Grip - Spring 2011

G/ SPRIN ER SUMM 2011

What sets you apart?

Power of One

Stand Out

When to rise above the crowd

Find value in being alone

Community Connections

Volunteering isn’t just good for you Plus: A teen on the dinosaur trail, summer fun, reviews and more

Shout Out Out Out Out: This band knows how to start a dance party Return undeliverable mail to: Circulation Department, 10259 - 105 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3. Publications Mail Agreement #40020055

17 what’s inside

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

Same Difference Issue

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Ever felt the pull between expressing your individuality and conforming to the crowd? Grip explores the many similarities and differences we share with each other. How can you balance your uniqueness with a desire to fit in? Grip explores this question, and many more, inside What Sets You Apart?

Seven teens tell us what makes them different

BY BOBBI BELSEK, VARDA KHAN,

BLAKE, JENAH MCPHERSON, LEANNE KLIMEK HIMMI CHERUVU, AND ANALYN BELL

Blend In or Stand Out? Express your individuality, depending on the situation you’re in

BY JENAH MCPHERSON

Groups Behaving Badly What to do when group mentality strikes

BY MEGAN RYLAND

Quiz Where do you fit in with your group of friends?

One is a Lonely Number How to distinguish between feelings of loneliness and depression

BY VARDA KHAN

DEBATE: Dress Codes Should you judge a person by the clothes they wear?

BY CHRIS BERTHELOT AND JENA TANG

You Can Change the World Why volunteering is worth the effort

BY ANNALISE KLINGBEIL

Everybody Dance Now A ballet dancer takes us inside her world

BY ERIKA LUCKERT

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A message from a Grip reader who is now a Grip contributor. Also, meet three other contributors

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it Happens Surfing on the Prairies; Finding the right fit for headphones; The original vampire story; Running across Alberta; Summer camps you won’t want to leave Plus! Music, book and video game reviews

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Off the Wall A little of this and that, plus a few links guaranteed to make you laugh

COVER ILLUSTRATION: RAYMOND REID

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Help Wanted Need some advice?

Just ask us

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Fan Fare: An Edmonton band creates a new kind of dance party. We introduce you to Shout Out Out Out Out

BY EMMA FRAZIER

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This is… Tetsuto Miyashita Would you move across the world for dinosaurs?

BY ERIN MCCARTY

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Portfolio Our creative contributors show off their art, photos and words

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Dodge A new kid comes to town

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The Last Word Meet my friend, Facebook

BY HOLLY MIDKIFF

griponlife.ca grip onlife.ca

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04 From a Grip Contributor

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f you were to ask me or any other teenager what our views are on fitting in with the crowd, I think it’s safe to say that we all want to be accepted. Acceptance comes in many shapes and sizes, and it’s a guiding force in our lives. Ask people why they hang out where they do and common responses that you’ll hear are that friends hang out there or that it is a popular place. Our clothing choices are also driven by fitting in, staying in style and blending in with what everyone else is wearing. Many of the actions of teenagers, including myself, are driven by the desire to just fit in.

And there’s the rub. Where do we draw the line between being a unique individual and conforming to the crowd? We share many similarities and also many differences with our peers – how can we balance both? This edition of Grip tries to answer those questions, by sharing experiences, advice, and interviews with teens across Alberta, all centered on this idea of “same difference.” Plus, we have the regular Grip features: reviews, portfolio submissions from creative contributors, profiles and more.

The first time I read Grip was at my school counsellor’s office. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to pick it up at first. Most of the reading material I came across in the office ranged from books spouting selfhelp jargon to magazines with pull out posters about expressing your feelings. I hesitantly picked up a copy of Grip and soon chastised myself for judging something by its cover, ironically, something I’d learned in one of those “self-help” books. From then on, I was a devoted reader of Grip and am now a proud contributor.

The people who study and analyze us teens call us a variety of names. We’re the boomlet generation, nexters, the nintendo generation, the digital generation, and even the sunshine generation.

If you’re like me, you probably think it’s difficult to take advice from someone that considers you part of “the sunshine generation.” So why not try learning from other people who understand where you are coming from? Enter Grip, written by teens, for teens. Give it a shot, afterall, you might learn something about yourself that actually applies.

