sexist? [Blog] Available: http://www.blmsolicitors.co.uk/2014/03/is-the-law-on-rape-sexist/ [Accessed 16 October 2016] CNN (2015) ‘Female sex offenders: A growing threat?’, [TV programme] [Accessed 14 Aug. 2016]. Collins, D. (2016). Perv footballer Adam Johnson is ‘training a team of paedos’ behind bars and wants them all to wear Sunderland’s kit. [online] The Sun. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/news/1222573/perv-footballer-adam-johnson-is-training-a-team-of-paedos-behind-bars-and-wantsthem-all-to-wear-sunderlands-kit/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2016]. Collins, W. (2015). Rolf Harris v Women Sex Offenders. [online] mra-uk. Available at: http://mra-uk.co.uk/?p=667 [Accessed 19 Aug. 2016]. Connell, R. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley: University of California Press. English Geoff ‘God she looks rough’ [comment on] Willgress, L. (2016). Bisexual soldier sexually assaulted a sleeping female colleague. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3498881/Bisexual-soldier-sexually-assaulted-sleeping-female-colleague-telling-make-gay-jailed-dismissed-army-disgrace.html#ixzz4NMmAU0kh [Accessed 14 JAug. 2016]. Gloucestershire Echo (2013) ‘No jail time for drunk mum in child sexual assault case’ Gray, J. (1992) Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. HarperCollins. Husbands, A. (2015) Do people understand what rape is? [online] BBC NEWS Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34470205 [Accessed 16 October 2016] ITV (2015) Inside the Mind of A Female Sex Offender, [TV programme] [Accessed 14 Aug. 2016]. Mosher, D. and Sirkin, M. (1984). Measuring a macho personality constellation. Journal of Research in Personality, 18(2), pp.150-163. Nsopw.gov. (n.d.). Facts and Statistics. [online] Available at: https://www.nsopw.gov/en-GB/Education/FactsStatistics [Accessed 14 Aug. 2016]. Peterson, V. and Runyan, A. (1993). Global gender issues. Boulder: Westview Press. Robson S., Wheatstone R., (2016) How Adam Johnson’s arrogant pursuit of a teenage superfan made England star a convicted paedophile [online] The Mirror. Available: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-adam-johnsons-arrogant-pursuit-7388182 [Accessed 15 October 2016] Sanhgani, R (2015) Underage sex conviction: Why older women have sex with young boys? [online]The Telegraph Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ women/womens-life/11694528/female-sex-offenders-Why-older-women-sleep-with-young-boys.html [Accessed 16 October 2016] Scarface. (1983). [DVD] Hollywood: Brian De Palma. Shire, E. (2014). You Don’t Hate Feminism. You Just Don’t Understand It.. [online] The Daily Beast. Available at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/24/you-don-t-hate-feminism-you-just-don-t-understand-it.html [Accessed 14 Oct. 2016]. Sly1661 ‘god that seems harsh sentence for her’ [comment on] Willgress, L. (2016). Bisexual soldier sexually assaulted a sleeping female colleague. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3498881/Bisexual-soldier-sexually-assaulted-sleeping-female-colleague-telling-make-gay-jailed-dismissed-army-disgrace.html#ixzz4NMmAU0kh [Accessed 14 JAug. 2016]. Suicide Squad. (2016). [film] David Ayer. The Huffington Post. (2016). ‘Paralytic’ Woman Spared Jail Over Party Sex Acts With Boys. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost. co.uk/2013/01/29/amanda-wheeler-spared-jail-sexual-offences-children_n_2574333.htmlhttp:// [Accessed 15 Aug. 2016]. Telegraph, (2016). What the future holds for our health. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/lifestyle/innovations/11128888/social-media.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2016]. viewsfromRJr (2016) ‘Wish I could have had a teacher like this.’ [Tweet] Willgress, L. (2016). Bisexual soldier sexually assaulted a sleeping female colleague. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ article-3498881/Bisexual-soldier-sexually-assaulted-sleeping-female-colleague-telling-make-gay-jailed-dismissed-army-disgrace.html#ixzz4NMmAU0kh [Accessed 14 JAug. 2016].

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themselves. Having a favourite colour makes them unique”. Wallace describes how children feel a need to fit in with their peers. Interestingly, she believes that most children of this age get their favourite colour idea from a friend (Rosenfeld, 2012). This idea of colour being socially constructed seems to resonate; for example, children are influenced by colour trends in the marketplace (Trend Bible, 2017).

How Does a Child’s Colour Preference Var y with Age?

When a new-born enters the world, research suggests that their colour preference is determined by hue. As an individual grows older, it appears that cultural influences become stronger meaning that an individual only ‘likes’ a colour because society expects them to. It is interesting to think if this applies to any other aspects of life, and consequently whether socially constructed preferences in fact influence our development as we enter into adulthood.

BY COCO CHERNEL

Colour is an interesting concept which is undeniably influential in our lives. There are many factors that affect colour preference but the variable that I am going to focus on in this article is age and how colour preference varies with this, particularly in young children.

he human experience of colour perception does not depend on luminance but actually varies across three different dimensions: hue, saturation, and brightness. Individuals perceive these qualities as opposed to the wavelength and luminance of light. Infants below the age of two months struggle to distinguish between colours, however most infants past this age can tell the difference between most colours and white. In 1975, M.H. Bornstein conducted an experiment about colour preference in babies. He found that babies looked longer at red and blue, and less at greenish colours, especially yellow-green. A more recent study on colour preference was completed by Iris Zemach, Susan Chang, and Davida Teller (2007). They showed 235 three month-old babies a set of colours that maintained the same brightness while varying the hue and saturation. The results showed that blue and purple were preferred significantly more than the other colours. Whilst

more saturated colours were preferred, their research proved that babies do not have a saturation preference, but a hue preference. Zemach’s team were able to confirm the previous study undertaken by Bornstein. This means that babies do have colour preferences, and that these preferences seem to be mostly determined by hue. Blues and purples are babies’ favourites, while greens, yellows, and reds are liked less (Munger, 2009). Dr Anna Franklin, from the Surrey Baby Lab, has used a number of tests to find out how babies see colours and which their favourites are. One test involves repeatedly showing babies the same colour on a computer screen, then switching to a different colour and observing their reaction. She commented, “What we have shown is if you repeatedly show babies a blue then another shade of blue, they will treat it the same and get bored. But if you show them a green, they will perk up and start looking again.” Franklin concluded from her research that babies are able to categorise a particular colour when

different shades of it are shown. The results also found that, “Some babies show a striking preference for just one colour, while others will like a few colours”. However, these findings are only preliminary findings from a study of about 30 babies aged between four and nine months (Roberts, 2005). Why is it then that colour preference seems to be more limited to pink for girls and blue for boys? Marilyn Read, an associate professor of design and human environment at Oregon State University, believes that “self-declared favourite colours of young children are socially constructed” (Rosenfeld, 2012). For instance, boys are told not to like the colour pink because they are boys and in doing so it would make them different to their peers. “Somewhere around three years old, children become obsessed with differences in people,” explains Meri Wallace who is a parenting expert and author. “They spend the rest of their childhoods trying to define BIBLIOGRAPHY Bornstein, M. (2017). Qualities of color vision in infancy. [online] Sciencedirect.com. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022096575900703 [Accessed 5 Dec. 2016]. Munger, D. (2009). Do babies like color? If so, which ones? [online] Cognitive Daily. Available at: http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2009/06/30/do-babies-like-color-if-so-whi/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2017]. Roberts, M. (2005). BBC NEWS | Health | Babies ‘have favourite colours’. [online] News.bbc.co.uk. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4474725.stm [Accessed 15 Mar. 2017]. Rosenfeld, L. (2012). Why Your Kids Care So Much About Favorite Colors. [online] Slate Magazine. Available at: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/04/small_children_and_favorite_ colors_research_into_why_colors_are_so_important_to_kids_identity_.html [Accessed 15 Mar. 2017].

