How to be a Morning
Inclusivity & Diversity
Gym Lifestyle For Beginners
Walking Away From Toxic People
Art of Eastbourne
Why You Can’t Trust Movie Critics
Dealing With Death & Grief
Influencers:
Eastbourne And District Samaritans
Auntie’s Answers
Making Difficult Decisions
Being Homeless in a Modern World
Eastbourne Citizens Advice
Thriving With Different Abilities Breaking
Throughout the evolution of our planet, the oceans have seen it all, from dinosaurs in the Jurassic ages to the Holocene we are living in now. Our oceans have been here the whole time, they provide us with countless resources, and how do we repay them… by trashing their surroundings with large amounts of waste.
Floating single use plastics are harmful to the world around us, they get trapped on various animals bodies and take millions of years to biodegrade. As they get caught on nature and animals, the chemicals and unnatural nature of these products cause animals to be fatally harmed and their natural habitats to be invaded and destroyed. It is difficult to keep our environment safe and healthy without harming or allowing our sea creatures to die out to the point of eventual extinction. It takes an army of people to remove just a portion of this waste, so imagine trying
to clean the whole ocean, it would involve disturbing animal habitats and millions of people’s help.
Just one change can make all the difference. Every year, almost 20 billion plastic, single use bottles are thrown away, so maybe we can swap plastic bottles for reusable ones. You could try swapping to metal straws instead of plastic ones, or using reusable food coverings like beeswax wraps instead of cling film. There are many companies actively trying to make a change by organising beach cleanups or raising money to assist with stopping plastic pollution.
We spoke to Katie Macfarlane, Marine Conservation Society to see how we can help with ocean clean up and make sustainable choices to our lifestyle. She said “Our oceans are at a tipping point. We are fighting to turn the tide and
restore its health. Our ocean covers 70% of our planet. It provides more than half of the oxygen we breathe and absorbs nearly a third of our carbon emissions. Taught now, we are pouring out water and destroying our precious habitats. We are harming the species that live there. It is reducing the ocean’s ability to help fight the climate crisis. We are determined to change this. Together with businesses and governments, we can make a difference. Our goal is to recover the health of our ocean.”
Our oceans face huge threats from plastic waste. It’s on us to make sustainable choices and join the fight for ocean health.
With Summer right round the corner a lot of people may not be able to go abroad or don’t have time, however there are many great locations for people to visit in the south of England during the lovely British summer, so why not visit a beach for a lovely fish and chips, get the summer heat and have the great Mr Whippy to finish off the day.
Margate is a great place to visit if you’re looking for something with sun and sand. There is plenty of entertainment to discover in Margate, including the historical aspects like the Margate caves or the old town. Or you could visit Dreamland, a fun fair filled with roller coaster rides and a Ferris wheel. Plenty of close restaurants on the coast for you to enjoy.
Bexhill is a beautiful quiet seaside town if you want a peaceful stay then this is
the perfect place. There are a few local family run businesses in the area and the famous De La Warr Pavilion art gallery that overlooks the sea.
Brighton, best known for its diverse culture, has a pier which is home to several roller coasters and other rides along with a giant arcade and many restaurants. Outside the pier you could visit the SEA LIFE aquarium. Or journey up the British Airways tower that overlooks the city. Many restaurants can be found everywhere across Brighton one particular hot spot is the lanes, which is full of small local businesses and restaurants.
Ramsgate, located 15 minutes away from Margate is home to a beautiful sandy beach great for jet skiing, sailing and of course swimming. It has main attractions from the Ramsgate tunnels, art galleries, museums and the boatyard and marina. It has many local restaurants and it’s historic
Located in the far east of Sussex is a 3 mile long sandy beach that can be a brilliant place to spend your day. If you just want to stay on the beach then this is the place to go. Perfect for kite flying and sand castle building. Something you cannot miss at Camber are the sand dunes where you can relax with the sun shining down on you.
As we grow up, often there is a desire to travel to new places without family and more so with friends or even alone. Why not start with our capital - London. What is normally classed as a popular tourist attraction can also be interesting to visit as a local to England. There are many things to do which don’t involve looking at historical buildings but if that is your cup of tea, they have many of those as well. We are here to give you all the tips and tricks of London without an adult and navigating yourself around Britain's most popular city.
If this is your first visit to London, you may want to see the sights we all grow up hearing about; Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Shard. Or, you may be more into the history scene and want a chance to explore one of the many museums our city has to offer. All of the places listed are mostly free, for example; the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery have free entry and rely solely on donations and gift shop revenue to stay open. However if you did want to visit other attractions check if they cost money; London Eye, Tower of London, it is important to look into prices in advance as on the day, they like to bump up the cost and make it more expensive for us last minute people.
Taking the train to the city can vary in cost. For example, Eastbourne to London Victoria generally ranges from £7 to £40,
this will depend on how far in advance you book and your day & time of travel. Once you arrive, there are a lot of options for travel within London; bus, tube, taxi, walking. However the price of these transports can vary from £1.75, to £100 (all prices sourced, Feb 2024). For example; the Tube cost starts at £1.80 and can rise depending on how many journeys you are taking, if you stay in certain zones or forget to tap out.
Bus travel is a good alternative because for a day bus pass, it will cost a maximum of £5.25. Taxis are where forms of travel start to become more expensive, if you want to go just 1 mile it can cost between £7.00£10.80. As a nation, we are lucky our capital is so walkable, it's so easy to see all the sights while walking and doesn't take too long to get around.
We asked teens what their advice would be and where a must go place is to visit within London. Ollie Knight, 19, Engineering student said “Plan the attractions you want to visit, food you want to eat and things you want to do and organise your travel plans and budget around this.”
Leave room for backup plans and different travel arrangements as places may be busy or need booking in advance. Jack Sutton, 17, Battle, Biology Student said “The o2 is a great place to visit. You can shop, eat and enjoy different activities there even when a concert isn’t being held inside. It also makes for a great concert experience with a 20 thousand capacity so your show will be an amazing experience.”
Alfie
Jones, 18, Eastbourne, Criminology student said
“Activities like craft cafes can offer some cheaper activities and provide you with a personalised memorabilia.”
“Alternatively you could also visit a park with friends and host a picnic or activities in the afternoon.”
Although it may seem like a giant city compared to the towns that some of us are used to, London isn’t all that scary and is fairly easy to navigate. But if you're feeling unsure or would like some extra help, the TfL website or app (Tfl Go: Live Tube, Bus & Rail) can help you plan your journey with the fastest times considering all travel options. As well as this, if you search ‘London Travel’ on Instagram, it’ll provide you with many accounts who can share tried and tested tips and tricks to make your day go as smoothly as it can.
Designer: Mathias Teodoru
Photographer: Wiki Commons
Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce has one job: to promote Eastbourne as the best place to live, work and play in the UK. We’re dedicated to nurturing talent and developing opportunities in our town.
The Chamber has a dedicated Future Leaders Network to promote opportunities for young people in business.
Get in touch at marketing@eastbournechamber.co.uk
WE CAN HELP YOU WITH:
• Starting your own businessearning your first million!!
• Social media and marketing training
• Mentoring opportunities
• Work experience placements
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• Networking
• Industry forums and events
Every relationship comes with its problems, especially in a family.
Navigating the ups and downs of parent-teen relationships can be a roller coaster. As we carve our paths in this ever-changing world, understanding the generational gap becomes crucial.
We need to remember that when our parents were young the world was a different reality to what we know now. Times are changing and our environment may not be what it used to be, causing our guardians to feel the need to protect us and make us feel safe.
We asked 3 students how their relationships with their parents have changed over time.
Hannah Frost, 18, Eastbourne, Criminology student said “My relationship with my parents has got worse because
including our parents, changes, for good or for bad. We can use it as a learning experience and channel it into the stages of our lives.
Parents, with their hearts in the right place, sometimes become overprotective due to their genuine concern for our safety and well-being. In a rapidly evolving world filled with uncertainties, they try to shield us from potential harm and guide us through unfamiliar territories. It’s a delicate balance, as they grapple with the desire to keep us safe, allowing us the freedom to grow can take the back seat.
A study by Florida State University found that students who had mothers who allowed them more autonomy reported higher life satisfaction, physical health and self-efficacy. However, students with an overbearing parent were more likely to report low levels of self-efficacy, or the ability to handle some tougher life tasks and decisions.
It’s important to remember that our parents being over-protective stems from a place of love and care, so try not to be too hard on them. If it all gets too much though, don’t be afraid to reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or even teacher.
If you are struggling with your parentteen relationship, or just want someone to talk to, there are websites you can live chat on or phone numbers you can call.
I am spending more time with my friends and less time with them at weekends and after sixth form.”
Theo Stevens, 17, Brighton, Sociology student said “One of the rules that my parents have set, that I feel is unfair is being out past a certain time and not being able to hang out with certain people.”
On the other hand, we spoke to Izzy Costello, 17, Hastings, Psychology student who feels as if her relationship with her parents has changed for the better. She said “We have become closer as I am able to now voice my own opinions and this means we can have proper conversations so our communication has improved.”
We all have different experiences growing up and it is important to not compare ourselves alongside our peers. As we get older, our relationship with everyone,
Jo@samaritans.org
They provide a one on one chat anytime for free.
Designer: Siarra April
Photographer: Kelly McWatters
hours preparing them for the big screen. There are many years between 14 and 19, everyone is at a different stage in life, learning lessons and trying new things. Be unique, don’t follow others and form your own opinions.
We asked local teens to give their best advice about growing up and what they would have wanted their younger self to know. John Clark, 19, Eastbourne, Creative Media student said “Do what you love and don’t feel bad about leaving early, if you’re not enjoying a party or gathering, just do what you love and don’t waste time in places you don’t like. Even if there are times it may not feel like it, your life will keep getting better and better, I promise.”