Himmi Cheruvu

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Contributors Spring 2011 | Volume 5, No. 1 PUBLISHER

Ruth Kelly

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Joyce Byrne | comments@griponlife.ca EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Beth Evans

MANAGING EDITOR

Cailynn Klingbeil | creative@griponlife.ca CONSULTING EDITOR

Mifi Purvis | creative@griponlife.ca EDITORIAL ADVISORS

Lana Bentley, Teri Dingwell, Dr. Jonathon Eustace, Lynne Goertzen, Jackie Herman, Caroline Missal, Barb Olsen, Taryn Pawlivsy, Erin Walton ART DIRECTOR

Charles Burke

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

Abby Riehl doesn’t quite know how she would go about describing herself. She’s fifteen, considers herself lazy, and has no idea what she wants to do after high school. Sometimes, Abby wishes her life was like a movie and always went according to the script she writes out in her head.

Math gives Abby a headache. She always has music playing. When she gets stressed out she draws and listens to Bob Marley. Usually she thinks too much. Oh, and she doesn’t like it when her food touches.

Read Abby’s review of the Foo Fighters newest album on page 13 and her ode to Facebook on page 54.

Colin Spence

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Emma Frazier lives in a small town just north of Edmonton called Bon Accord, where she’ll be graduating from high school this year. She’s enjoyed three amazing years of music instruction, including concert band, jazz ensemble, concert and jazz choir.

Emma’s main focus has been on trombone and vocals, but sometimes she attempts to play the drums. She can’t wait to start playing baseball again this year and her other loves are her friends and her family who make her laugh every day. “I have a pretty sweet life,” says Emma. Read Emma’s interview with band Shout Out Out Out Out on page 36.

Brnesh Berhe

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Vanlee Robblee

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Betty Smith

DISTRIBUTION

Jennifer King | getgrip@griponlife.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Analyn Bell, Bobbi Belsek, Chris Berthelot, Blake, Jessica Chen, Himmi Cheruvu, Grayson Evans, Emma Frazier, Rachel Gagnon, Varda Khan, Leanne Klimek, Annalise Klingbeil, Saralena Kuntz, Erika Luckert, Maria Milanowski, Erin McCarty, Jenah McPherson, Holly Midkiff, Abby Riehl, Meghan Ryland, Balaji Sankaranarayanan, Vanessa Stewart, Jena Tang, Erin Vance, Sandy Xu CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

3Ten, Himmi Cheruvu, Eric Gravel, Saralena Kuntz, Canaan Ng, Heff O’Reilly, Raymond Reid, Mahmuda Sheikh, Colin Spence, Erin Vance Grip is published by Venture Publishing Inc. for Alberta Health Services

The content of this magazine is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultations with your doctor or to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any personal medical and health questions that you may have.

Printed in Canada by Transcontinental LGM Graphics Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40020055 Contents copyright 2011 by Alberta Health Services. Content may not be reprinted or reproduced without written permission from Alberta Health Services.

Venture Publishing Inc. 10259-105 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3 Tel: 780-990-0839 | Fax: 780-425-4921 | Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 circulation@venturepublishing.ca The views expressed in Grip are the opinions of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Alberta Health Services or Venture Publishing

Always with a book in his hand, Chris Berthelot enjoys reading a plethora of things, from books on philosophy and religion to murdermystery novels. Passions that Chris has include writing essays, short stories, and watching plays at the Citadel. Chris also enjoys helping out with the technical crew at his school and enjoys hanging out with his girlfriend or his friends when he can.

“The world needs readers and writers,” Chris says. “They provide the foundation for a good future.” Read Chris’ album reviews on page 12 and debate on dress codes on page 34. griponlife.ca

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OUT THERE ACTIVITIES so You’ve got two months of freedom ahead of you, you what are you waiting for? There’s plenty of activities socto all baseb from er, can stay busy with this summ cer to water-balloon fights. In the interest of fun, we’ve es. searched the province for a handful of out there activiti these of one try and path beaten the off step a take So unique activities today:

ZORBING: Ready, set, roll! At Canada Olympic Park

(COP) in Calgary, you’ll get strapped into a huge transan lucent ball and flip head over heels down a track – COP’s d.

Zealan New in began that g zorbin activity called learn Z-Trip is open throughout the summer, and you can trip.ca more at www.z

RIVER SURFING: This one is just like it sounds – start surfing, on a river. Surf’s up, so get on board, and www. out Check s.

Prairie the of surfing in the middle undercurrents.ca – a Calgary-based company that The offers one-day surf lessons on the Kananaskis river. water only prerequisite is that you are comfortable in the and can easily swim a few laps in the pool.