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Trend Bible (2017). Kids Colour Trends: Toys. [online] Trend Bible. Available at: https://www.trendbible.com/kids-colour-trends-toys/ [Accessed 3 Mar. 2017]

Chronicle 2017 Zemach, L., Chang, S. and Teller, D. (2007). Infant color vision: prediction of infants’ spontaneous color preferences. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. AvailableThe at: https:/ /www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/17118421 [Accessed 2 Dec. 2016].

A HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE

BY LINNEA GANNON

n the Summer I spent three weeks shadowing a Craniosacral and Somatic Experience therapist to learn about this modern technique of natural healing. As part of my work experience, I met with clients past and present to discuss their experiences of the technique and its approach. Therapies Craniosacral Therapy in its essence is a method that involves light touch and connecting with the patient. The therapy involves understanding the rhythmical and calming pulses that occur naturally in the body and to re-balance where necessary. It is both a drugless and non-invasive form of treatment. This holistic approach focuses on providing not just a ‘quick fix’, but a lasting fix - one that is achieved by working from the inside out. Holistic therapies such as Somatic Experiencing and Craniosacral Therapy allow for a natural healing process, which enables your body to retune and revitalise. It is a procedure for people of all ages: babies, children, pregnant women and adults. By releasing tension in the Craniosacral system, this therapy interconnects all of the physical structures inside the body, as well as your emotional state. The procedure includes the opportunity to talk as well as using a gentle, soothing touch, creating a sense of ease and wellbeing. Another form of holistic therapy is Somatic Experiencing. It is used to treat unresolved physiological stress, shock and trauma. It gives the patient the option of having a gentle manual treatment along with emotional therapy treatment. This offers the opportunity to ‘engage, complete and resolve’ the body’s instinctual fight, flight, freeze and collapse responses in a slow and supportive way. This form of therapy resets the nervous system, restores inner balance and overall health. It enhances resilience to stress and increases people’s capacity to actively engage in life.

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Patient Experiences One regular patient is Gloria*. From the outset Gloria was determined to be open-minded in order to fully evaluate the potential benefits and to focus on self-healing. From the first appointment she felt immediate emotional relief, which was a result of the tension and stresses released during the session. Back at home her husband also saw a difference in her body language as well as her demeanor. She stated that, “Having tried for years to manage my stress and overwhelming emotions with tranquilizers and other forms of medication, it wasn’t until holistic therapy that I returned to myself”. This dramatic difference resulted in her becoming a regular client. As she suggests above, her therapy led her to self-acceptance and an authentic experience of who she feels she really is. During the interview, she was open when talking about past traumatic experiences and showed her spirit and jovial personality. This was pleasantly surprising considering this was the first time we had met. The interview provided clear evidence that Gloria has been able to overcome and accept her past to the extent that she was comfortable sharing her private experiences. A different client, Lauren*, preferred Somatic Experiencing to Craniosacral Therapy because she felt that it addressed the reasons behind her emotions. She is a firm believer that the process of gradually releasing your emotions, is a necessary part of overcoming significant milestones in life. With a clinical mind, Lauren was able to define her emotions and objectively label them so they were more structured and explainable. This was a crucial part in her emotional relief. In the longer-term, this has led Lauren to being able to accept her feelings and has lifted a psychological weight from her shoulders. Prior to discovering Craniosacral Therapy, Tina* was suffering from a long-term emotional scar

and found it difficult to open up. She describes the therapy as “magical” and “powerful” and that it gradually left her feeling more relaxed and relieved over a period of time. Tina began her journey of studying and understanding the holistic approach to healing in 2013, starting with a natural healing seminar, which intrigued her. At the beginning of this process she stated that she was feeling emotionally vulnerable, which triggered images of her past. However, years down the line, she now describes herself to be at peace and in balance. She believes that the experience of these therapies has taught her to “forgive, forget, and move on”, which is a phrase she still lives by. Tina explained her emotional state in terms of frequencies. When she felt uneasy, her frequency was sporadic and irregular, however after the sessions she felt at one with herself and therefore her frequency became ‘in tune’. As a result of her treatment, she feels that she has become more in control of her mood changes and is now able to keep calm and balanced. What can I learn from these people’s stories? In today’s modern society we seem to have become accustomed to instantaneous fixes that, in the long run, may not always be beneficial. Perhaps there is now a need to begin prioritising emotional health before satisfying purely materialistic desires. The holistic approach can be an effective route for long-term health and wellbeing. By using these methods, the patient has a stronger mindbody connection which translates into a wider awareness of the body. Whether you have a more clinical and critical mind like Lauren, or a spiritual perspective like Gloria, there is a therapy to suit everyone. There is an overall agreement among interviewees that, for the therapy to be able to be fully experienced, one’s mind must be open to the experience. Final thought Instead of immediately turning to the household medicine cupboard, why not consider trying a holistic approach to heal your body and mind?

To find out more: The Craniosacral Therapy Association (2017). The Craniosacral Therapy Association of the UK - Home. [online] Craniosacral.co.uk. Available at: http://www.craniosacral.co.uk/ [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017]. Somatic Experiencing Association (2017). The Somatic Experiencing Association UK. [online] The Somatic Experiencing Association UK. Available at: http://www.seauk.org.uk/ [Accessed 6 Mar. 2017]. Linnea is interested in studying Psychology at university and undertook work experience at CranioSacral Therapy Hong Kong with Christine Domingo http://cranio-hk.com/about_us to find out more about holistic therapies. * The names of the patients have been changed

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FLORA BARBER, YEAR 13 Here are my poems – the first was written for the set theme of ‘Messages’ and the second was our own choice of theme. I was a finalist for Worcestershire’s Young Poet Laureate competition 2017, placed as Highly Commended.

SIMPLICITY

THE LOST

Let’s paint our faces, black and blue. Which pretty colours will we choose today?

We are painting scars with charcoal marks, fighting darks indigo remarks.

Chasing the days when a little kindness pays and prettiness played pink peppermint purple plum.

You take off to replace; hopes to unface.

It’s like a tambourine, a young life’s dream. Searching and stinging when stumbling stairs to climb.

It’s our shout out, our laying bare to the truths we want seen to be unseen.

Let’s paint our faces strive to places forgotten dreams two brushstrokes under.

There are some things that we camouflage, they just speak louder, undeterred communicate.

Tap tap, blink blink. Lift up the light lid mirror. Hold and wait.

It’s our painted faces, a reminder to traces, repented disgraces, should-be embraces.

It’s not the picture you wanted to see, that gold cream vanilla plastically extracts.