Jack Hill, 17, Hastings, Criminology student said “Do things to get out of your comfort zone, as the saying goes your comfort zone will kill you.”
here is no right or wrong way to live out our teen years, everyone’s stories are different and it’s how you make yours your own that really matters. But we are here to give you some tips and tricks to help you get through these years, living them the best you can. You’re only a teenager once, so it is important that when you look back on your youth, you can see that the best was made out of those times even if you did beat yourself up about that one test you didn’t revise for.
As you venture out into the real world, it’s important to take care of yourself first and foremost which brings us to:
Look after yourself. It is easy to let go and become uncaring throughout stressful studies and increased pressure within our social and personal lives. As your emotions come more into play, don’t forget to take a moment to listen to yourself and learn to control these heightened feelings.
Friends will come and go, it’s hard to recognise who is really there for you and who will turn their back on you when a tough situation arises. You may not always stay as close with your childhood friends as you dreamed of growing up. As you develop new interests and become more independent, these old friendships may start to fade. On the other hand, new relationships will develop and you’ll soon find yourself alongside people who like you for you and will talk to you even when it isn’t convenient for them.
As we get older, our social media presence is likely to grow. The internet can be both a positive and negative place, it is important to have a guard up especially when talking to strangers and remember internet safety, as boring as it may seem. No one wants their address or personal photos to be leaked. Remember that your digital footprint is permanent, so make sure you are careful and responsible about what you post.
Our favourite TV shows and movies tend to present teens as appearing older and overall inaccurate. Try not to compare yourself as these people have been in a hair and makeup trailer for
Izzy Costello, 17, Eastbourne, Psychology student said “If you can’t change it, don’t worry about it” and “Don’t be afraid to do new things, and have new experiences, don’t be ashamed to showcase your interests in your favourite music artists or films.”
All in all, it’s important to remember these years are only a small portion of our lives, one embarrassing moment or silly comment doesn’t matter. Have fun. Enjoy it. And most of all listen to yourself, it’s okay to miss a gathering, sometimes your own company is all you need.
Designer: Keisha Lawrence Photographer: Cottonbro Studio - Pexels
Ivisited Troxy, a historic art deco music venue, on the outskirts of Canary Wharf to see P1Harmony’s first official concert in London. P1Harmony, a K-pop boy group consisting of 6 members, (Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul and Jongseob) debuted in 2020 and have since performed in tours across Asia, the USA and Australia. Featuring small performances at Wembley OVO Arena in Hallyupop fest 2022 and Korea On Stage 2023, P1Harmony have embraced their UK fan base and enjoyed huge amounts of love and support despite only performing a few songs at each show. They used this support from fans and took the opportunity in 2024 to bring a full show to London.
Fans gathered from all over the UK to see them, queuing for hours outside the venue for a good view and booking hotels to make the concert into a weekend trip around London. Many people, including myself, met online friends for the first time or reunited with old friends which made the community around the concert feel so much more welcoming and enjoyable. In the morning, eagerly queuing fans were doing hair and makeup for themselves and others. Leaving my spot in the queue to talk to others around the area, I noticed music playing from speakers and groups singing and dancing along, as well as people handing out free handmade gifts such as banners, friendship bracelets and keychains.
Once the doors opened, the venue was packed with fans singing the pre show playlist, finding their seats and spots in the standing crowd. VIP package ticket holders had early entry and access to sound check, where the group performed a few songs off the set list before the rest of the fans entered the venue.
Spanning around 2 and a half hours, the 6 members put on an incredible performance, dancing and singing all night. Each member brought their own flair and personality to the stage as they took fans through each mini
album and some of their best hits. Opening the show with “Look At Me Now” from their “Harmony: Set In” mini album, the crowd went crazy as the members came on stage in their first outfits of the night, bedazzled black and red suits. Their formal attire didn’t restrict them though, during the “Scared” dance break, Soul stunned the crowd with his impressive dance abilities and facial
expressions inspired by the Les Twins dance style (most recently seen performing with Beyoncé on her Renaissance tour).
The next segment of the show saw the members, Theo and Keeho showing off their stunning vocals with covers of “21” by Dean and “Deja Vu” by Beyoncé, a Michael Jackson vocal and dance cover of
“Love Never felt So Good” by Jiung. Soul and Keeho followed Intak and Jongseob showing off their talents as main rappers in a rap battle style segment. The energy of the crowd kept up throughout the rest of the show with all the singing, chanting, dancing, light stick waving and interactions between fans and the group. Watching back my pre-concert videos, fans were all singing the pre show playlist, laughing and having fun with each other even while the group weren’t on stage. They ended the show with an Olivia Rodrigo “Good 4 U” cover and from their “Disharmony: Break Out” Mini album, “AYAYA’’ ending the show on an energetic and lively note.
Popular songs throughout the night, “That’s It”, “Jump”, and their newest release “Fall In Love Again” had such loud reactions from the crowd that at times the crowd could be heard louder than the members onstage! The members made such a memorable and hilarious show with all the fan interactions and conversations in between songs, especially their questionable attempts at British accents and Harry Potter impressions.
Overall, with the friendships made, music, and amazing stage presence P1Harmony had, the concert was probably one of the most fun performances I’ve seen. I paid £104.35 for Platinum Standing and had a great view, after queuing for around 6 hours. Troxy as a venue was a great place to host, with a capacity of just over 3000, you would get a great view from any section of the venue.
Olivia Burr
Designer: Caitlin Kronda Photographer: Olivia Burr
• SHOWING THE LATEST MOVIES
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Box Office Open 10am to 3pm Tuesday to Thursday and 1pm to 3pm Saturday (Except Bank Holidays) for enquiries, bookings and programme information in person or by telephone - 01323 841414 also Online Booking and programme information available at www.hailshampavilion.co.uk
Waking up early can seem like a recurring chore that we had been dreading the night before and yes sometimes it does feel that way. Here, Tag’s going to show you the pros and cons of waking up early, and how and where to start.
Some experts do argue that humans are likely to be more productive in the earlier hours of the morning, which is because there are simply less distractions at this time. Tim Cook, the Apple CEO said in a 2021 interview, “I can control the morning better than the evening and through the day,” “Things happen throughout the day that kind of blow you off course.” Being able to wake yourself up in the morning can potentially cause us to become more productive, increase focus and concentration and help us manage our time.
Tag conducted a survey among students aged 17-19 and this is what they told us.. 90% of people agreed, one went on to say ‘Definitely. It gets you ready for the day, you have more energy and it helps you to be prepared and tackle the busy day.’ But one in 10 said they would be too tired and fall back to sleep.
So what are the benefits of waking up earlier?
“I am glad I’m a morning person since I can get myself sorted and ready instead of being half asleep for something” - Summer April Artist,18.
However, waking up earlier can be very difficult, especially if you’re a night owl, and used to going to bed at 2 am and waking up at 10 am.
So how can we wake up earlier and stay consistent?
Well first…
We need to prioritise sleep.
Getting enough sleep is crucial for us to create a good, healthy morning routine, which means we need to find a schedule that works for us. Research shows that we should try and aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night, this of course will vary and could change depending on age, work schedule, and sleep patterns.
Wind down.
2 hours before bed, do something that will help you relax, something to tell your body to get ready to sleep. This could be things like reading, journalling, or having a shower.
Cut down on caffeine and sugar.
This will help calm your body and allow your body to relax and sleep. Caffeine can take up to 10 hours to completely clear your bloodstream, so take that into account before drinking your coffee at 5 pm.
Silence your phone.
It will get rid of distractions and will remove the temptation to look at it. Phones can really disrupt sleep. Research from the ‘NIH’ (National Library of Medicine) shows that 96% of females use their smartphone before sleeping and 90% of males do too.
Let the light in.
When you wake up in the morning, open your curtains to let the natural light shine through. This will help you to wake up and stay awake in the mornings. Of Course, there may not be much sunlight if you’re going to be waking up at 4am - 5am, but any form of light should generally help wake you up.
Wake up with intention!
When we wake up, knowing what to do will help us to have a good morning, even if that’s making a cup of coffee, making breakfast, working out, or reading. When we find something to do in the morning that we value and is important to us we will wake up knowing that we are waking up to do something worth the time.
Lastly, remember why.
Do you want to work out? Be more productive? Have the morning to yourself? It can be difficult to wake up early. Especially if you have damaged your sleep schedule. By waking up early we give ourselves the opportunity to become more productive, in control, and ready for the day ahead. So why not try?
“Putting my phone down for an hour at least before trying to go to sleep helps clear my mind up and allow my brain to relax before trying to go to sleep”.
I fall asleep with my curtains open (I make sure no one can see in) So, I normally, naturally wake up to the sunshine especially in summer and I would honestly say it does help me to get out of bed for the day.
- Ashton, 18 ,Uniformed Services
“I fall asleep quicker when I don’t use a screen within 20 minutes before sleep”
- Toby Brown ,18, Window Cleaner
Designer: Keisha Lawrence Photographer: Ashlee Kovac
Grab a comfy sofa, desk or private office to work from, and meet dynamic professionals along the way.
We offer unlimited tea and coffee, and an honesty bar making FOUNDRY Eastbourne not only a great place to escape working from home but perfect for meetings, presentations, and networking with potential clients in a modern location.
FOUNDRY, 78 The Beacon, Eastbourne BN21 3NW 01323 408 888 eastbourne@foundryuk.com foundryuk.com
Ever noticed how awesome it feels when everyone’s included and celebrated? That’s what this article is about. Let’s explore how being inclusive can not only help us feel accepted as people; but bring us closer together.
Some studies [‘HBR’, ‘Forbes’, ‘FDM’ ] continue to prove that companies with different kinds of people do better. By being inclusive companies not only give everyone a space to feel welcomed, but it can boost engagement, innovation, creativity and so much more. Sounds perfect right?
One Brand has changed the state of inclusivity and diversity and helped people feel accepted, supported and seen. Fenty Beauty, Fenty skin and Savage x Fenty.
Fenty Beauty created 50 shades which helps those who may have darker or lighter skin tones be included as a consumer.
Rihanna’s brand has done many things that other brands cannot offer, she includes all kinds of people, her slogan “Beauty for all.” is represented in what she creates.