CAVING: If you’ve ever wanted to explore an

you. underground world, then caving in Canmore is for om) tours.c recave canmo Canmore Cave Tours (www. eltakes visitors down to the Rat’s Nest Cave, an undev how er discov You’ll ain. oped cave under Grotto Mount caves form, examine stalactites and stalagmites and deep see animal bones and fossils as a guide takes you e. surfac earth’s the beneath

SEGWAY TOUR: Maybe you’re not a thrill-

seeker and instead you prefer less adrenalineintensive activities. If so, taking a Segway tour of Edmonton’s river valley is for you. You’ll watch a safety a video about the operation of the Segway and have a training session before climbing on the Segway for at more Learn valley. river ful beauti tour through the www.segwayedmonton.com

GRIPMagazine

Running for a Cure

While other teens were stre ssing over exams and graduation, Dyllan Duperron was running. The 15-year-old Grade 10 studen t from Valleyview spent this spring running 1,000 kilometres to raise money and awarenes s for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. When Dyllan watched several family members dea l with the diagnosis of cancer, he wondered wh at he could possibly do to help. Losing his great-u ncle to brain cancer also had a significant imp act on the teen. Dyllan soon came up with the ide a to run across the province in a campaign title d “Today’s Hope, Tomorrow’s Cure.” Dyllan ’s run began on March 14 in Lethbridge, with the teen anticipating he would reach Grande Prairie by the end of May. He ran 30 to 50 kilometres eac h day, and by day 12 he’d already worn out two pairs of sneakers.

Dyllan took a quick break at the 448-kilometre mark, just outside Wetaskaw in, to answer a few questions from Grip.

Grip: What kinds of snacks do you eat to keep your energy up?

Dyllan: For some reason wh en I’m running, I crave Fruit Roll-Ups, so I have lots of those, and some granola bars and lots of chocolate milk.

Grip: Spring weather in Alb erta can sometimes be kind of crummy. How hav e you dealt with that while on the road?

Dyllan: Dress warm. Som e days I can’t run, but if it clears up, I get out there and do maybe 10 kilometres and I’ll be done for the day . I just kind of fight for it.

Grip: What do your friends and family think of what you’re doing?

Dyllan: They think it’s pre tty cool. They’re pretty excited now that I’m kind of close to the home stretch.

To follow Dyllan’s journey, and donate to his campaign, vis it www.hopeforcure.info

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New Ways to Stay Active this Summer

School’s out for summer, and that means regularly scheduled gym classes are over. It can be difficult to stay in shape when you don’t have a prescheduled time slot. But with all the time on your hands, summertime offers a good opportunity to try a fitness routine you might normally not. Here are a few suggestions:

CAPOEIRA: This Brazilian art form combines elements of martial arts, core muscle strength, and music. It is a fun way to keep fit and it promotes strength and agility, which can help you in everyday life with your confidenc e levels and self-defence techniques.

AIKIDO : This Japanese martial art form is excellent aerobic exercise and helps you gain self defence skills. Its benefits inclu de increasing your discipline, concentration and physical fitness levels.

KETTLEBELL: Taking a kettlebell fitness class will help you build strength and also improve your balance, stability and flexibility.

Kettlebells are cast iron weights that rese mble a cannonball with a handle.

griponlife.ca grip onlife.ca

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Which Headphones Are Right For You?

By Balaji Sankaranarayanan

for a When you go to your local electronics store to look ntconfro lf yourse nd fi likely you’ll simple pair of headphones, from range that prices With cts. produ of range wide a ed with can be $20 to $350, choosing the perfect pair of headphones ge. challen quite a is in The main difference that you will see in headphones inare styles main The ear. your to attach they the way that fureven ted separa be can ear, on-ear and around ear. These st greate The ating. elimin noise and ng isolati ther into noise hone. reason for the difference in price is the style of headp the ambiA noise eliminating headphone removes much of set of $20 ent noise and can cost much more than a regular headphones. eliminatI have a pair of $80 on-ear Sony MDR-NC7 noise are These Buy. Best at sed purcha I ing headphones that and I was much more comfortable than regular headphones to the able to play my music at a much lower volume due sive 87.4 headphone’s ambient noise reduction, at an impres to listen I as se purpo my suits style per cent. This price and Another music on a loud bus for more than an hour a day. of headgood thing to have is a warranty, as rigorous users easily. quite cords hone headp h throug go can s phone devices For people who listen to their iPods or other such ant import very be can rt comfo day, a hour an than for more people some why is This when choosing headphones. , such choose to pay for extremely comfortable headphones can which er, Monst from as Beats by Dr. Dre headphones $200. than cost more When choosing a set of headphones consider the se and amount of time you will be listening for, your purpo s before the comfort level you want. Be sure to read review pay, the you go out and buy headphones and the more you more you should consider getting a warranty. your Remember also to use common sense when using ged new headphones. Playing music too loudly for prolon able to periods of time can be damaging, and not being hear what is going on around you can be dangerous.