A headrace to encase what needs to replace, deface and retrace; in case we misplace.

It’s not brushed over the scars that you feel. Thin black line drawn skilfully straight.

Who we are, effaced by the memories of your debase. It’s our painted face, that speaks louder than words.

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When you’re lost at sea, sinking in mind’s isolation, in apparent concentration, wounded on an unknown shore; they ask you where you’ve wandered to, cast away on foreign thoughts; physically separate, divided, surrounded by laughter, chuckles & chirps. Yet here you are on some distant plane, no feeling touching your glazed, shadowed, forgotten eyes; they wave their hand to blow away foggy mists but you’re lost at sea again. Sink down and find your red door, see the fire in the water, ice burning brightly. Look at yourself in the flames’ glitter; watch your life drift on tides of ash. Blind, immune, the onlookers see through. Ask your ghost to speak awhile, fill the gaps missing in your place, Tell them your reflection is faulty, smouldering in their mind’s eye. Stone statues cry in frozen sunsets. Open your eyes, the echo tattooed to the darkness, they can’t hear you now. Screaming, there will be no more; it’s time to wake up. Their pain, yours to bear. The scars, their life ring. That shadow, your reflection.

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FEMALE SHORTLISTS friend or foe?

BY JENNY GALLAGHER

t cannot be denied that, as a country, we must address the gender imbalance in Parliament. The use of all-women shortlists is a practice intended to increase the proportion of female MPs in the UK by allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political party. It seems that, even in 2017, women remain under-represented in the political sphere and seem to be suffering as a result of their genetic makeup. It is vital that representation is increased, not just for the sake of women throughout the country, but because of the advantages women can bring to Parliament. Despite equality given to women by law, women can still remain underrepresented due to social barriers. The Equality Act 2010 (UK Government, 2017) has a number of commendable aims and it would seem that society is finally stepping up to the mark and realising that it is unacceptable to legislate to the detriment of women. In UK society, women are consciously considered men’s equals. The issue stems in the subconscious where women can face subtle discrimination due to social barriers. Let’s take children as an example. Women have children and hence can take statutory maternity leave (UK Government, 2016). This can then perhaps lead to working parttime because they have to look after their children. However, upon returning to work, women can find that some of their projects have been re-assigned to other employees (Ely, Stone and Ammerman, 2014).

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We cannot expect men to have children and we cannot expect all men to take an equivalent paternity leave – new-borns often physically need to be with their mother. But we can expect society to recognise the professional sacrifice that women can suffer. A survey was undertaken recently where women worldwide were given the statement ‘I can have a family without it affecting my career’. In Britain, only 29% of women agreed with this. For many women, balancing a career and family life is really a tall order. Political roles are filled by men simply because, for example in 2015, 80% of seats had 2 or fewer women standing for them (50:50 Parliament, 2016). Not enough women stand and this is why we need to accommodate them through all-women shortlists. We have the legislation against discrimination, but it fails to recognise social and political barriers; all-women shortlists would address these. This would allow intelligent and driven women to stand-up (Kenny, n. d.). It also seems that women are being restricted because of their natural personalities. We like to celebrate pioneering, bold, unafraid women, who push themselves forward and who are not scared. This is commendable of course, but it’s not necessarily the norm. Studies show that the perception is that men are naturally more dominant, assertive and willing to take risks, whilst women are more sensitive, anxious and cautious. For a career in Parliament, MPs need to be

strong-willed, outspoken and thick skinned. Unfortunately, most women are not predisposed to exhibit these characteristics in mixed group situations (Booth, 2009). In a world where their voices are often silenced or even ridiculed - for example, when David Cameron famously told a female MP to “calm down dear” in 2011 (BBC News, 2011) - it would seem that we ask a lot more of women than we do of men in terms of gaining positions of power. In this case, there was strong media backlash against David Cameron’s remark, yet Douglas Herd still went on to remark that, “There is a danger this feminism thing is getting a bit ludicrous” in 2014 (Jones, n.d.). Despite temporary public outrage, the sounds of misogyny seem to be ever present and we need to recognise this in society. As well as helping female representation, increasing the number of women in Parliament could be beneficial for the country in general. Research in the US shows that women are generally more cooperative and emphasize consensusbuilding, while men are more independent

and absolute (Cheng, 2017). I’m not suggesting that women cannot be aggressive or autocratic but the research suggests that if we had more female MPs, then parliament would in fact become more constructive. One would hope that the hot-headed hostility often seen would also be diluted. We need the assertive and resolute voices, just as we need measure and co-operation. On average, it takes Parliament about a year to pass a bill. Since 1997, 152 laws from 16 different government departments have still not been put into action. This amounts to over 1,000 pieces of legislation inactive on the statute books. Debates can go round in circles, and whilst the issues at hand are important, they become lost in the exhausting disputes between power hungry MPs. It is very likely that it is simply an issue of too many of the same personalities. If we were to achieve gender equality in Parliament we would benefit as a country. Everyone can bring something different to the table, we just need to push women to take a seat.

50:50 Parliament (2016). Statistics | 50:50 Parliament. [online] 50:50parliament.co.uk. Available at: http://www.5050parliament. co.uk/statistics/ [Accessed 24 Nov. 2016]. BBC News (2011). David Cameron criticised for ‘calm down dear’ jibe. [online] BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ news/uk-politics-13211577 [Accessed 25 Nov. 2016]. Booth, A. (2009). Gender, risk, and competition: Experimental evidence on environmental influences | VOX, CEPR’s Policy Portal. [online] Voxeu.org. Available at: http://voxeu.org/article/gender-risk-and-competition-experimental-evidence-environmentalinfluences [Accessed 24 Nov. 2016]. Cheng, C. (2017). Why We Need More Women in Parliament. [online] Christine Cheng. Available at: https://christinescottcheng. wordpress.com/publications/women-in-politics/mixed-member-proportional-leads-to-more-women-mps/why-we-need-morewomen-in-parliament/ [Accessed 22 Nov. 2016]. Ely, R., Stone, P. and Ammerman, C. (2014). Rethink What You “Know” About High-Achieving Women. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2014/12/rethink-what-you-know-about-high-achieving-women [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]. Jones, R. (n.d.). We need more women in politics [Feminist Times]. [online] 5050parliament.co.uk. Available at: http:// www.5050parliament.co.uk/we-need-more-women-in-politics-feminist-times/ [Accessed 19 Nov. 2016]. Kenny, M. (n.d.). Why Aren’t There More Women in British Politics? [online] Political Studies Association. Available at: https://www. psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/why-arent-there-more-women-british-politics [Accessed 22 Nov. 2016]. UK Government (2017). Equality Act 2010. [online] Legislation.gov.uk. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/ contents [Accessed 6 Jan. 2016]. UK Government (2016). Pregnant employees’ rights. [online] Gov.uk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnantyour-rights [Accessed 22 Nov. 2016].