But research shows that the average size of a woman from the UK is size 16 which is actually labelled at XL on clothing sites and is considered ‘plus size’. That being, why aren’t they making the average size more available?
Brandy Melville is typically described as trend-setting, relevant, cool and inexpensive. This is why it’s so popular, people want easy, accessible clothes that are still cute. Brandy Melville’s one size fits all however does not stay true. If you look at their UK Instagram account, you may notice a theme in who they present wearing their products. The majority of models on their Instagram (as of March 2024) tend to be petite white girls. Which could
“I definitely think when you see adverts on your phone or TV there usually are more women, but I think recently it’s getting better, I do think fast fashion and big brands have always catered just slightly towards women more. I feel like when I go to a men’s section, a lot of stuff there are the same, t - shirts, jumpers, jeans, pants and they all look similar too, whereas womens’ clothing specifically big brands, and fast fashion brands focuses on diversity in what you could get, which makes sense as they normally get a bigger section then men.
As for the industry I do think it’s gotten better. You do see a lot more inclusivity when it comes to bigger bodies, which is nice as before you wouldn’t. But at the end of the day these brands are just following trends, and if trends change again these brands will probably be behind it you know?”
Savage x Fenty have been inclusive from the very beginning, with bra sizes ranging from A Cups, to H Cups, band sizes 30 - 46 and underwear XS -XL. Within 40 days of the launching, Fenty beauty has reportedly earned $ 100 million, reports BBC.
As we can see here Fenty beauty has done a phenomenal job at being inclusive and making products available for people of all genders. However, a few brands have not been able to represent inclusivity and diversity as well as others. Brands such as IT Cosmetics and Brandy Melville have received backlash. For non - inclusive foundation shades, having a ‘one size fits’ all that evidently doesn’t fit all, respectively. When it comes to clothing most brands offer women’s sizes from 12 - 18 UK and 6 - 14 US.
make anyone outside of that bracket feel isolated and almost not allowed to wear these clothes. Fashion is a way we can be creative, a way we can express ourselves without limitation, but with brands not being able to offer various sizes it’s easy to feel discouraged.
In recent years, Brandy Melville has extended their sizes to ‘Petite’, ‘Plus size’ and ‘Tall’ because of this and ‘as a result an increase in the variety of sizes was up by 21% in womenswear in 2019.’ Although that’s an improvement, there’s still a way to go.
One big area for improvement is that diversity and inclusivity is usually more targeted to womenswear than menswear. Here’s what Laura, 19, Eastbourne said:
Although it has massively improved and continues to, inclusivity isn’t targeted to certain groups, it’s for anyone. Everywhere. With this being said, yes it’s great that women are being seen no matter size, background and disability, but sadly this cannot be said for the male equal.
‘We searched the term ‘inclusive models’ on Google Images and were shocked to find that of the first 125 people shown, only 8.8% were male.’
Excluding one group just because you think they aren’t as interested in fashion or beauty as another group is stereotyping isn’t it?
When asked ‘Has the male modelling industry become more inclusive?’
Chella Man an actor, model, artist, YouTuber, and LGBTQ activist said this in an interview with Vogue. (January 2021)
“The growth of diversity is undeniable.”
“Unfortunately, these choices are occasionally due to performative activism and tokenisation rather than a true understanding of equality. I hope those in power are open to understanding the roots of harmful, systemic cycles. Education empowers empathy, and creates a collective stride towards collective liberation.”
Making sure we are including everyone will help not only us, the ones buying the products, but those selling them too.
A study by the Harvard Business Review found that diverse sales teams had 45% more growth in market shares and were 70 percent more likely to reach a new market. It also found that less-diverse sales teams are 10-15 times less successful than diverse ones. So why wouldn’t we want to be diverse?
In conclusion - here are ways you can create change.
Buy the diverse skin brands, challenge the term ‘nude’ where it only applies to white skin.
Call out firms on social media for only using white female thin models. Fight for representation.
You can donate here:
lgbt.foundation/donate
diversitytrust.org.uk/donations
inclusion-international.org/donate
Siarra April
Designer: Siarra April
Student and under 25’s tickets available for many productions, see ea st bou rnet
Agym lifestyle is a really good way to stay fit and healthy. It also helps us to build confidence, reduce and lessen stress and help us feel better physically and mentally.
Why go to the gym?
According to Healthline these are the main benefits of the gym:
Strengthen your bones and muscles. This can be done by lifting weights or even doing cardio.
Increased energy. You might not expect it, but using energy to exercise gives you more get-up-and-go. Regular exercise can actually reduce fatigue and increase your energy levels.
High self esteem. When going to the gym it can make you look more muscular, more toned and makes you look healthier. When
Iyou see this in yourself it gives you more confidence.
Alex, 18, Brighton University student said: “I love the gym and I feel like it is where I can unwind from uni work.”
How to train, gain muscle and strength. You should follow a structured plan throughout your week.
Here's an example that a lot of people use: Monday - Chest and Triceps. Tuesday - Back and Biceps.
Wednesday until Saturday - Legs. Sunday - Rest day.
You can finish off your workouts with some cardio.
Make sure you're not over-training. This can cause injury to your muscles.
Sleep is essential for muscle growth, experts recommend around 7-8 hours.
A varied diet will give your body the fuel it needs.
According to idsmedia, 30.9% of gym memberships are held by young people aged 18 - 34 years old. Tag surveyed people aged 14-19 years old about how often they go to the gym. 33% of them said they go 4 times a week, 16% once a week and 33% never go to the gym.
The gym is the perfect place if you want to improve your mental and physical health.
Designer: Emil Hurst
n the journey of relationships, we may find ourselves being disrupted by toxic people, leaving us feeling drained, disoriented, and disconnected. This article explores the traits that define toxic individuals and provides us with strategies to help overcome the possible challenges.
First of all, let’s ask ourselves what it means to be a toxic person.
Let’s simplify it. A toxic person is anyone whose behaviour negatively impacts your way of life, upsets or disrupts you.
A few common traits of a toxic person are: Negativity, dishonesty, arrogance and argumentative behaviour. We spoke to a few people who shared with us their struggles and how they were able to cope and deal with them.
“I’ve experienced toxic people trying to replace me as a friend or get in the way of my friendships. They also spread lies about me to get people to dislike me.I felt really lonely, having people try to push others away from you is awful.” - Meghan
“They constantly spoke about people behind their backs and put them down about their accomplishments. Due to the environment I was brought up in, I
encountered many. Their behaviour was mimicked by a very naive little boy; me. It made me feel increasingly terrible.” - Jake
Toxic individuals have a profound impact on our well-being, often leaving us with negative long-lasting effects on our mental, emotional, and even physical health. We may notice that we, ourselves, are showing these traits. If that’s the case we need to be aware and fix the issue.
Now that we know the personality traits of a toxic person, what now?
Here’s some helpful advice from our interviewees. We asked if it was difficult for them to leave or put up with them.
“In the beginning, yes. Fear of being alone is terrifying. Eventually, you realise that holding onto a person who does not care for you is incredibly freeing and peaceful. Do not feel pressured to stay. In the same way, do not feel pressured to leave.” - Jake
“At first yes because you naturally still care about them, but once you establish distance, the rest becomes much easier. You do feel a certain guilt at first, but trust me, it won’t linger for long because you will be so much happier for it.” - Daisy
If we are in a relationship with someone who follows these traits we should assess the situation, take a step back, and evaluate if these traits are consistent and severe.
Next, we should establish boundaries and make sure we are communicating, specifying acceptable behaviour and boundaries is crucial, it can help our wellbeing as well as make the individual aware of their behaviour (they could be unaware).
Lastly, seek support and prioritise selfcare. Reach out to family, friends, or mental health professionals for guidance. Having a support system to rely on will be helpful.
We should never settle for people who make us feel unworthy Always remember that you have a choice. If you ever find yourself needing help, and feeling stuck in a toxic relationship there’s always someone to help:
National Domestic Abuse Helpline
0808 2000 247
Siarra April
Designer: Molly Mae Lumley
Photographer: Ashlee Kovac
If you are interested in art and want to know where you can go, then you’ve come to the right place!
‘Art is a great way for teens to express their thoughts and feelings and develop their own ideas.’
It can also help teens become more independent. It’s also such a good way for teenagers to be involved in their communities whether its showing off your art or looking at your favourite artist’s work
Now to get to the stuff you’re really here for, so what’s happening right now in the art world. Well for starters, in the first quarter of this year is Coffee and art original prints by Alistar Grant, This is in celebration of the Turner prize, In the beautiful Urban Ground coffee shops in central Eastbourne you will find that the walls of the coffee shop will be filled with bold, bright original hand-made prints.
The prints on display are the original screen prints made in the 1960s-80s by highly regarded printmaker Alistair Grant (19251997) .
But that’s not all, until May 31st at the Towner gallery German artist Lothar Götz will transform the exterior walls of the gallery into a large-scale, colourful geometric mural this summer. This project has been a part of a year-long programme celebrating ten years of the Towner building which opened in 2009 when it moved from its original building in Old Town.
If you possibly can’t make it to these events, then all throughout the year in Eastbourne is a massive art piece called “together” by Eastbourne BID who worked with VOLT Gallery to commission Will Mower to design and create ‘Together’, the artwork is on the hoardings outside TJ Hughes.
We here at Tag interviewed Liz Corkhil, Skills and Opportunities Producer For Young People, Towner, We asked Liz if the Towner has any projects coming up that will be of interest to teenagers and she said “We have 3 new exhibitions coming up, in melting ice, Rising tides and Emma Stibbon’s large drawing of East Sussex’s
coastline that will help us think about climate.”
If you are thinking these are some of the kinds of thing you would like to see, then consider visiting Towner as most of the exhibitions are free and if you’re under 18 then all exhibition are free.
If you would like to know more about the Towner art gallery, they are always showing projects throughout the year!
Check out these websites:
www.visiteastbourne.com
townereastbourne.org.uk/whats-on
What's the first thing you do before going to see a movie at the cinema or streaming at home? You look at the reviews, but what if I told you that this can sometimes be very misleading?