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Revamped Summer Camp No matter what your passion is, there’s probably a summer camp designed just for you. There are camps for computer lovers to create their own video games, camps for nature lovers to gain outdoor skills, and camps for aspiring photographers to sharpen their skills – among many other options. The Alberta Camping Association’s directory, found at www.albertacamping.com/find-a-camp, will help you get started in finding the perfect camp for you. The Association’s website also features a worksheet to help you find the right camp fit.

If, however, you know you’re looking for a camp with creative flair, then WordsWorth might just be that place. Located at Kamp Kiwanis in Bragg Creek, youth get the outdoor camp experience while spending a week expressing themselves

through poetry, prose, movement, music and art.

WordsWorth, put on by the Young Alberta Book Society and funded through the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, is for youth who believe in the power of words. It’s a supportive atmosphere where youth passionate about writing can connect with others who share that passion.

“You can be whoever you want to be here,” says young writer Jamie Lewis. Sakura Seberg says: “I like that the workshops are instructed by real authors, so they really know what they’re talking about.”

Instructors this summer include fiction writer Natasha Deen, poet and journalist Alexis Kienlen, and spoken word artist Brendan McLeod. For more information visit www.yabs.ab.ca

MY DUSTY BOOKSHELF Dracula

By Bram Stoker Reviewed by Erika Luckert

I’m a self-confessed nerd, but I do still know a thing or two about what’s trendy. First of all, Twilight was. Twilight was really, really trendy. But it’s on its way out, trend-wise.

Most trends don’t last very long – that’s sort of the definition of trend. So my question is, what comes next? What will replace Twilight?

I’d like to propose something that fits within another trend – retro. You know: if it’s old, it’s cool. And believe me, this book is old; 114 years to be precise. This is the original vampire story, the retro Twilight – it’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Dracula is told in a series of letters and journal entries. It has all the ingredients of a good suspense story: friendship, love, and blood. The vampire himself, Count Dracula (he signs as the rather ominous “D”) is a creature to rival, and to overcome Edward Cullen. He is the picture of fear, and still manages a

terrible allure. Stoker’s vivid descriptions of the Count lend themselves naturally to the accompanying paraphernalia that will be necessary when the Dracula trend takes over. There are already a host of movie adaptations, and retailers will doubtless be quick to follow with “Team D” t-shirts.

We first encounter our villain as the gracious host of a Transylvanian castle, but it soon becomes evident that when he wants to discuss real estate with his guest, Jonathan Harker, he’s speaking of business of a different sort. Jonathan escapes the castle, but the story is far from over. Back in England, when one of his friends is contaminated by a vampire’s bite, the stakes are raised in a very literal sense – a band unites, vowing to stop at nothing until a stake is driven through Dracula’s heart.

Stoker’s novel is about much more than an act of revenge in an age now dead. The pursuit of Dracula reveals timeless themes of courtship, love, and loyalty.

Grade:

I am tempted to give this book an A for its incomparable intrigue and well-dramatized thematic depth, but in honour of its villain, I will mark it simply .

“D”

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Summer Reads The Lost Hero

By Rick Riordan REVIEWED BY JESSICA CHEN

Meet Jason, Piper and Leo. They’re three normal kids – well, not really. Jason doesn’t remember anything except for waking up on a school bus next to Piper. Leo has ADHD. Piper’s a kleptomaniac. Other than that, they’re just your average 15 year-old kids.

Or at least until their classmate turns into a storm spirit, their coach turns into a goat-thing, and they’re taken to a mysterious camp on Long Island, Camp Half-Blood, and told the Greek gods are real. As if that weren’t enough, the leader of this camp is missing, they’re apparently demigods, Piper’s father has also disappeared and a powerful goddess has been taken hostage. The three then set out on a long quest across the United States to find the missing father, while also trying to figure out what happened to the camp leader, and finding an underlying threat from a mysterious enemy.

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The Lost Hero is written by Rick Riordan, author of the popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Fans and new readers alike will find something to love in this book, whether it be Leo’s oneliners, the action, or the little bits of romance interwoven neatly between the fast-paced plot. The book leaves you with a heart-stopping cliff-hanger at the end, making readers anxious for the next instalment.

Grade: A- Even though it fails to deliver the humour and charm of the original Percy Jackson series, The Lost Hero is a worthy sequel.

The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry)

By Siva Vaidhyanathan REVIEWED BY SANDY XU

At the zenith of the electronic age is Google, a name so symbolic that it has become part of our vocabulary. In a March 2009 poll by The Neilson Company, of nine countries surveyed, the website most browsed by teens was Google. In the past we have embraced this powerful tool without question of its ability to change the way we think.