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BE SOLITARY, BE SILENT AND BE AT PEACE

By Heily Lam

The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly in the desert caves of Egypt. They lived on bread, salt and water which were delivered to them by monks from nearby monasteries. Although, some did not even have any food delivered and were solely dependent on God (Wikipedia, 2017). I would like to tell you about the story of St Paul of Thebes. When he was a young, he would often argue with his brother over trivial matters. After the death of their father, they constantly argued over who should have what from the wealth their father had left. St Paul suggested that they have equal shares, but his brother thought otherwise, so they decided to go to the court. On their way, St Paul saw a funeral procession. When St Paul enquired, he was told that the dead person was one of the wealthy residents of Alexandria, he realised that wealth did not stop you from dying. So, St Paul left his inheritance to his brother and went to live in an uninhabited area near the city. He broke off all human contact. For over 60 years, a raven would come every day to St Paul with half a loaf of bread to eat. Whether you believe this story, the fact is, it illustrates that St Paul did not only simply

survive for many years in the desert alone, he in fact, found fulfillment in this solitary lifestyle. St Antony, is also a well-known Desert Father. He became known as The Father of Desert Monks. By the time, St Anthony died in 356 AD, thousands of monks had been drawn to living in the desert. His biographer wrote that “the desert had become a city” (Wikipedia, 2017). In order to completely follow the teachings of the Christian church, the monks did not sit and pray all day according to verse 11 in Romans: ‘never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically’ (Holy Bible, n.d.); they worked, made baskets that they could sell, or they copied books that otherwise people could not buy. Some monks even wrote books filled with their life stories and spiritual guidance, for example, ‘The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian’. But why do people spend time alone in the desert? One reason is to find satisfaction and joy in their life spiritually, rather than in material things. Parents worry so much about what to give our children, where to take them and how to prepare them for a life in such a competitive world. According to the Desert Monks, it does not cost anything to give our children happiness.

“

Be solitary, be silent and be at peace

“

‘Be solitary, be silent and be at peace’ these are the words attributed to Abba Arsenius, one of the many who chose to live a life apart from the rest of us. A life of meditation, a life of simplicity and a life of prayer. He chose to live as a Desert Father (Iskander, n.d.).

It also raises the question of need. Do I need this watch, this bracelet or this phone? We often know what we think we need, but what do we really need?

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TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE PRESSURE OF MODERN SOCIETY TO BLAME FOR THE INCREASE IN MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN TEENAGE GIRLS?

BY SARAH JACKSON

“IN TODAY’S WORLD, GIRLS FEEL UNDER PRESSURE TO HAVE IT ALL: PERFECT GRADES, PERFECT BODY AND PERFECT SOCIAL LIFE.” (GEES, 2015)

uring the course of this article, I hope to determine if the pressure of modern society should be held responsible for the 69% of girls aged 7-19 who generally feel as though they are not good enough (Girlguiding, 2016).

depression. This means a rise of 10% since 2006 (Sanghani, 2016). In an article for the Huffington Post, Katherine Bradfield, a member of Girlguiding’s youth advocacy panel, identified the key issues faced by girls in modern-day society:

The term ‘pressure of modern society’ refers to aspects of modern life that have become harmful to a teenage girl’s mental health; including early sexualisation, bullying, both on social media and at school, a fear of being excluded, an underlying anxiety about how they are seen online and also the added factors of parents and teachers who struggle to understand these issues and therefore cannot provide proper support. (Halls, 2015) A study undertaken by the Department of Education in 2016 showed that of 30,000 14 - 15 year old pupils interviewed, more than one in three girls suffered from anxiety or

‘Girls and young women face an unprecedented amount of pressure in today’s society. Widespread body shaming, sexual harassment, worries about future careers and continual gender stereotyping takes its toll; the rise of social media means it’s even more difficult to remove yourself from these pressures.’ (Bradfield, 2016) Modern society is advancing at such a rate that we are not letting ourselves, nor the younger generation, catch up. There is little help and advice for those who are struggling to adapt especially young and easily influenced teens. A survey undertaken by

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Girlguiding UK showed that 74% of girls aged 11-16, and 70% of those aged 17-21, often feel stressed about school, college or work (Girlguiding, 2016). In addition to this, 53% of 17-21 year olds are worried about not being able to afford a home or get a job. This suggests that today’s teen girls are struggling with the education system and, with almost three quarters of both age groups surveyed reporting stress due to their work, it is a significant problem. If girls are unable to feel comfortable and at ease whilst learning, it could have a huge impact on their educational success. In an interview for The Telegraph, broadcaster Ruby Wax blamed her children’s rising stress levels on them being, ‘educated in a culture of fear, obsessed with tests, competition, and A-grade achievement’ (Griffiths, 2014). This suggests that this generation of teens is facing extreme pressure to excel academically, regardless of their abilities. Getting a set of perfect exam results can feel that it is taking precedent over mental health and wellbeing and, although this is not the case in all schools, it is a problem. Considering that young people are nearly three times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population (Boffey, 2015), it is not surprising that teens feel under pressure to succeed. However, young doctor and Girlguiding leader Emma Gees believes that social media is to blame for teenage girls’ poor mental health. In an article for The Telegraph she writes: ‘We’re bombarded with images of unrealistically thin models and celebrities, making many people question their own bodies. If someone lacks confidence about the way they look, these images often make them even more self-conscious, lowering their self-esteem and affecting their mental health.’ (Gees, 2016) The Girlguiding’s Girls Attitude Survey 2016 found that 70% of girls aged 11 to 16 agree that women are too often shown as sex objects in the media and online, joining the 80% of girls aged 17-21 who also agreed with this statement (Girlguiding, 2016). This shows that not only are the majority of teenage girls concerned with both the way they look and the way others perceive them, but also that social media appears to be fuelling this problem. It is not only subjecting them to unhealthy expectations of beauty but it is also encouraging them to see themselves as objects from a young age. Social media is not only forcing young girls to grow up too quickly but it is creating the suggestion that girls who are not clones of those images online should be treated as ‘different’. This can then lead to incidents such as cyberbullying, which can further isolate the individual and increases their likelihood of developing a mental health problem. A report

from the Office of National Statistics found that children who spend more than three hours a day on social media are twice as likely to suffer poor mental health. In addition to this, 1 in 10 girls are found to be in the top category for time spent on social media, compared with 1 in 20 boys (Jamieson, 2015). This shows that girls are more likely to develop a mental health problem as a result of excessive time spent on social media. But can it be blamed entirely for creating what appears to be a generation of girls with rapidly declining self-esteem? Natasha Devon MBE, former mental health champion for schools and co-founder of the Self-Esteem Team, thinks that looking at social media as a cause of mental health problems ‘Passes the buck back to young people and says it’s their fault’. She comments that, ‘I prefer to see social media as a reflection of what’s going on with young people rather than a cause’ (Sanghani, 2016). Could it be that social media is not a cause of mental illness in teenage girls, but has become a way of bringing their problems to light? Despite mental health being seen as a less taboo subject than it was a decade ago, there seems to be a distinct lack of support for those suffering from mental illness. In an article for The Guardian, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said, ‘Children’s mental health is a priority for this government and we know that intervening early can have a lasting impact. We are putting a record £1.4 billion into transforming the dedicated mental health support available to young people across the country and are working to strengthen the links between schools and mental health services.’ (Kennedy, 2016) However, the Girlguiding’s Girls Attitude Survey which was conducted in the same year found that 52% of girls aged 17-21 would not seek help for mental health problems because they ‘feel uncomfortable talking about their feelings’, and 33% of those aged 11-21 said they would not seek help because, ‘they think girls are just expected to cope’. (Girlguiding, 2016) This emphasises the clear lack of support that teenage girls feel they are receiving and, despite the government spending more money on mental health services, there is little evidence of change. If girls are unable to talk about their mental health, then nothing can be done to improve it. This poses a significant problem for the British government and how it is dealing with mental health both in teens and as a whole. In conclusion, I do believe that social media has had the most significant impact on the increase of mental health problems in teenage girls. Its effects, including body-shaming, sexism and the sexualisation of women, all have a devastating effect on teenage girls’ self-esteem. In conjunction with academic pressure, rising unemployment levels, a lack of support from

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adults and pressure to be ‘perfect’, social media forces young girls to grow up too quickly and places an excessive amount of pressure on them to imitate what they see online. I believe that this is far more damaging to them than worrying about their future. In the light of modernday technology, it is no longer acceptable to be ‘different’. Girls are ridiculed for being the ‘wrong’ shape, height and weight, they are teased for wearing the ‘wrong’ clothes, or doing the ‘wrong’ things and all the while they are bombarded with images of women being treated like objects both in the media and online.