“Bribed” critics.
Bunker 15, a film PR company, came under fire in September 2023 after allegations emerged that it paid critics for positive reviews! Bunker 15 was responsible for the publicity of the 2018 movie ‘Ophelia’, an adaptation of the 1599 Shakespeare play ‘Hamlet’.The film had a budget of $12,000,000 but bombed at the box office, making $242,155, despite big cast members like Daisy Ridley and Tom Felton!
According to a Vulture.com article, after this box office bomb and having a 40% Rotten Tomato rating, several critics say Bunker 15 targeted small critics on Rotten Tomatoes, paying them more than $50 each to write positive reviews. During this time the movie went from 40% to 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Rotten Tomatoes has
Death and grief can be different for everyone. Emotions are all over the place and sensitivity is at an all time high. There are many ways to deal with them and help control all these feelings especially if it's your first experience of a loss of someone close to you.
Remembering to allow yourself to grieve is an important process, hiding away in denial, bottling your emotions up might be what you want to do, but it is to let it all out, either alone or within the presence of someone else you feel you can talk to. We asked for your best advice for someone going through the grieving process. The main advice we were given was to talk about it, don’t keep the good memories to yourself. Finn Smith, 19, Cambridge, Engineering student said:
“If you don’t feel comfortable talking out loud, there are other ways to let your emotions out, whether it’s journalling or writing all your thoughts out to just bin them.” Sarah James, 18, Wiltshire, Catering student said: “Don’t bottle your emotions up, get them all out somehow whether that is talking to someone you
since completely deleted the movie from their site.
Video game adaptations.
Video game adaptations to the big screen are infamously bad, in fact across the 42 films listed on video games to movie adaptations they have the average Rotten Tomato critic review of a low 27%. But why?
One reason could be that some critics just simply won’t play the video games that movies are based on and thus don’t have the same enjoyment from watching the movie, because it was made with fans in mind, not critics. It could be this reason that 2016’s Warcraft or the 2023 Super Mario Bros. movie was so much more successful with the audience compared to with critics.
The rating system.
Finally, the ‘Tomatometer’ rating system that Rotten Tomatoes uses is far from perfect. When at least 60% of reviews for a movie or TV show are positive, a red
tomato is displayed to indicate a Fresh status. When they are not, a green splat is displayed to indicate it’s Rotten status. If five critics give a movie a Fresh status and five critics give it a Rotten status, the overall % of the critics would be 50%. That sounds like it functions perfectly right, what could go so wrong?
Rotten Tomatoes uses different rating systems from different critics. A score out of 4, a score out of 5 or numbers from A+ to F (a 3.5 being similar to a B-). Now the whole system kind of crumbles when you realise how this allows for a distorted view. One example of this is ‘The Colour Room’. It got a 100% Fresh status with seven reviews but in truth, there were two 4/5 reviews, one 3.5/5 review and four 3/5 reviews, more swaying to having mid reviews but because there aren’t any rotten reviews the site gives it a 100% fresh status! Truly broken system.
JohnWilliam Clark
Designer: Mathias Teodoru Photographer: Wikicommons
trust or journalling.
We also asked for advice in supporting people going through the bereavement process as sometimes it is difficult to understand and say the right things. Jamie Greenhall, 18, Eastbourne, studying psychology said: “allow the griever time to process their own thoughts and feelings, sometimes they just need their own space and will talk when they are ready.”
There are five main stages of the grieving process;
Denial, this is the numbness that hits you, within this stage, you may feel the presence of your loved one or start hearing their voice.
Anger, this is what follows denial, death can be cruel and unfair, it’s common to feel strong emotions and may feel the need to express these emotions in a loud and regretful way.
Bargaining, it is common to ask the what ifs, we wish we could change the past and wonder what would have
happened if we did things differently.
Depression. There are many emotions that overwhelm you when you’ve lost a loved one, one of the strongest feelings are loneliness and sadness. These emotions can be very heightened and can come and go with waves over many years.
Acceptance, although the more intense feelings of grief will come and go. Gradually those emotions will become less intense and you will never fully get over the death of someone close to you.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone you know, there are many online resources and support groups:
Samaritans 116 123 (freephone) Samaritans.org
Cruse 0808 808 1677 cruse.org.uk
As we grow up and develop we need energy, and we get that energy through what we are consuming. Which is why it’s important for us especially, to have a healthy, well balanced diet. We need to take into consideration what our body needs. Research from ‘NHS Inform’ says that a well balanced diet provides all of the energy we need to keep active throughout the day and also that it can prevent diet-related illness, such as some cancers.”
Tag wants to provide you with a few recipes we found. We know it can be difficult to find easy meals that don’t require too much time,effort, are nutritious, and taste good. Here are a few of our favourites.
Stir-fry
4-5
This simple stir-fry with prawns, veggies and noodles are great for when you need a quick,easy, healthy meal!
500g vegetables of your choice
200g chicken breast
Prep:15 mins Cook:5 mins - 10 mins (plus at least 1 hr marinating)
This meal is high in protein and big on flavour. Read on to find out what you need to do!
1 tbsp tamari
1 tsp medium curry powder ¼ tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tsp clear honey
2 skinless chicken breast fillets or pack of tofu
1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (choose a sugar-free version with no palm oil, if possible)
Seeds from ½ pomegranate Prep: 20mins
200g egg noodles
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
Chop your vegetables finely.
Boil the noodles in water for 5 - 8 minutes.
Chop chicken into small bite sized pieces and fry in an oiled pan until cooked through. Add vegetables into the cooked chicken pan and cook for 5 mins until vegetables are tender.
Once cooked, add the soy and chilli (if using) sauces and mix to combine then serve over your cooked noodles.
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
Sunflower oil, for wiping the pan
2 little gem lettuce hearts, cut into wedges ¼ cucumber, halved and sliced
1 banana shallot, halved and thinly sliced
Coriander, chopped
Pour the tamari into a large dish and stir in the curry powder, cumin, garlic and honey. Mix well. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make 4 fillets in total, then add to the marinade and mix well to coat. Then leave in the fridge for an hour.
Meanwhile, mix the peanut butter with the chilli sauce, lime juice, and 1 tbsp water to make a spoonable sauce. When ready to cook the chicken, wipe a large non-stick frying pan with a little oil. Add the chicken and then cook. (Cover with a lid, for 5-6 mins on a medium heat, turning the fillets over for the last minute.)
While the chicken rests, toss the lettuce wedges with the cucumber, shallot, coriander and pomegranate, and pile onto plates. Spoon over a little sauce. Slice the chicken, pile on top of the salad and spoon over the remaining sauce. Eat while the chicken is still warm.
A simple cheesy tuna bake that’s filling and delicious.
400g fusilli pasta
100g frozen peas
50g butter
50g plain flour
600ml milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 x 195g cans tuna, drained
4 spring onions, sliced 198g can sweetcorn, drained 100g cheddar, grated
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook, following pack instructions, until tender. Add the peas for the final 3 mins of cooking time.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
Stir in the flour and cook for 2 mins. Add the milk, whisking constantly, then slowly bring to the boil, stirring often, until sauce thickens.
Remove from the heat, add the mustard and season well.
Heat the grill to medium.
Drain the pasta and peas, then return to the pan and stir in the tuna, spring onions, sweetcorn and sauce.
Tip into a shallow baking dish, top with the cheddar and cook under the grill for 5 mins or until golden and bubbling.
Izzy Costello, 17, Eastbourne, psychology student:
“Because I know what is going into my meals, I am able to create my own portions, so I am not overfed and little to no food waste is created.”
To conclude, even though we are teenagers we need to be making sure we are getting the right nutrients our body need.
We hope you enjoy these easy, simple and delicious meals.
Recipes inspired by:
BBC GoodFood Simple, Stir-Fry Recipe
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simple-stir-fry
BBC Goodfood Chicken Satay Salad
1 onion
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Garlic - powdered or fresh
Ginger - powdered or fresh
6 chicken thighs - boneless skinless or Quorn chicken pieces packet
400g canned chopped tomatoes
Spice paste
100g Greek yoghurt
50g ground almonds
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, cook onion and fry off until golden brown, add in the garlic and ginger.
Chop chicken/quorn into bite sized pieces and add into onion mix, fry until chicken/quorn is cooked through (roughly 5 minutes) and then add spice and tomatoes as well as 250ml water.
Bring to the boil, lower to a simmer and cook on a gentle heat uncovered for 25-30 mins until liquid has slightly reduced. Stir in the yoghurt and almonds.
Season and serve with warm naan, fluffy basmati rice, or both!
We interviewed teenagers who often make their own healthy dinners, to help inspire you to start your own cooking journey.
Jake Thornsby, 18, Hailsham, Engineering student:
“My go to easy recipes are pasta with any kind of protein ingredients (tuna, chicken, bacon etc).”
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chicken-satay-salad
HYH Tuna Pasta Bake
https://www.hyh.org.uk/images/resources/tuna-pasta-bake.pdf
BBC GoodFood Easy Chicken Curry
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ easy-chicken-curry
What can we do to have the best school year?
When summer break is coming to an end it means it’s that time of year again…Back to school. This may make you feel a number of ways. Excited? Apprehensive? Terrified?
It’s completely normal to feel this way, change can be scary but by being prepared, we can make sure we will have the best school year!
Stay organised.
Organise, organise, organise. Everything is easier when you stay organised. Being organised with work, and homework, having your equipment, and making your space organised will make sure you aren't wasting your time and energy. This will also help improve your time - management for the future, increase productivity, and give you more time to do what you want to do.
We can be organised by keeping all our stuff in a specific spot, creating a study space. Creating a space for us to sit and study can help to be productive and focus on our work. Because all our things are in one place to study, it limits clutter and prevents us from being distracted.