With our dependency comes the question: What has become absent in the presence of Google? Enter The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry). As Vaidhyanathan said, “Google has convinced us that we should trust it implicitly; most people rarely click past the first three results it offers.” This means, he writes, “that Google, the most flexible yet powerful information filter we use regularly, could come to exercise inordinate influence over our decisions and values.”

He describes the way in which Google tracks user preferences during web searches and how that information can be channelled to demographic data and the potential it has to be used for

immoral purposes. “It’s not just individual rights that are sacrificed,” he explains. “Businesses and corporations competing for the search ranking diminish the reliability of what we see.”

Teens, among the larger population of Google-ers in North America, have the right to question more than just our freedoms, but our underlying way of thinking. We discard the thought of using alternative sources when there is a lightning-fast answer within a click away.

Frightening enough, some even question the extent of our critical thinking when such engines exist. Perhaps one book wouldn’t change the way we use Google, but at least the way we view Google. As Vaidhyanathan said it best, “Google doesn’t exist for our benefit, in the end it’s just another profit-driven business.” As we have doubts with all other businesses, the same should be said for Google.

Grade: B+ Some subjects may be unfamiliar to teens, but this does not diminish the overall impact of the book’s ideas.

eviews From a fast-paced adventurous quest to a more serious look at the search engine you use daily, Grip’s reviewers find something for everyone to read this summer Minding Frankie

By Maeve Binchy REVIEWED BY HIMMI CHERUVU

It’s always a little nerve-racking to read a new book from a much-loved author, but there is no reason to worry in this case. With more than 20 novels to her name, most of which are bestsellers, Maeve Binchy is virtually always easy to read and very enjoyable. Her characters are most often very true to life and this book is no exception.

Minding Frankie is the story of a small baby.

Her mother, Stella, is suffering from cancer and knows she will die during the operation to deliver her little girl into the world. Leaving her baby, Frankie, to the father, Noel, with whom Stella had a drunken one-night stand, is a risk.

Noel, after all, is the least likely man to become a good father. An uneducated alcoholic, stuck in a dead end job and still living with his parents, everyone – including Noel himself – is skeptical of his ability to raise Frankie.

When he finds strength within himself and pulls together a widespread support network (including some characters we have met in previous Binchy novels), there is just one person left with a nagging doubt: Moira, the social worker. And it is she who must be convinced that Frankie should stay with her father and not be placed in foster care.

The innocence of this tiny baby, helpless as all the adults in her life fight over and analyze her well-being, is heart wrenching. As we read, we find ourselves hoping that, despite his imperfections and a few hurdles along the way, Noel will be able to keep this baby.

It is amazing to watch as Frankie brings together a cast of strangers, inspiring them to become better people in order to look after her.

Some must find direction in life, others need to grab hold of new opportunities, and all of them have to question their choices and things they take for granted.

There is no doubt that Binchy has a certain way of creating characters that quickly pulls readers in. This is one of her greatest strengths. Though at times infuriating, the slow, steady way of dropping little bits of a character at a time is what keeps us coming back for more.

Grade: B Reading this novel is like settling in for a cozy visit with an old friend. Without too many quirks, the book builds on a slow and steady pace to become one that will have you reading on.

of familiar characters from Moriarty’s past novels in their last year of high school, documenting their struggles to try and figure out the fascination behind two new students, Amelia and Riley.

No one in the school knows anything about the mysterious couple, only that they’re extremely talented in many different ways. When ghostly situations arise in the school’s newly renovated art room, the crew of main characters attempts to find out what exactly is happening and who the oh-so-secretive Riley and Amelia really are. No, this isn’t your typical paranormal teen romance. Written in an epistolary format (a series of documents such as letters, emails and so on), it’s a lesson about friendship, trust and learning to grow up – with a few twists along the way. The story’s plot is put together brilliantly, with every last detail unravelling itself in astonishing ways. This novel will most definitely attract new fans of the series, as well as please the old ones.

Grade: A+ This book was fresh and original; nothing like the many clichéd high school reads that are popping up in bookstores all around.

The Ghosts of Ashbury High has a little something in it for everyone.

The Ghosts of Ashbury High

By Jaclyn Moriarty REVIEWED BY SARALENA KUNTZ

Jaclyn Moriarty, a prize-winning, bestselling author from Australia, has done it again. Her latest instalment in the Ashbury/Brookfield stories, The Ghosts of Ashbury High, is nothing less than breathtaking. If you’re looking for a book that will captivate you from the very first page and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last one, you’ve found it.