I believe it is crucial that something is done about these devastating effects or we risk creating a generation of young girls who are not only unable to identify the mental health problems they are facing, but also do not receive the help that they need. We need to encourage girls to be resilient, self-aware and confident within themselves so they are able to face up to the pressures of a modern society that currently seems to leave little room for wellbeing.

References Bradfield, K. (2016) “Girls and Young Women Are Facing Unprecedented Pressures: It’s Time to Talk Openly About Mental Wellbeing” [online] huffingtonpost.co.uk. Last accessed: 10th January 2017 http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/katherine-bradfield/girls-and-young-women-are_b_9168316.html Boffey, D. (2015). Youth unemployment rate is worst for 20 years, compared with overall figure. [online] the Guardian. Last accessed: 8th February 2016 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/22/youth-unemployment-jobless-figure Gees, E. (2015) “’Britain’s Girls Are At Crisis Point’: The Truth About Teen Mental Health”. [online] Telegraph.co.uk Last accessed: 30th January 2017. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/11820053/Mental-health-of-British-teen-girls-is-at-crisis-point.html Girlguiding. (2016) “Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2016”. [online] issuu. Last accessed: 30th January 2017 https://issuu.com/girlguiding/docs/girls__attitudes_survey_2016/2?ff=true&e=16044208/39312898 Griffiths, S. (2014). Ruby Wax slams ‘battery’ schools as anorexia stalks top pupils | The Sunday Times. [online] Thesundaytimes.co.uk.

n the night of Lunar New Year, an argument occurred between the police and local activists about shutting down unlicensed food stalls. At the same time, they argued that Hong Kong’s identity is under threat as the trust between the public and police has worsened recently. Hundreds of people started to join in. The police gave them warnings and asked them to leave. However, they ignored their warnings and started throwing bricks and rocks at the police, attacking them in a group. They set fires in the middle of the street. This fight lasted all night, with many people and police being severely injured. Numerous protestors wore masks and attacked the police with bricks and weapons. No matter how many warnings the protestors were given, they continued. A police officer fired into the air to scare the protestors as a

stronger warning, however it didn’t work and the now furious protestors attacked the police once again. As a Hong Kong citizen I appreciate the patience the police have compared with police in America. In America if you offend a police officer, they have the right to take action and even to shoot. Now think about it, you are attacking a police officer! If they hit you, it is in self-defense. In Hong Kong, just because you know they are not allowed to shoot you doesn’t mean you can use this excuse to harm them. They have families as well, praying for their safe return. If this were to happen to you. How would you feel? I was taught at a very young age that we should respect people equally no matter what job they have. I was taught that an argument should be handled calmly because violence is not the answer.

POLICE BRUTALITY BY HEILY LAM

Last accessed: 8th February 2017 http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1379007.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2014_02_22 Halls, A. (2015) “Young girls feel the strain – but what are the real causes?”. [online] thesundaytimes.co.uk Last accessed: 11th January 2017 https://www.kcs.org.uk/sites/default/files/040515_Young%20girls%20feel%20the%20strain%20–%20but%20what%20are%20the%20real%20 causes.pdf Jamieson, S. (2015). Excessive social media use harms children’s mental health. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Last accessed: 31 Oct. 2016 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11943810/Excessive-social-media-use-harms-childrens-mental-health.html Kennedy, M. (2016). More than third of teenage girls in England suffer depression and anxiety. [online] the Guardian. Last accessed: 1st February 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/aug/22/third-teenage-girls-depression-anxiety-survey-trend-truant Sanghani, R. (2016) “Why Are So Many Of Britain’s Teen Girls Struggling With Mental Health Problems?”. [online] The Telegraph Last accessed: 30th January 2017

I was taught by adults that we should obey the laws. However, society is doing the exact opposite. We blame our society but yet, we are the society. The future generation is learning from us and if this is what we are showing them, what will Hong Kong become? Why do protestors have to make Police Officers’ lives so hard? They are simply doing their jobs. They gave so many warnings but yet they were all ignored. We, as citizens, should appreciate them. Everyone wants peace, not conflict, but is this possible? The people’s anger should be at the Chief Executive rather than the police. Dissatisfaction with the election result was the real reason why the people

were unhappy. Even though the election was unfortunate, for the sake for our country and peace, we have to accept the fact that Hong Kong is democratic and give the Chief Executive a chance. Donald Trump’s election victory in America was a big shock to people all around the world. There were protests and distress, but attacking the police is not the way to deal with this. As a 16 year-old teenager from Hong Kong, I am very thankful that we don’t have such a powerful police force as in the USA. As a teenager, I understand their perspective perfectly. Shouldn’t it be even easier for adults?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/health/why-are-so-many-of-britains-teen-girls-struggling-with-mental-he/ BBC (2014). Hong Kong protests. [online] BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-29413349 [Accessed 13 Mar. 2016].

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VOLUNTEERING ABROAD: WHO DOES IT REALLY BENEFIT? BY LUCY BLUM

any of you may have spared a thought already to the exciting possibility of volunteering abroad, especially those in the Sixth Form thinking about the bi-annual volunteering trip to The Gambia or the possibility of a gap year. What could be better? You experience a different culture, a different way of life and it makes any CV or UCAS application look flawless in a matter of weeks. You work with children who are desperately waiting for a helping hand, which is likely to make you feel pretty selfless and accomplished when you return. All your friends on social media will know about your honourable work, making you look like the most altruistic friend on their Facebook. In this whirlwind of possibilities, you may have not considered the current problems surrounding volunteering. For example, it can be rather disrupting for a child’s upbringing, it can damage the local economy, and Western volunteers can often come across as patronising towards the local people. All in all, this can suggest that it is the volunteer who seems to be benefiting more than the recipient 1. Let’s begin with the disruption to a child’s upbringing. It is true that some schools in underdeveloped countries won’t recruit local teachers to work in the school; instead, they look beyond the realm of the community and the possibility of employing a local teacher and rely on the help of Western volunteers, purely because they offer free labour. The problem with this is, not only the fact that the Western volunteer is taking the place of somebody who may be desperately in need of a job, but also because if volunteers are teaching and helping for as little as two weeks, then this is clearly not a normal school experience for any child. It would be completely absurd to allow an unqualified person to take over a class at MSJ for two weeks, so why should it be acceptable for this to happen anywhere else? By allowing this to happen, we are exploiting these countries for our own needs, and treating them as if they are beneath us, which is not acceptable. In addition to this, I am sure that many of you have seen photos of Western volunteers all over social media and on volunteering sites, cuddling young children when they are abroad. However, there are two problems with this. Firstly, it makes people believe that this is all there is to poverty and, secondly, it makes it look like intervention by international volunteers is an extremely simple and easy solution to this problem. This is certainly not the case. It seems naive to think that international poverty can be ‘solved’ by a few Western volunteers; it is a complex and complicated issue that demands the work of experts to solve. However, it is no coincidence that volunteering programmes are made to look so appealing through the use of photos of volunteers with children, however, they can miss out the unappealing sides to poverty - for example pictures of slums or extreme famine. Not only this, but it would be seen as unacceptable for visitors to MSJ to hug children, take photos, and then put them on social media. If this is the case here, should it be acceptable in other countries?