“Being overloaded with work can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful, by doing our work quickly, we minimise… Building habits in the present allows you to do more of what you want in the future.”James Clear - Atomic Habits
“Making sure my notes and books were all neat made me enjoy it more! And looking back and seeing all my work always made me satisfied.” - Daisy Firman, 22, Works in salon, Bexhill.
Get involved & out of your comfort zone.
Getting involved is very important, it helps us stay focused, engage in lessons and keeps us interested. But this isn't only subject to lessons. We can get involved by talking to people we never have before, or doing something we might initially be scared to do. Joining extracurricular activities can also help us to feel a part of a group, provide more social opportunities and can even improve our self esteem. It can be daunting at first to get out of your comfort zone but by doing this we are providing ourselves with more opportunities and more room to grow.
It's not as scary as it seems.
That nervousness, you feel about your first year with peers, fear of not fitting in?
Worried about if you won't know as much as others? Worried you'll do something embarrassing in your first lesson or maybe you don't know your way around? Don't worry about any of that because everyone else is worried about the same
with themselves! Everyone has been where you are; they all understand what you're feeling. Change can be scary but change is a part of life and we should embrace change. It will help us become more adaptable and flexible.
“Stay focused and give it your all. It will take a couple of weeks to adjust to but don’t worry everything will soon come together. Remember there are loads of people across the country who are in the same situation as you.” - Zoe Holford , 17, T level accounting/ assistant accountant
Work hard but remember not to be too hard on yourself. Remember to relax!
Work really hard in what you’re doing. School and college only last a short amount of time and when it’s all done, it’s done. The satisfaction that you will continue to have, knowing the fact you worked hard, will follow you. And that knowledge you’ve gained from college will help relax you in your future jobs.
School can be difficult so we need to remember that although there are times we can mess around with friends and have fun in class we also need to be ready to learn and put effort into our lessons.
Balance, don't make school your life.
Have a healthy balance and make sure you're still relaxing and doing the stuff you want to do. It's so easy to fall into work, studying, and revision, but we need to have balance. If we don't have balance we can experience burn which in the long run will only add to our load more. So don't put school on the top of your list, yes it's important but not so important that we need to prioritise education over health. We want to do well but we still need to have a life and have fun and enjoy our moments. Every day you should do something for yourself. It might be easier if we set time blocks dividing your day into specific blocks of time. This can boost productivity and help us to have time to relax and time to study.
What’s stopping you from having the best school year ever?
This will help us to focus on specific areas and be more productive and efficient. By setting goals we will gain motivation by achieving our goals and this will help us set future goals and become more confident as students.
Tag spoke to young people about how getting out of your comfort zone helps “I had been burnt out, it made me realise I needed to maintain work, study and life.”
-Zoe Holford, 17
“Stepping out of my comfort zone has helped me to reach more of my goals and learn new things. It's definitely a scary thing to do when you try something different but it's helped me to make the most of what's available for me at school and to feel more comfortable with school life.”
-Jasmine Brown, 15
Siarra April
Designer: Mathias Teodoru Photographer: Kelly McWatters
Social Media and influencers provide entertainment and inspiration to millions every day. They can also help motivate us to set goals for ourselves and help us become who we want to be.
However, can these influencers impact our lives negatively?
Social media is everywhere and is only becoming more accessible, relevant, and dependable. It’s growing more because of its growing businesses and small platforms.
But why is social media so important? It connects people, helps spread information, and allows people to directly find what they’re looking for.
Because so many people are using social media, people grow a following whether it is based on lifestyle, health or mindfulness. It allows people to create a platform for a targeted audience.
Tag conducted a few interviews and here’s Molly Lumley, 17 , Creative Media student.
“I think they are alright, some can be bad and get proven to be bad and still they have a platform but some are just genuinely doing what they love.
I like how they show you that you can do what you love if you just try but what I don’t like is that some use it to their advantage to promote bad things.”
Through the years we have had very good, influential people. However we can agree that social media influencers do have an effect on their platform’s audience, for instance you see someone wearing nice clothing, obviously you would want that, and you see someone using a product saying “This has helped me with x, y, and z” .We are going to want it too, However, there’s a difference between
acknowledgement and obsession.
Social media influencers have the platform to influence their audience such as selling products, lifestyles , and as many people think “living the dream life”, But this is what they put out there the things that could make their image look better, which will inspire a bigger audience.
The more clicks and likes the more money right?
Selling or promoting harmful products however, can be incredibly damaging. For example, many influencers promote healthy dieting. Seeing this all the time can be overwhelming for us. As we grow up there will always be a new diet trend. Seeing it everywhere, constantly, and promoting an unrealistic body image could potentially promote eating disorders, and cause us to gain low self-esteem. This is an example of influencers giving people the wrong ideas and using their platforms to force their own opinions.
We interviewed Mia Borret, 18, Art and Design student to give her opinions of influencers, the good and the bad.
“I think that a lot of the time the weirdest people end up as influencers, this isn’t always the case but I think platforms like Instagram and TikTok push out videos that have controversial statements or opinions due to people commenting a lot whether it be good or bad, then these people end up with a massive platform to spread weird opinions, and the thing is if someone disagrees they can just block.’
As we’ve said Influencers have the platform to share products where they often sell or promote skincare products that have dangerous chemicals in them unaware of what they could potentially be doing, and what makes it worse they advertise these
products by saying things like “this will make your life so much easier” Making US buy into things that we don’t need. And the question we should ask ourselves is have they even used the products they are selling? Are they just doing this for a paycheck?
“I like when they are more down to earth and not being rude or spreading the wrong messages on the internet” - Jamie English, 18, Creative Media student
“I don’t like when ‘influencers’ have a big following, and I never like when they post huge amounts of content. Influencers are good when they don’t try to force their content on you.” - Judah Hubbard , 19
So are these ‘Influencers’ really motivating us and inspiring us to be the person we want to become or are they making us what they think is the ideal sort of person we should be?
Influencers are affecting all of us, and with the increase of influencers, many of us have been gulled into believing how the ‘right angles’ and the ‘healthy life’, and how productive we should be to succeed can make us happy. It’s damaging. And yes this whole article is bashing against influencers but being motivated in general and Being inspired will always benefit us and help us become who we want to be. Even if an influencer has had a part to play.
Siarra April
Designer:
Caitlin Kronda Photographer: Kyle Hopkins
Abortion remains a complex and deeply decisive issue, it remains controversial while being a greatly debated topic that flutters around cultural, political, and religious boundaries. In this article, we aim to provide and discuss a variation of perspectives, and ethical -moral ideas that discuss the ongoing, lightly stepped-on conversations about abortion.
‘3 years ago (2021) 214, 869 abortions took place in England and Wales. And in the US 1 in 4 women will have an abortion by the time they reach 45. In England and Wales abortion is legal and in some areas of the US too.’
We have to agree abortions can be dangerous and have risks…agreeing to this, we also must agree that giving birth is also dangerous. And could argue that pregnancy is potentially riskier than abortions. Let’s see what others think.
Nico Adams, 19, Uniformed Public Services student told Tag his opinion on this.
“I think that a woman fully has a right to her own body and what her future holds. Raising a child is a serious thing that can’t be pushed aside lightly– it’s a complex being from the very moment it begins to develop in her.
First off, the body goes through an intense amount of stress and other awful things during pregnancy.
They can even die or become disabled as a result of it. Being forced to risk their life goes against the human rights we all have, so I don’t believe human rights can be strictly used for pro-life. People seem to forget that mothers are humans too. “People may overindulge in sex and be naive enough to not use contraception, but most of the time that isn’t the case. The contraception just doesn’t work. Also babies of rape etc – women shouldn’t have to carry around the symbolism of an extremely traumatic section of their life. But nobody seems to factor that part into any argument.”
Jenna ( Not her real name ) - “God views all life as precious so even killing an unborn child, although still in the womb and only a small seed or foetus it’s still life to him. So from the time of conception, a child is not just another part of the mother’s body. The child is a separate person.”
The reason this topic is so ‘lightly stepped on’ is because no one is right or wrong in this decision, Although abortion makes an interesting argument it can be traumatising to anyone going through or struggling with
the decision of having an abortion. No one wants to go through an abortion and that’s just a fact. And it shouldn’t be taken lightly, although some may view it an easy way out.
An NIH study found that 44% of women regret getting an abortion, it’s said that they are overwhelmed by the emotional feeling of loss and shame when they are around other babies.
Making abortions illegal won’t stop abortions, it will only give way to unsafe abortions, putting more people at risk and ultimately increasing the abortion death rate, Unsafe abortion accounts for 13% of all maternal deaths. University of Colorado Boulder study found that ‘an abortion ban may lead to a 21% increase in pregnancyrelated deaths.’Abortion is a difficult moral/ ethical decision and we should all consider the pros and cons of it.
If you’re struggling with making a decision, would like to evaluate your options, or talk through your feelings, get in touch with the Pregnancy Crisis Helpline.
368 9296
You’re more than a beauty standard
It’s so easy to be sucked into the idea that you have to weigh a certain amount or that you have the “ideal body type” but this is not the way we should be thinking. An article and survey by the Mental Health Foundation says that people our age (13 -19) have said that our body image causes us to ‘often’ or ‘always’ worry about whether others are judging us. Research from ‘Modems’ shows that 71% of us edit our selfies, with 47% saying we touch up details to create a sharper jawline and higher cheekbones. This can have a negative impact on us when we stumble across these images, unaware of the fact that these images have been heavily edited. As well as this, research from Cyber Smiles shows that 89% of teenagers have said they compare themselves to what they see on social media. If you’re feeling down about the way you look then Tag has some advice for you:
Be kind to yourself, such as complimenting yourself or showing gratitude towards yourself. Notice how social media is affecting the way you feel about your body and focus on the good things, think about how these make you unique.
Talk to someone you trust.
Practise positive self-talk
Understandably, we are our own biggest critic Be more mindful of how you treat your body, don’t overwork yourself and keep to healthy habits.
Spend some time outside.
Be patient with yourself. Celebrate any small achievements or milestones and accept what’s out of your control. It’s okay to feel vulnerable sometimes, we all do.