The Ghosts of Ashbury High centers on a group griponlife.ca

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The Sounds of Summertime Forget the splashing at your neighbourhood swimming pool and the ice cream truck’s catchy tune – these releases could soon be the soundtrack of your summer

Angles

By The Strokes

Audio Secrecy

By Stone Sour

REVIEWED BY ERIN VANCE

REVIEWED BY CHRIS BERTHELOT

After taking an extended hiatus, The Strokes are back with a brand-new album, Angles. The album is a quick listen – all 10 songs barely equal 35 minutes – but it’s a rollercoaster, and a brilliant record.

Track seven, “Call Me Back” is a lovesick lament, both poignant and pathetic, and their first single, “Under the Cover of Darkness” hits like a downpour of acid rain. The album ends with “Life is Simple in the Moonlight” – the best driving-at-night song in a while. Also notable are tracks one, “Machu Picchu,” and three, “Two Kinds of Happiness” – though the album in its entirety is a fantastic listen.

The album features The Strokes` classic garage-rock drone, as well as almost five years of raw material; it is a mash-up of the different places each member of the band is at in his life right now. There is something universal and urgent in Julian Casablanca’s raw vocals, and as always, the lyrics are masterpieces in themselves. Angles will satisfy long-time fans of The Strokes, as well as introduce loads of new indie music lovers to the New York rockers.

The band headlined the Coachella festival in California in April, alongside Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, City and Colour, The Black Keys, Neon Trees and many more. The band was extremely wellreceived, and gave a performance that won’t soon be dismissed.

The Strokes are back, and they aren’t going anywhere fast.

Grade: A+ The Strokes have high marks coming from every possible angle. Their latest is a triumphant dive into indie rock immortality.

After a four-year hiatus, the Des Moines-based band Stone Sour returns with their latest album, Audio Secrecy. Continuing after the band’s previous album Come (What)ever May, Stone Sour introduces an interesting collection of grating, intense tunes, with a combination of emotionally charged songs which stylistically seem to depart from the band’s general genre.

Fans of the band will be impressed and encouraged to get a copy, while those new to the band will find an interesting mix of songs that inspire and entertain. Other bands that have a similar style include Deftones and System of a Down.

The album is dedicated to the band’s friend, Paul Gray, who died in 2010. We are shown the lyrical and vocal talent of Corey Taylor (who is also the vocalist of Slipknot), with such songs as “Say You’ll Haunt Me”, as well as “Dying” and “Nylon 6/6”.

Consisting of guttural noises and graceful singing, and gentle instrumental sounds as well as harsh guitar riffs and drum beats, we find that Stone Sour has an ability to show variation within the music they make. The only drawback within the album is that because it departs somewhat from their previous albums, some fans may be turned away. But Stone Sour shows that sometimes drifting away from an established genre can show the originality and skill of a band.

Grade: A While this album does experiment with some sounds which may not be as “hard” as their previous albums; it shows that great rock music can be found in many forms and that a band can truly express their thoughts and experiment.

GRIPMagazine

views Wasting Light

By Foo Fighters REVIEWED BY ABBY RIEHL

The Foo Fighters’ new album Wasting Light was recorded in lead singer Dave Grohl’s garage using only analog equipment and produced by Butch Vig, the same guy who produced Nirvana’s Nevermind, Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown and Never Shout Never’s Harmony. The Foo Fighters have never been my favourite band, not even in the top five, but they definitely make great music.

The tracks on Wasting Light are punk driven by pop and rock, with some songs sounding a bit like Zeppelin and the Smashing Pumpkins (think “Cherub Rock”). “Rope” was the first single off the album and it was a really good song, but paled in comparison to the other tracks. “Bridge Burning” is amazing, along with “White Limo” and “Arlandria”.

They’re songs that get stuck in your head because they’re that good; they’re songs you could sing along with. They’re the type of band that makes you want to start your own.

Dave Grohl’s voice is excellent, the guitars are excellent, the drums are excellent, the bass is excellent, and the lyrics are spectacular (you can listen to the full album on the band’s website). This is one of the best albums they’ve released, it is a little more hardcore than their last, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, but anyone could still listen to it and enjoy it. If you liked their songs “The Pretender” or “Everlong” then you’ll most likely enjoy this album.

Grade: B+ Not only is this an album that you can listen to all the way through, which is rare, but it proves that there is hope in a musical world that’s been producing nothing but pop garbage for the last three years.