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Short-term volunteers can also disrupt a child’s development. Children may become attached to the volunteers, only to lose them when they return to their own home at the end of their volunteering. What any child needs is to form solid and longstanding relationships with permanent members of staff who won’t disappear in a few weeks. When volunteering, we must always acknowledge that we are in a position of privilege. We must be aware of the mind-set lurking deep into our Western society that we have an obligation and even a right to ‘help’ less fortunate countries, that were once colonised, but to only do it in our way. This underlying ideology can therefore make Western volunteers seem patronising and even offensive. We need to ensure that we don’t use volunteering simply to meet our needs.

Volunteers cannot solve deep-seated issues, but if we go with a humble mind-set we should definitely be able to do something useful and beneficial. It is also important to remember that although it may initially feel less adventurous, there are plenty of projects that need help nearer to home; for example, in Malvern we can help to support charities such as Malvern Special Families 5. We don’t have to limit ‘doing good’ with going abroad.

Of course, volunteering doesn’t have to be this way. It is more a matter of doing it properly (see the LUMOS website 2). Make sure you go with a reputable company that is not seeking to profit from the exploitation of vulnerable people. Consider your motivations carefully. If you are unsure about your own route into volunteering, or want to find out more about the issues before volunteering, I urge you to take a look at the Barbie Savior website 3 and Daniela Papi’s TED talk 4. They provide links to help you understand this problem and the blog will also enlighten you further into the current issues with volunteering, in a light-hearted way. Look out for well-established ethical volunteering sites that will help you take the right path into wholesome and safe volunteering.

1 www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/14/orphans-cambodia-aids-holidays-madonna 2 www.wearelumos.org 3 www.barbiesavior.com 4 www.lessonsilearned.org/about 5 www.malvernspecialfamilies.org.uk

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SAFE SOCIAL MEDIA

am sure almost every single one of you has Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat accounts. How often do you use them? On your Instagram biography, do you put your Snapchat code so you can add more friends? I suspect that you would not feel comfortable if you didn’t check them for one day, or even one hour. I can’t lie, Instagram and Snapchat are my favourite social apps because they show what’s trending and almost everyone has them. You can post pictures and your friends can like and comment on them. However, have you ever thought that the way that you use social media could put your privacy at risk? Do you set your account to public? Maybe you are thinking, “My likes and comments are more important!” Not to mention “My followers need to see them”. But never underestimate the power of social media. I used to wish I had thousands of followers so I could gain hundreds of ‘likes’, therefore I set my account to public. That was until I read about a girl having her privacy invaded because her Instagram account was public and it was hacked. Her selfies went viral online. This all happened simply because she wanted to be popular.

If you speak to someone every day on Snapchat, as you know, you will get a ‘streak’ 1. I am certain most of you would be upset if your streak with your best friend ‘died’ after 125 days. Every day you wake up beside your phone. The first thing you do is send a picture of your toe

By Heily Lam

and caption it with ‘streak’ just so the streak will stay alive. You may think keeping streaks means keeping in contact with your friend. But what is the point of streaks? If you break them, it can cause arguments. The fact that emojis on Snapchat tell your friends how much you like them causes drama between friends because they might think, “Why does she always talk to her but not me? Does she hate me? Why does she not reply to me?”. Overthinking will follow and it will upset your friends indirectly as well. Now think about it, do you see a problem? Which is more important: friendship? Or streaks? I am sure you are all clever enough to make that decision I am not one to judge because I used to spend hours on my phone, scrolling through Instagram. It only seemed like a second, but in fact, hours had passed. I did it because the posts and videos are so entertaining; make-up and so on. However, because of this addiction, my work suffered and therefore I learnt my lesson from it. I set myself a limit, only allowing myself to spend one hour on social media per day. This was hard for me at first because I couldn’t stop checking my phone every minute. It got worse. It is about realisation. Isn’t it? So I told myself, I need to set a boundary and this was to finish all my work before I used my phone. You need to set yourself a boundary in order to avoid being dragged into social media. Yes, I have to admit social media can be relaxing. It is very convenient. However, I am 100% sure you all have the ability to control its use in your lives.

https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/a/Snaps-snapstreak

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INTERVIEW WITH CAROLINE LUCAS BY IMY TOWNSEND

aroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party and an Old Girl of MSJ, visited the School in the Autumn term to share her thoughts on political issues and her time at MSJ with current students, parents and girls. She was asked about Brexit, proportional representation, social justice and environmental issues. Lucas struck us as an open-minded MP who is passionate about change. Her politics were logically explained and refreshingly, her answers seemed to come straight from the heart. The Chronicle was given the opportunity to asked her questions that focussed on issues facing young women and girls today. Do you feel that you have benefitted in aspects of your life as a result of going to a girls’ school? Though I had a wonderful time at Malvern Girls, I do feel that co-education is in some ways healthier. I know that a huge benefit of girls schools is that girls become less afraid to speak out and grow in confidence, but we should also be tackling that in co-ed schools as well. How do you think we should encourage girls to speak out more, both in class and in general, in order to prevent them from being overshadowed by boys, who tend to be louder and faster at sharing their opinions? Teachers should obviously be ensuring that a balanced range of views are expressed in class. PSHE is a perfect opportunity to reflect and debate on politics and society within a safe environment. There should definitely be a space in our curriculum to talk about things honestly and it’s nice to have an hour of unregimented discussion where you can go off course. It helps produce more well-rounded people.

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Would you like to see more women in politics, particularly in high positions like yours? Yes, just to have credibility and legitimacy Parliament must have an equal balance of men and women in Westminster. Not only this, women also have an impact on the outcome of policies, for example in public services. Women are still the primary child carers across the UK, and these policies need more gender-analysis and more gender-perspective in order for them to have a positive impact on the people that they will be affecting. In our school we are often allowed to go out into cities such as Birmingham by ourselves, but there is also a genuine feeling that it is not safe to go out alone in cities if you are a girl, especially at night. Do you think the government needs to work on making cities a safer space for women and girls?

It was interesting meeting Caroline to see such a high-profile politician and to be able to have a conversation with her about her opinions on issues that particularly affect us, as young women and girls. It was enjoyable both watching her talk onstage and talking with her face-to-face. She appeared both trustworthy and confident and although there is still a lack of women in politics today, Lucas gave us hope that the number will increase. Overall, she has inspired many of us to get more involved with the current political and social issues that we are faced with in day-to-day life and made us realise how important it is for us to stand up for what we believe in.