Now that we’ve touched on some tips for the way you think about your appearance, let’s discuss how having self-esteem issues can also have a massive toll not only on your physical health but your mental health too.
It is important to know the reasons why someone may struggle with body image problems. Tag interviewed Siarra April, 18 and she says the reasons that someone may start to feel this way is due to “comparing”. “Comparing yourself to others can diminish your self-esteem as well as cause you to create unrealistic expectations for yourself, especially when this comes to social media, it’s all so out there with editing now, it’s almost impossible not to compare yourself.” We also asked Siarra what advice she would
have for people who are struggling with these thoughts, she said, “what helped me was limiting the amount of time I spent on social media.”
We also interviewed Helen Ding, safeguarding manager at ESCG Eastbourne on why she thinks body positivity is important and she said. “We need to try to love ourselves just the way we are. We are amazing human beings with the ability to do so many different things. If you feel good about yourself your confidence starts to develop and you shine. Feeling good about ourselves allows us to focus on other things that enrich our lives. Selfesteem can impact our decision-making process, our relationships, our emotional
health and our overall well-being. It also influences motivation, as people with a healthy, positive view of themselves understand their potential and may feel inspired to take on new challenges.’’
We also asked Helen how she thinks having a negative body image can affect us, she said “Having a negative image of yourself can increase the risk of engaging in unhealthy behaviours, such as restrictive eating, over-eating or other control behaviours. This could also lead you to judge others in a negative way and could affect your friendships.”It’s important for us to keep in mind that everybody is different and comparing ourselves to others can have a negative impact on our self-esteem. If you or someone you know
are suffering with any of the topics we have covered please reach out and talk to someone you trust.
Having negative thoughts about your appearance can have lasting effects on your mental health such as:
Low self-esteem, depression, anxiety Isolation and loneliness, eating Disorders
Childline Eating Disorders 0800 111 01494 793223
any of us have experienced mental health issues, or particularly low feelings such as wanting to self harm or suicidal thoughts but fortunately there is somewhere where we can turn to.
The Samaritans is a charity organisation that prioritises helping us during dark times. It can be for those of us who need to be listened to about our issues from emotional distress, suicidal thoughts and many other mental health issues. Every 10 seconds they take a call from someone struggling and they listen and don’t tell you what to do. They are purely there to listen to you.
If you are in East Sussex, the Samaritans is a charity that goes into schools aimed at Year 9 students and upwards to come in and talk to young people about mental health and coping strategies that could be helpful for them.
Mia, a volunteer from Eastbourne told Tag that ‘We've been attending Heathfield Community College for over 10 years, running workshops as part of PHSE lessons to Year 10 students. We've also done talks at St Andrews Prep and most recently East Sussex College. We've also attended
Brighton University Career and Freshers Fairs, Hailsham Community College Careers Fair and Turing School Fair.’ In East Sussex, there are 4 Samaritans branches which include Eastbourne, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells and Brighton. These are locations where you can go in; and talk to someone. However this isn't the only way, you can also contact them via the phone or you can write a letter or email them. It is a completely confidential service. As well as on their website, you can find helpful information about whatever concern you may have. For example depression, doom scrolling, self harm and suicide.
During your conversations with East Sussex Samaritans these are the things that can take place, this could include lessons and group activities depending on the schools’ needs or an information based talk (this varies depending on the schools needs). These talks create an understanding to young people of their emotional health, raising awareness of emotional health and ensuring that young people know the Samaritans are there to help and how to get in touch.
Samaritans is a well known service that people trust because ‘86 percent of
people have heard of Samaritans and 76 percent of people have a great deal of trust in us.’ This is based on the Samaritans Annual Report 2022-2023.
Please reach out when necessary
116 123
jo@samaritans.org
Speak to a Samaritan face to face - if you go to the front door and press the doorbell someone will be with you as soon as they can. The address is 13 Bolton Road, Eastbourne BN21 3JT.
If you want to become a volunteer, please see this link to learn more:
www.samaritans.org/support-us/ volunteer/become-samaritans-
Lucie Dodd
Designer: Lucie Dodd
Photographer: Kelly McWatters
Tag 2024 here to answer any of your problems
Auntie’s answers are not official, the Tag Team are not professional counsellors
But we do understand the struggles you may be going through as a teenager in 2024.
We here at Tag Mag think it’s important for teenagers to have a place where they can ask questions anonymously that they may not trust or feel comfortable with being answered by family or friends. That’s why we have created this article so you guys can have your questions answered in a safe and judge free environment, so if you have also wondered these questions then please sit, read and enjoy this article.
“I cant find a job, what should I do?”
This question is such a relatable one that many of us young people may be struggling with. We here at Tag know these struggles and want to help. We know its hard in this economy to find a place to work especially, as a teenager. Our advice is to make a paper copy of your CV of all the things you’re good at then go around to every place and give it to anywhere and everywhere who you know is hiring the more you get out the better ! and hope they say yes. If not keep trying, you should also try not to put too much pressure on yourself, it will come in due time and everything will fall into place.
This is a great question and I’m sure one that many of you may be wondering yourselves. What you should remember is that you should never settle. Honestly I think settling for friends is just because you feel as if you need that relationship, but once you learn how to enjoy your own company and value your own time, you’ll understand that settling for your friends can make or break you. Be picky. Friendships can be hard to come by and stick with especially when growing up. A way to find friends who may have similar hobbies and interest as you, is to join local
“I can’t find great friends so I settle for whatever comes along”
clubs in your area. A good place to find a club is at your school or youth centre. The people there are more open to friendship and these people may share some of the same interests as you. The share of common interests could then turn into a friendship. These friendships tend to last, due to you enjoying the same hobbies and interests. This will also encourage you to expand and share other hobbies and interests as your friendship grows. With the friendship becoming more meaningful and lasting.
“I am so stressed and overwhelmed and I just have so much to do but I feel so unmotivated”
Becoming overwhelmed at tasks especially if they have short deadlines, sometimes it can be too much to handle; well that’s what we are here for, we recommend that you look at the tasks that you have to do and pick the easiest one, put on music or a TV show in the background to listen to or watch while doing your work so that you’re not just focused on the task and don’t feel as pressured to get it all done at once. It’s also important to remember that it’s okay to take breaks, the work will only be as good as the mindset you go into it with.
Wow! What an amazing question. It’s always such a great thing to want to develop new habits and goals, Which is much easier when you enjoy it so try to get the most out of it. It’s also important to set realistic goals. If your goals are unrealistic then you are less likely to reach them or be motivated to continue, you could try and find someone who shares the same hobby or goal as you and your friend or partner get more into your hobby or progress further to completing your goal the more likely you are to enjoy and complete it.
“My ex wont leave me alone”
“How to stick to a new habit/goal”
This sounds like such a scary situation and we hope this advice will be helpful and keep you as safe as possible. We advise that if you can try is to send them one message just explaining that you’re not together any more so you request that they should leave you alone and then if they don’t, block them. If it’s in person then tell someone and see if they can talk to them and explain that you want to be left alone, but if they don’t leave you alone then speak to a trusted adult - either a family member or even a teacher for help.
Everyday we make decisions big or small. We need to choose what to eat, what to wear, who to talk to, how to spend our day and so on. All of these decisions can lead to us feeling overwhelmed, making decisions is crucial in helping us become healthy and mature adults, which is why it’s so important. Being a teenager is tough. Research shows that 57% of us have felt so stressed because of fear of making mistakes, that we have felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
Why are making decisions so difficult for some of us? A fear of failure can play a big role in deciding what to do, even the possibility of making a mistake can affect what we decide to do. Of course a fear of failing can be from a lack of confidence, and being unaware of what may happen. We need to remind ourselves that if we think we made the wrong decision, it’s not the end of the world.
We interviewed Mia Bright, a 16 year old who works in admin, Bexhill. We asked her if she struggles to make a decision, here’s what she had to say, “I always overthink and worry about how something could go wrong or if I’ll embarrass myself.” She also said feels “overwhelmed and worried that she would make the wrong decision”
We asked if she ever had regretted a decision she had made and how she coped with it, this is what she said, “At first I felt like I failed but I eventually accepted the decision wasn’t for me and learned that sometimes you’re not always going to make the right call, but you never know what will lead from experiences.” Parents are our role models so when parents set certain expectations of us it can seem like we don’t have an option for our decision. All
Why do I struggle making decisions?
some of us want to do is make our parents proud and to listen to what they say. But we should remember that our decisions affect our lives, we shouldn’t let our parents’ disapproval wreck our dreams and goals.
A perfectionist has very high standards for themselves and others, which can be misplaced and unrealistic. However when this comes to making decisions, fear of making mistakes, fear of failure could lead to possible disappointment.
Tag conducted a few interviews and nearly all of them said they shared in feeling anxious, nervous and unsure before making a big decision. One interviewee said ‘I feel extremely anxious, like I want nothing more than a pit to swallow me whole.’ Although some decisions can be simple and easy to decide, others can cause us to feel anxious and stressed, especially if they are important and mean something to us. In this situation it’s natural to have these emotions when thinking about impactful decisions. But with the proper knowledge and research we may be able to overcome these feelings and make a decision with a clear mind.
You lack proper knowledge of the subject. Not understanding what we’re choosing from can also affect our decision, especially if we don’t know what the end outcome will bring. Big decisions need a lot of thought and without the knowledge of the subjects how could we possibly make a final decision?
Making sure that we understand the pros and cons of our final decision will help us better understand what we are choosing between.
Next, we need to value both our thinking brain and feeling brain. Gallup.com’s research found that about 70% of decisions are based on emotional factors and only 30% are based on rational factors. And although we should consider our feelings it can cause us to make a rash decision. When making big decisions we need to think about it literally, such as how it could affect us down the road.
Finally, we need to know that our decisions will not be world-ending. And that if we ever regret a decision and can’t change it, to not dwell on it, we cannot go back in time and change it. Making the wrong decision is sometimes better than making no decision at all.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to try and do your best and whatever happens, see it as an opportunity to learn and you never know how it will work out.” Mia Bright, 16
“I would rather live with the consequences of my failures than live in regret without ever trying” said Bryan Nyaude
Sometimes you’ve just got to try and do your best and whatever happens, see it as an opportunity to learn and you never know, it could all work out in the end.