A Thousand Suns

By Linkin Park REVIEWED BY CHRIS BERTHELOT

California band Linkin Park explodes on the scene with their latest album, A Thousand Suns. Following the band’s focus and theme on making innovative sounds and styles (which arose from their previous album, Minutes to Midnight) Linkin Park doesn’t disappoint in pursuing this ideal. Using dazzling techno beats with intermeshing guitar riffs, combined with audio clips of such famous people as Martin Luther King Jr. and J. Robert Oppenheimer (Director of the Manhattan Project, which built the first atomic bomb), as well as the band’s signature use of vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park demonstrates a skill in creating sounds that separate them from other bands.

Unlike the previous album, which had considerably less electronic-style elements than in their first two albums (Hybrid Theory and Meteora), A Thousand Suns is an interesting experiment of techno sounds

which either take over the song, or work with the band’s conventional instruments of guitars, bass, and drums. While this departure from their original nu-metal style has upset some fans, those who stay loyal to the band find that they’re introduced to a unique sound which they can listen to over and over again.

The particular theme running throughout the album is that of nuclear war and the fear of how capable humanity is at destruction. References to these themes include an audio clip of Oppenheimer’s description of what it was like to watch a nuclear explosion. Unlike a regular album, A Thousand Suns rarely has a song which can be listened to separately from the others (one of the few is “Wretches and Kings”). To get the full effect, you need to listen to the whole thing.

Grade: A+ This album introduces new sounds that are fun to listen to and are distinctive, which is a rare thing to see in the music industry lately. griponlife.ca

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it HAPPENS | Reviews

The Gamer

Off th

Get your game on with these Grip picks Title: Kirby’s Epic Yarn Platform: Nintendo Wii Rating:Everyone (mild cartoon violence)

REVIEWED BY: HIMMI CHERUVU Kirby’s been a Nintendo character for about two decades now and in those twenty years you’ve never seen anything quite like his latest adventure. Easily one of the most creative art styles ever attempted, the yarn theme is woven in all through the gameplay, turning a pretty traditional game into something extraordinary.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn features an environment built entirely out of material you’d find in an arts and crafts store. Quilt patterns and fabric form the world, and yarn, string, and buttons are the building blocks of all the creatures, our hero included.

Take this bit of game diaologue: “This grass feels funny, Kirby thought. It feels like…pants. And to Kirby’s surprise… he saw that his entire body was made out of yarn!” Scenes are made of a patchwork that can wrinkle and fold, and players can even explore behind the fabric. Kirby can pull zippers to unfold the next part of the level or tug down the fabric in order to make a ledge come down to his level.

Anyone who’s familiar with Kirby may notice that he lacks his usual “suck enemies” power that has been a staple for the character for many of his adventures. But his lack of air pressure attacks is written in and dismissed, and now Kirby wanders his world winding his enemies up into deadly balls of yarn and lobbing them at destructible walls and other bad guys.

The style and substance of Kirby’s Epic Yarn fits the character’s charm and cuteness perfectly. It is equally fun as a solo outing as it is as a two player game, though it might skew to younger over experienced gamers. With the subtle level challenges and creative art direction, you don’t want to miss this fresh new chapter in Kirby’s story.

Grade: A It’s hard to give anything lower to the cute pink puff, but truly, with the superb graphics and super smooth animation, this game is out to please.

Title: Crysis 2 Platform: PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 Rating: Mature

REVIEWED BY: GRAYSON EVANS Crysis 2 is the first console entry in this science fiction first person shooter franchise, so the question becomes can it dethrone Call of Duty as top dog, or is it just a pretty face?

Crysis 2’s gameplay is a mixed bag; the player is moved from one small ground area to the next and in between each section is a cut scene briefly explaining the story.

The star of Crysis 2 is the suit you wear throughout the game; it grants you superhuman powers (invisibility, superhuman strength, speed and the ability to jump to high places). This is where the charm of Crysis 2 really shines through, with these powers and the wide open space in which each enemy encounter takes place. There is potential for really creative and interesting experiences when interacting with the characters, instances that make up for the lack of a fully fleshedout narrative through cut scenes and dialogue.

Crysis 2 is the best looking game this generation. It is set in New York City after an alien invasion, the buildings are burning, dust is in the air and the lighting is immaculate. It paints a living, breathing city that was once populated by people but is now destroyed.

Crysis 2’s frame rate rarely stutters away from 30 frames per second, but the game does have its bugs. The multiplayer in Crysis 2 is forgettable but is a fun distraction, there is no lasting appeal besides the first wow factor that the powers provide.

Grade: A Crysis 2 is worth the price of admission. The single player gameplay is interesting throughout the entire game and will keep you coming back, and the graphics are the best to date.