Absolutely, and the responsibility shouldn’t just be placed on women to take care of themselves. Yes, they should be taught how to be safe and defend themselves, but if we only educate women, this places all the responsibility on them and can lead to them being blamed if they are attacked and/or assaulted. It becomes a matter of, “What were you wearing?” or “How much did you drink?’, when in reality we should be educating possible perpetrators on respecting women and informing them of the consequences that could occur as a result of their crime. This is why we need more police on the streets. Right now I do not think there are enough in cities and a lack of police can lead to women changing their habits, choosing to stay in rather than go out and risk being assaulted. This needs to be stopped.

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ISOBEL VICKERY YR 13 Translucent (Set task)

POLINA KAMINSKAYA YR 13

Has a place at Hereford for

Personal investigation

Art Foundation

BOMI KIM YR 13 Frames (personal study) Has a place at Goldsmiths for Fine Art

SIRIKORN MECASUWANDARONG YR 12 Architecturally inspired textile sample

PO CHUN PRUDENCE LO YR 12 Tonal (Set task)

JOSSELYN CHAU YR 11 Out of place (set task)

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truth

WAR BY MIGNONETTE GHOBRIAL

Have you heard these three names before: James Foley, Tim Hetherington and Marie Colvin? These three people were all war correspondents. These three people were all killed researching dangerous stories, however should journalists put their lives on the line in order to find and follow up stories on the lives of others?

efore I present each side of the argument, I must stress that all war correspondents go to warzones as a matter of personal choice and free will. They are made fully aware of the risks. Is it morally right to put yourself in a deadly position? Frank Gardner, an ex-war correspondent who now works for the BBC, was shot and paralysed in 2004. He said, ‘I will never forgive the terrorists who did this to me’ (Moreton, 2017). If anyone left me paralysed I would feel the same, but he could have avoided the situation. Journalist Ameera Harouda said ‘I do it because I believe, if I didn’t a huge story about Gaza will be missing. They are not just sad stories, there are also good stories. Stories about strong brotherhood between races and religion’ (Harouda, 2017). So, why can it be so difficult for readers to hear the stories of

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selflessness and love? Just as applying for a job has criteria, journalists also have reporting criteria. Sadly, in Syria, a child dying is a day to day occurrence (Samaan, 2017), so it does not classify as news. Whereas in the UK, it is news if one person dies. Journalists do not only write stories; they help to dig people out of the rubble or drive the injured to hospital. Nevertheless, Ameera Harouda also said ‘I receive a picture of my children every day, from my husband, because I never know if I will make it back to them’ Harouda, 2017). Aside from risking their own lives, journalists are a burden, nuisance and a liability for the soldiers around them. Sometimes they can even be taken captive and held for ransom. For instance, a German journalist, Janina Findeisen was held captive for more than 3 months. She gave birth in captivity. Her kidnappers demanded £4.3 million for her release (Oltermann, 2016).

The same happened to James Foley. The kidnappers demanded £10.6 million, but it was not paid as it was against the US law. Although US forces tried many times to rescue him and his fellow captive, it was in vain and he was beheaded in 2014 (BBC News, 2017). Journalists suffer nightmares when they see lifeless children or blown up body parts. This is what volunteer doctors also see, but the good that they do outweigh any arguments. While journalists don’t always bring about change. If there were no news from Syria, Libya or Afghanistan, then it would mean that we ignore the stories of the lost, the injured and the homeless. That is why war correspondents feel they have a moral duty to search out the truth. Leaving people more aware and therefore respond as they see fit. Every one of us is warned that ‘curiosity killed the cat’. But curiosity is the characteristic that has led humans to discover and invent life changing products. It’s allowed us to witness revelations, prompting us to change history. This curiosity is what sparks a journalist’s ambition to tell the tales of those who cannot tell their own stories. So, should a war correspondent continue to risk their own life to write life changing stories? I’ll leave you to decide.

BBC News (2017). Profile: James Foley, US journalist beheaded by Islamic State. [online] BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-28865508 [Accessed 12 Feb. 2017]. Harouda, A. (2017). Transcript of “Why I put myself in danger to tell the stories of Gaza”. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/ameera_harouda_why_i_put_myself_in_danger_to_tell_the_stories_of_gaza/transcript [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017]. Moreton, C. (2017). Frank Gardner: I will never forgive the terrorists who did this to me. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/mens-health/11247597/Frank-Gardner-I-will-never-forgive-the-terrorists-who-did-this-tome.html [Accessed 12 Feb. 2017]. Oltermann, P. (2016). German hostage who gave birth in captivity is freed from Syria. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/29/german-hostage-freed-from-syria-janina-findeisen [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017]. Samaan, L. (2017). A baby dies ‘almost every day’ in besieged Syrian suburb. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/12134767/One-baby-almost-every-day-dying-in-besieged-Syrian-town.html [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017].

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SHOULD 16-YEAR OLDS BE ALLOWED TO VOTE THROUGHOUT THE UK?

he responsibilities given to young people at the age of 16 include: being able to get married with parental consent, legally able to have children, to be able to drink alcoholic beer with a meal if accompanied by a person over the age of 18, pay tax, join a trade union, join the armed forces with parental consent, and leave home. Yet in some parts of the UK these teenagers have still not earned the right to vote. The Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014 was a clear turning point in UK politics. More than 100,000 of the 3.6 million voters who had registered to vote were between 16 to 17 years old (Brant, Dawson, Harvey, 2014) but if Scotland is beginning to allow these teens more voting rights, shouldn’t the rest of the UK be too? For the 2016 European Referendum voting rights were not extended to 16 and 17 year olds throughout the UK. This suggests that, in terms of democratic rights, we have a divided union. In order to explore further we must first look into whether or not 16-year olds want the vote, as without that, there is no reason for debate. On 11th November 2016, the Youth Parliament - consisting of 276 elected members aged 1118 - debated this in the House of Commons Chamber and ‘112,687 young people across the UK voted to lower the voting age to 16 as their top priority in the [recent] Make Your Mark ballot, with 978,216 votes’ (Afflick, 2016). These statistics show that there is a genuine desire from young people today to be able to take an active part in politics. In fact, how democratic can the UK be if young people who have political knowledge cannot have their say or vote? In the academic year of 2011/12, over 590,000

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BY DAISY BUTT young people voted in Youth Elections but despite this, politics academic Andrew Mycock suggests that lowering the voting age to 16 has, ‘failed to catch the imagination of most young people in the UK’. A key point highlighted was that, ‘A person’s age has no correlation with their political maturity; at 30 or 17, you can be politically active, or choose to not be’ (Joseph, 2013). This raises the point that a young person could be just as politically aware at 16 as a 30, 40, or even 50 year old can be. Equally this may not be the case and 16 year-olds may only have limited political awareness. This shows that, in the UK, we do not cap the voting age in relation to political awareness but simply base it on the rights that we, as a society, feel teenagers should have at a given age. Examples set by other countries where the voting age is 16 include: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Norway (Arnett, 2015). Other examples of countries who have systems for deciding eligibility - for example, the young person is married or employed and taking on legal responsibilities - include Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro. However, there is strong evidence for young people in today’s society making a difference to the world around them and being actively involved in politics. As well as the UK Youth Parliament, many schools throughout the country take part in Model United Nations (MUN) where young people come together to debate serious issues such as the Refugee Crisis, the situation in Libya, the Ebola Crisis and the protection of civilians in armed conflict. All of these debates show that young people are not only aware of the political situations around them, but are also able to debate effectively on them as well. Furthermore, a total of more than