Siarra April
Designer: Keisha Lawrence Photographer: Ashlee Kovac
I’m pretty sure we have all experienced walking past a homeless person and avoiding eye contact or saying “I don’t sorry” when asked if you have any money, even some change, now that may be a lie but UK Finances data collected said that 57% of transactions in the UK were used with contactless cards.
People use mobile phones for payment without even carrying their card, this means that even if you wanted to give homeless people cash you couldn’t go to an ATM machine. The Independent reported that cities in the UK with a faster growing cashless economy are losing more ATM machines faster than anywhere else. For instance Bath, Glasgow central, Norwich South, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh East, Edinburgh North, Edinburgh Leith, York central, Holborn, St Pancras, Bristol West, Westminster and London have all seen a 59.2% - 64.1% fall in ATM machines.
Posts have been made on Reddit in the Brighton subreddit saying about homeless people in the last five years being more persistent for money and a study undertaken by Shelter, a leading homeless charity used government stats, freedom of information and requests and the charity member homeless link to work out how many homeless people are in Brighton:
It estimates that there are around 3,575 homeless people including 1,360 children. And living outside is starting to get harder than ever, mainly due to hostile architecture: Sloped benches, benches with middle bars, spikes on the floor and more all to just keep unwanted people from loitering and a human from sleeping when
they can’t fall asleep in a warm house. If you live in East Sussex it’s likely you have come across a bus stop with an uncomfortable slanted seat that you slide off when sitting on it, this is because it stops people from loitering and homeless people sleeping on them.
Tag had an interview with Judy Hampton who works for the homelessness charity “Warming Up The Homeless”. She said the following story about Ana, a homeless person.
“So we do outreach, outreach means we got a team of volunteers and we take our trolleys full of; hot food, sandwiches, sleeping bags and tents and take them around the street seeing the rough sleepers. We had a young girl who was 19, we had been seeing her for a while and trying to get her housed, but housing had nowhere so she had to sleep on the beach, and we saw her every night we went out, she was a regular person and we got to know her and look out for her. And I was doing it one night and I saw her, and I thought “Oh that’s Ana there” and she didn’t look at us and I thought she was obviously very troubled because I could see she was quite animated and talking to somebody and she turned around and she saw us and she ran towards me and collapsed in my arms and it was clear she was ill or injured. And I said “What’s happening why are you like this today?” And she said “I need to talk to you privately” So I took her to the side so no one else could hear but in the view of colleagues so they could see me for my safety and she said “I was raped last night by two people, I’ve waited all this time because I don’t trust anybody but you and Warming up the Homeless and that’s why I’ve waited all
this time to tell you because I don’t know what to do and I hurt.” And as I looked at her I could see blood coming and running down her legs; in the end she had to have hundreds of stitches internally and externally. But the ethos of the story is she waited for 24 hours to get help because we were the only people she trusted and by then all the evidence had gone and infections had gone into her wounds, she had broken a rib and there were still strangled marks left on her throat and there were black eyes, she was in a bad state. She didn’t want to go to the police because she was to frightened that the two men who raped her were going to come after her and it took us a whole night in the back of a police car to persuade her to tell the story but we did, the people were never found and she was housed immediately after that but that’s because I made a fuss and she got housed and she’s still in the flat and she’s doing really really well.”
Finding housing is getting more difficult in East Sussex with prices regularly increasing. According to home.co.uk the average price of a single bed apartment in East Sussex ranges from £795 per month in Hastings to £1,250 per month in Brighton.
As you can see being homeless in today’s modern world has made it harder than ever before. So help out other people where you can. Visit this website to find out how you can help:
https://wuth.org
Designer:
Eastbourne Citizens Advice is a service that helps people across Eastbourne find a way forward through their problems no matter what. While they are a part of a larger Citizens Advice network, they are also a self supported charity depending on volunteers and donations to operate. Support from the community not only financially fuels the organisation but also shows the true value of the service as a pillar to the local support systems.
Eastbourne Citizens Advice is part of the national Citizens Advice network which gives advice to millions of people. Between 2022-23, 1.8 million people reached out for support.
Whatever problem you may be affected by, whether it’s mental health, homelessness, or experiencing hate crimes, they will offer advice and work hard to provide solutions and assistance.
We all are struggling and going through difficult situations and by having Citizens Advice we have somewhere to turn to. If you are struggling from situations that leave you feeling and being at a disadvantage, Citizens Advice can help you as seen from this testimonial (see below). They helped 2.5 million people alone last year as seen on the Citizen’s Advice website.
“I have never used this service before and I had no idea what to expect. The team at Eastbourne Citizens Advice have been so helpful and kind in giving me advice on my current job situation. One of the
volunteers has been a great support and guide for what has been a very difficult time for me. The compassionate team of volunteers at Eastbourne Citizens Advice will do everything they can to help you and will be with you every step of the way. I highly recommend using this vital service to anyone who needs it.”
Feedback from their website stated that 7 out of 10 people have had their problem partly or completely solved and that:
‘84% of people said they wouldn’t have been able to solve their problem without their support.’
We spoke to Anne, a Trainer and Advice Session Supervisor at Citizens Advice. Working there for 14 years, she tells us what the most difficult part of her job is.
“I find it hard when I can’t solve someone’s problem. Clients will come to Citizens Advice and hope we will be able to resolve any issue but unfortunately this is not always possible. On a positive note, we do help about 90% of people that come to our office.”
“We can face a huge variety of issues. Currently we are dealing with a lot of issues relating to the cost of living, people in debt, people struggling to pay bills, rents
being increased, dependency on food and fuel vouchers.” She said it is one of the most common problems she is faced with to support clients. With more people struggling with issues like this, the staff must be able to keep up with the workload. “Our level of volunteers has remained pretty constant, even through lockdown we were able to train new volunteers online, when the pandemic ended, some of our volunteers chose to stay working from home but over the last year the number of volunteers returning to the office has increased. We still seem to help similar numbers but the issues are a little bit different and seem to be more complex.”
Working for a service such as Citizen’s Advice must be hard, especially seeing first-hand how many people struggle with issues that can change their lives.
“Sometimes if you have dealt with a difficult case or an emotional client it can be hard to not let it affect you but we have a great well-being ethos here so I know that I can go and talk to someone in the office if I need to.”
You don’t have to use the phone service as mentioned before. There are various other ways to contact them such as online chat, email and Eastbourne offers limited face to face advice and information.
Lucie Dodd & Olivia Burr
Designer: Caitlin Kronda
We as teenagers need to know how to approach topics of disabilities and those of us who have disabilities should want to educate those who want to learn.
We as a society need to be made aware of disabilities. Why? Because we should be inclusive towards all people no matter if they have disabilities, no matter their colour, race, weight and religion. It’s crucial that as people to include everyone.
According to The World Bank:
‘One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability’
And disability prevalence is higher for developing countries. One-fifth of the estimated global total, or between 110 million and 190 million people, experience significant disabilities. Disabilities either physical or mental, don’t only affect adults, they also affect us. Which is why it’s important for everybody to be informed. With the topic of disabilities becoming more spoken about, we need to educate ourselves more on the topic of how disabilities affect us. Disabilities can be difficult especially when you have to get around school, college and around it throughout the day. According to an article
by Unesco for teenagers with disabilities their “Out-of-school rate is four times that of non-disabled adolescents 13% vs 3%”. Which ultimately means that they will have less time for projects and even have lower grades than the rest of their classmates.
School is difficult enough, with the exam stress, school drama and other usual teenager struggles, it can all be too much for us to handle. Studies from NIH show that among people with intellectual disability, increased loneliness has been associated with increased rates of depression, mental health problems and poorer physical health.
Meghan Gambrel,18, further supports this. When we asked Meghan if having a disability has affected her mental health she answered “Truly, I’ve always had mental health issues but this really took a toll on me. It’s caused me to be in some of the worst places mentally I’ve ever been and I feel like the mental struggle of being disabled and chronically ill isn’t normalised enough”. Overall, 75% of the disabled group and 70% of the comparison group experienced difficulties in social situations. Tag interviewed a student with a disability about whether having a disability has affected his social life, and he answered “I’ve been bullied since the age of 4. I’ve not been able to fit in properly in social groups as a result of not being accepted.”
Research from ‘NIH’, Children and adolescents with disabilities were reported to participate in significantly fewer activities and to participate much less frequently than typically developing peers.
Tag interviewed a student with a disability about whether having a disability has affected his social life, and he answered “I’ve been bullied since the age of 4. I’ve not been able to fit in properly in social groups as a result of not being accepted.” Research from ‘Mencap’ has found that 8 - 10 with learning disabilities are bullied. Those with disabilities are twice as likely to be bullied than other children.
Disabilities should never be a taboo topic. Never let your disability stop you from doing what you want to do.
We need to change the way we are treating one another and think carefully about what we say. If this article taught us anything it’s that we struggle and go through enough we shouldn’t be talking negatively towards people.
For more information about disabilities, visit these links:
www.scope.org.uk
@disabilitygovuk
Keisha Lawrence Designer: Keisha Lawrence Photographer: RDNE - Pexels
When it comes to addiction among teenagers it can be challenging to talk about it with a parent. That’s why we have written this article to help you understand addiction and how it can affect us, starting with what addiction is.
Addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you.
It has been shown that many teenagers have once or continue to struggle with an addiction of some kind. There were 11,326 young people under the age of 18 in contact with alcohol and drug services between April 2021 and March 2022. This is a 3% increase from the previous year (gov. uk).
Now let's get into the most common types of addiction and how they can affect us as teenagers.
Nicotine
Smoking and or vaping is something that has always been an issue within teenagers as there is always some sort of pressure amongst them whether it’s from family influences or your friends. It is estimated that each year around 207,000 young people start smoking and two thirds of adults
report that they started smoking before the age of
18.