275,000 young people aged between 15 and 17 years old have now taken part in the National Citizen Service (NCS, 2017). To find out the views of a current politician, I interviewed Caroline Lucas MP, Co-Leader of the Green Party, who is in favour of 16 year olds being allowed to vote throughout the UK. After the European Referendum vote, it was found that the majority of over- 60s voted to leave, whereas the majority of under-25s voted to remain. Many of my generation felt that their voices were not heard. I asked her if she thought that more should be done to get young people more involved and represented in politics. She replied that: “Young people have every right to feel betrayed. I campaigned strongly for the vote to be given to 16 and 17 year olds. I was involved with the campaign We are Europe and tried to inspire people. That voice was hardly heard in the referendum at all.” However, there are alternative views and 16 year old Kaylah O’Neill from Northern Ireland said ‘I don’t see why I should concentrate on it when I’ve got my GCSEs to be studying for.’ (Mills, 2015). This shows that there are mixed feelings on the level of responsibility young people themselves feel they should have and the extra pressure that voting would put on them when they already have to cope with the stresses of exams and deciding their future. This could mean that it is not whether or not young people aged 16 and 17 deserve to have a vote, but whether it is fair to put that extra pressure on YES NO them at such a young age.

To find out more, I decided to undertake my own primary research at MSJ and it provided me with some interesting results. When I asked 16 - 17 year olds if they should be allowed to vote, 13 (72%) agreed and only 5 voted ‘no’. Many of the comments had a similar feeling expressed here that, ‘We are the generation that are going to be affected by the result of the decision and yet we have no influence towards it’.

SHOULD 16 YEAR OLD’S BE ALLOWED TO VOTE?

Only 6 young people stated they had a genuine interest in politics and a further 5 said they had a little or basic interest in it. One comment said, ‘no [I don’t have an interest in politics], but I think that at a school like this [we] especially should know more’, suggesting that it could be the education of young people that needs to improve. Whilst 89% of 16 and 17-year olds asked did not think they were receiving enough political education, this strongly contrasted the view that many others surveyed held. Including the categories of 11 to 15 year olds and 18 and above, only 15% of respondents thought there was a problem with the amount of political education provided. This could imply that it’s the 16 and 17 year olds who are seeking more political knowledge to make themselves more worthy of the vote they desire. However, not every 16 to 17 year old agreed as one respondent commented, ‘I worry that at 16, people will simply vote the same way as their parents, especially if education does not improve on politics in schools’ suggesting that teenagers would not be making up their own minds. Overall, the survey suggested that there should be a wider focus on political education, not only at A-level stage but earlier. This could be done through PSHE lessons, but also through citizenship classes or clubs and societies. To conclude, if 16 year olds were to attain the vote, there is evidence to indicate that there would first have to be an increase in education and political awareness although Caroline Lucas

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About the task: The themes were very simple: landscape, light and dark, and our community. (Ms. Pardoe)

YES

2 16

DO 16-17 YEAR OLDS THINK THERE IS ENOUGH POLITICAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS?

YES

N/A

DO 11-18 YEAR OLDS THINK THERE IS ENOUGH POLITICAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS?

suggests that, “If 16 year olds get the vote then there will be more education in schools” (Lucas, 2017). Perhaps this is the solution that is needed. If we want our young people to be able to vote in the democracy we live in, then it is the education system that needs to change. If young people aged 16 and 17 years old are not able to gain the political knowledge they need in order to make an informed decision whilst they are at school, there is nothing to guarantee that they will automatically gain this knowledge once they have left. The UK could also look into solutions such as those implemented in Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro and base the right to vote on the contribution to society that the young person is providing. Finally, Caroline Lucas believes that “the tide is definitely changing and 16-year-olds will win the vote”, however, the evidence suggests this will only be achievable if all 16 and 17 year olds take on more adult and legal responsibilities and show an active interest in the way that their country is run and governed. Prior to the election on 8th June, 268/650 Members of the UK Parliament (MPs) and 332/760 Members of the House of Lords agreed that the vote should be given to 16 year olds (votesat16.org)

Bibliography Afflick, R. (2017). UK Youth Parliament calls for Votes at 16 in the House of Commons Chamber « UK Youth Parliament. [online] Ukyouthparliament.org.uk. Available at: http://www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/news/uk-youth-parliament-calls-for-votes-at-16-in-the-house-of-commonschamber/ [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]. Arnett, G. (2017). Votes for 16- and 17-year-olds – where else outside Scotland?. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian. com/politics/datablog/2015/jun/18/votes-for-16--and-17-year-olds-where-else-outside-scotland [Accessed 11 Feb. 2017]. Brant, E. Dawson, G. and Harvey, D. (2017). Scottish referendum: How first vote went for 16/17-year-olds. [online] Bbc.co.uk. Available at: http:// www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/29279384/scottish-referendum-how-first-vote-went-for-1617-year-olds [Accessed 14 Jan. 2017]. Joseph, C. (2013). Student Edition. [online] Go.galegroup.com. Available at: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CA343258817&docType=Discussion&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=STOM&contentSet=GALE%7CA343258817&searchId=R1&userGroupName=msjames&inPS=true [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]. Lucas, C. (2017). Questions and Answers about Young people voting. [interview]

About the photographs: Charlotte Spittle We had to manually select the settings on the camera for the photographs, as well as the correct f-stop, aperture and iso to take a really good photo, taking in to consideration how lighting and different days would affect our photos, for example a really cloudy day would not be a good day as opposed to a sunny day as there is more light.

1. I took this photo because I thought that in black and white the White House would have a ‘mysterious’ effect with the trees coming in from the side and on the right hand side in the distance I liked that you could see the hills coming in. It also has a sense of seclusion as it’s behind the hedge row.

2. I wanted to get a good intricate photo, I liked the stone work of the wall around the front of the house and the lines and ridges on the roof of the building, I wanted to work on my focusing of the image before taking the photo.

3. I wanted a good photo of the hills, as being where we are they are such a prominent feature but I didn’t want a boring photo of just the hills so I wanted to make sure I had a building in so I would have 2 main focuses (Hills and the distraction of the house) which is unusual in a photo and capture the comparison of size of the building compared with the hills.

Mills, T. (2015). Election 2015: Do 16-year-olds want to vote in Northern Ireland? - BBC News. [online] BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc. co.uk/news/election-2015-northern-ireland-32525133 [Accessed 17 Mar. 2017]. MUN, (2017). Welcome to National Model United Nations. [online] Nmun.org. Available at: http://www.nmun.org/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. NCS, (2017). What is NCS?. [online] National Citizen Service. Available at: http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/what-is-ncs [Accessed 20 Mar. 2017]. Votesat16.org, (2017). About the votes at 16 campaign – Votes at 16. [online] Votesat16.org. Available at: http://www.votesat16.org/about/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2017].

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