Additionally, in March/April of 2023 it is reported that the proportion of 11-17 yr olds experimenting with vapes had grown by 50% from the previous year (ASH).
Tag interviewed the owner of a Licensed Vape store in Eastbourne and she said “As under 18’s cannot easily purchase licensed electronic cigarettes there is an alarming rate of people using unregulated
e-cigarettes, which have gone through zero testing and do not pass laws here in the UK. Therefore it can be the same if not more harmful than cigarettes.”
Teenagers isn’t uncommon, especially with peer pressure coming from friends. A Centre for Longitudinal Studies study found that 53% of teenagers had engaged in binge drinking by age 17 and 13% of those reported regular drinking. Having an addiction not only affects you but also the people around you. We interviewed Sarah Archer (not her real name) on how they have been affected in their work environment with an alcoholic co-worker. Sarah said “I feel like I couldn't get a break as a teenager as I would have exams left, right and centre, and then going to work the only place where I'm like, oh my gosh I'm going to be sociable and everything. I have to smile at customers even though I'm absolutely drained from seeing my co-worker come in in states. It's scary at the same time because you see them stuck in the same cycle.” When we are exposed to an environment like this, it can be damaging to our mental health, which is why it's important that if you are a teenager who is working in this kind of environment that you consult a trusted adult.
Even though gambling is not common amongst teenagers in the UK, it is when compared with something like drugs. The Gambling Commission estimates that 55,000 11-16 year olds in the UK have a problem with gambling.
When it comes to drug addiction within teenagers it can be more deadly than other addictions such as smoking, even though smoking is extremely dangerous due to the long term effects. With drugs the effects can be immediate such as getting into dangerous situations or increased risk of mental health problems. As teenagers, we may be drawn to drugs as the distraction
from our everyday struggles can seem appealing, especially if these issues seem not to have any other solutions.
When teenagers become involved with drugs, smoking, etc it can have many different effects on not just our health but also in our everyday lives such as: Poor grades, low self-esteem, memory challenges, attention deficits and poor social skills. These side effects cause difficulties making friends or feeling accepted at school.
Even though addiction especially within teenagers can be a hard thing to beat, with the right support teenagers can have the chance to get back their lives.
Some of the reasons teenagers may come in contact with these substances are:
• Family history of substance use.
• Favourable parental attitudes towards the behaviour.
Parental substance use.
• Family rejection of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Association with substance using peers.
With these kind of pressures adding addiction may become too much for you to go through alone so we have some websites to support you:
nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support
www.mind.org.uk
Is it still relevant today ?
Are we losing religion? Well for the UK that answer seems to be yes.
Research from Humanist of UK found that the UK public are now among the least likely internationally to believe in God, following a decline in belief since the ‘80s.
However, the BBC says that Christianity globally will continue to grow, with the number of Christians projected to rise significantly in sub-Saharan Africa in particular.
Pew research also suggests there are likely to be more Muslims than Christians in the world by 2070, with Islam’s share of global population equalling that of Christianity at just above 30% each by 2050.
Why is this? Is it a rise in secular society?
No matter who we are, where we live, or what we do, we have all wondered and asked ourselves; Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? Is this all there is?
Even with these questions, our interest in religion can be influenced by many different things such as cultural shifts and individual beliefs. It all really comes down to you, your priorities and perspectives.
Tag conducted a survey among students aged 17-19 and this is what they had to say.
Haajirah, 18, Law student
“My religion is Islam. I think religion is important. It doesn't matter what religion you believe in, as long as everyone respects one another. With current events occurring today, religion is something that can give you hope and peace, without having that feeling of emptiness many individuals experience. Anyone is welcome
to religion and you will always be loved by God.”
We also interviewed Carolina, 19, Hair and Beauty student, who grew up in a Christian family,who would pray each and every night and morning since she was a little girl. She felt as if God was listening to her. As she's grown up she's praying but a little less than she used to. Carolina stated that “We are made to follow God.” Carolina has had experiences with negative energy and she talked about how it evidently brought her closer to God and how prayer made her feel safer.
Pedro Martins, 18, Travel and Tourism student “I'm undecided about religion, I think religion and faith is something that gives people hope as well as giving people something to believe in. I think it really helps some people lead a better life, change habits and treat themselves and others better. But at the same time, I think that religion is not followed to its cores anymore, people like to make stuff up and interpret things in ways that shouldn't be interpreted that brings about a lot of hatred and conflict, so I think it is important but in general I think it's not the most important thing ever to exist.”
Do you think religion is important?
“When I was younger, yes, not so much now. To me religion is a thing that is just there, it doesn't affect my life and it doesn't bother me, nor am I going to go out of my way to hate people for their beliefs, so it has not changed my perspective of life although I think aspects have changed my view of life such as what happens after we die, in that sense I would say religion has impacted me more in that case, but generally not.”
We asked Gemma Bryden,Ethics teacher at Ratton School, her opinion on religion and its influences. “I consider myself to be a follower of the teachings of Buddha. However I don’t consider myself religious, this is because Buddha is not a God and therefore I am not required to have faith. As I consider faith to be a requirement of religion I don't regard Buddhism to be a religion - more a system of Ethical practices. I am endlessly fascinated by the influences, history and power of religion. Religion has shaped our shared human culture for better and for worse. It is fuel that drives people to the greatest good - think Thich Nhat Hanh and his work with Plum Village or the successes of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King.”
What should we remember when discussing religions and perspectives?
“Listen to one another. I love to hear different points of view and perspectives. This is how we learn and grow ideas. I might not share the same belief but I want to hear yours. Over the years I have debated the most controversial arguments with young people and have been impressed with the openness and civility they have shown each over. If teenagers can do this, why can't all adults?”
Overall the importance of respecting other people's spiritual beliefs is crucial for us to understand our own personal spiritual journey and respect those who have different opinions and beliefs. Designer: Emil Hurst Photographer: Ashlee Kovac
Siarra April
Sexuality is deeply ingrained into most aspects of our lives. It is an important part of relationships and can have a large impact on mental health.
There are so many different dimensions to the term sexuality as it encompasses gender identity, sexual orientation, romantic attraction and many more. Regardless of who you identify as, your view of who you are matters and is an important part of discovering who you are.
Sexuality and gender has a wide variety of labels and many people our age struggle with coming out and the fear of being discriminated against by our peers, family and friends. In recent years those who identify themselves as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community are widely more accepted, especially with social media, and influencers opening up about their identity, encouraging others to do the same. However due to the lack of teaching about identity and sexuality teenagers are left confused about who they identify as.
Ira Brooke, 17, Eastbourne (not real name)
spoke to Tag about their struggles with identity and coming out.“I had gotten severely bullied for identifying as lesbian to the point I had to change schools. I had also had people scream at me for holding my girlfriend’s hand in public.”
We also interviewed Riley Harper, 18, Hailsham (not real name) who told us how coming out impacted them. “I had gotten outed at 12 as bisexual to my parents, via social media, by a friend who I had gone to for support with my sexuality. Fortunately I had the full support of my dad who told me that he will still love me no matter what my sexuality. Later, at 15 I came out to my dad as non binary to which he told me again that he still loved me and would try his best to use the correct name and pronouns for me. He even got me new clothes to present how I would feel comfortable.” They also mentioned “Despite the support I received from family and online friends, I fear coming out to my peers because I get excluded or not accepted. Now I am only out to family, trusted friends and on social media where I am accepted for who I am.”
Research from Stomp Out Bullying shows that a shocking 9/10 LGBTQIA+ students reported being harassed and bullied last year. Additionally, research conducted by the NSPCC found that the LGBTQIA+ community are at a greater risk of being the victims of abuse or homelessness. There are a multitude of reasons for this, such as parental rejection, family violence, puberty or feeling confused and isolated.
We understand that coming out to peers or family can be challenging, and that it’s even harder if in our heads we think they won’t accept us. It may feel as if there’s no one to talk to, or no way out. But we want you to know there’s always someone wanting to help you. If you’re struggling with coming out, bullying, or identity, you can call:
The Proud Trust 0161 660 3347
According to Nielsen Music 360, around 90 – 93 percent of the world’s population listens to music which is no shock. Studies show the benefits of listening to music can not only help us mentally but also physically.
Research from Psychiatry.org shows that music therapy has been used to heal trauma, decrease our anxiety levels and improve our overall quality of life. Music can also be used to accomplish health goals, such as improving mental wellness, reducing stress and alleviating pain.
Across England 97% of people had listened to music in the previous week, while 67% were involved in some kind of music making activity. This is a massive increase from 39% in 2006, when Youth Music conducted their previous survey.
So how can we get involved? Tag Interviewed Josh York, 17, Eastbourne who is a singer/songwriter.
Could you tell Tag a bit about yourself?
“Yeah sure, I’m studying music, I’ve been writing for about 2 years I think, I’ve been playing guitar for 4. Ever since I picked up an instrument I’ve always wanted to write my own stuff. It’s only been about 2 years since I’ve been able to write my own stuff and I’ve sort of just started writing.”
How did you get into music?
“It started off in secondary school in music class as they’ve got keyboards darted around everywhere. I started playing that, like learning new songs. Then moved on to the ukulele then the guitar and at that point I thought I’ve gotta try to learn whatever I can.”
How can we get into music/songwriting?
“I mean the easiest way is just to listen to all sorts of music.”
By branching out into different areas of music and artists we allow ourselves to learn different tones, sounds and techniques.
Research from Stages Music Arts tells us that ‘The more you listen, the more you learn. By exposing yourself to a wide variety of music, you expand your musical vocabulary. You pick up new techniques, experiment with different playing styles.’
Josh has recently released a new song called ‘Your Glow’ Streaming everywhere and gave us the back story behind it.
“Yeah, so it’s quite personal and people relate to it. It’s like that person that comes into your life and makes it less dull and grey.”
If you would like to listen to his first song ‘Your Glow’ checkout these links below!
JULY 4TH 2024 5PM - 9PM