GRIPMagazine

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HELP wanTeD

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Got a question that no one can answer, or that you’re too Got a niggling question that no one that you’re afraid to ask your parents, teacher orcan bestanswer, friend?orSend it to us. too afraid to ask your units, teacher or best friend?

Send it to us.

We guarantee anonymity, and we’re beyond embarrassment.

We guarantee anonymity, and we’re beyond embarrassment.

We’ll find an expert to answer the most persistent question you We’ll an expert to answer the most persistent question you havefind related to any topic: relationships, school, sexuality, puberty, have related to any topic: relationships, school, sexuality, puberty, drugs, love, life and the pursuit of happiness. drugs, love,are life,you andwaiting the pursuit So… what for? of happiness.

So… what are you waiting for?

Question: I really like video games. It’s getting to the point where my friends no longer invite me anywhere, because they know A I’llwhile probably no and Question: agosay some kidsjust stay home to on playthe video were talking busgames. about Is it bad that someone I don’t even feelcircumcised guilty about or whether was ditching my friends for video games? not.

(I’m not.)

They were talking like being uncircumcised was weird and -Gamer Taylor gross. Does it matter?

–Dear Denny Doesn’t Know Taylor, Video games, themselves, are not necessarDear Denny, ily a bad thing, says Lynne Goertzen, a regisIttered doesn’t really matter. Sure, there are some psychologist. benefi ts of being circumcised; reduces the According to Goertzen, whereit gaming risk of infections and is STIs (sexually transmitted becomes a problem when the playing infections).

But that doesn’t mean or becomes excessive and takes overit’s yourbetter life and more normal. leisure time, often at the expense of other rela“The practice of routinely circumcising chiltionships and responsibilities in your life. dren“Itseems come andgame out ofplaying vogue,” soundstolike your in video is says Dr. Derekyou Bochinski, an Edmonton urologist. costing some friendships, and that’s a pretty “Often thethat decision circumcise not will big clue perhapstoyour gaming isorbecoming depend oninwhether father has been cira problem your life,”the says Goertzen. cumcised.

It certainly is that not considered weird Goertzen suggests you don’t need to tostop be uncircumcised.” playing games altogether, but perhaps Chances are you really aren’tonly as much a you can decide to play games on weekminority you hours, think. Itorused to beathat ends forasa few one hour night. Stay circumcision was the status quo. Now active in a hobby, sport, volunteering orthat’s other changed.

Nowremember that’s changed. activities and that your real-life Besides, Dr.are Bochinski, says men report a relationships most important. decrease in sensitivity circumcision.

Goertzen suggest after that you may need Good the firisk ofout infection somehygiene supportlessens to help you gure how toin uncircumcised guys. with friends, school, balance your gaming family and other activities.

Question: “It would be My good parents to talk with arean religious. adult you I used to like to church with them, trust. Tell themgoing about the gaming and how

GRIPMagazine GRIP Magazine

much you’re playing – ask for help to figure this out,” says Goertzen.

but Question: these days I loveI don’t my dad’s know new if I believe girlin friend, the same she’sthings. awesome.

HowI do feelI tell badthem aboutI don’t likingwanna her so go much, to church? especially when mom Hesitates starts asking questions about –my Hester her. What should I do?

-Stuck in the Middle Sandra Hey Hester, It’s important to remember that any time Dear Sandra, parents are concerned about you, it’s because It’s hard when pulled in twotodirections they care.

The you first feel thing you need do is help after your getthough divorced separated them see parents that, even youormight disaand you are in the middle, saysabout Goertzen. gree on something, you care them too.

GoertzenHolowochuk, says to remember that it’spsycholtheir Amanda provisional divorce or separation, not yours.

“It’s OKsays to let ogist at Calgary Counselling Services, themyoung each people know that, andtoit’s to keep that need beOK open withloving pareachabout of them justchanging the samefaith. as you always have.” ents their Don’t spring says that perhaps yougenuine can ask theGoertzen decision on them.

That makes someone both youlook andlike yourteenage mom know and spiritual concerns rebellion. trust helpengage you talk about your feelings with “Ifto teens their parents in the converyour mom, andmore to asklikely yourtomom to respect put you sation, they’re listennot and in thethe middle. what teenager is saying,” Holowochuk “Your mom to know her quessays.

Even still,needs accepting yourthat changing tions are you and that it and beliefs willuncomfortable take time. So for measure the pros makes like youHolowochuk need to ‘choose’ cons ofyou yourfeel decision, says. between two parents you love very much,” That’s the something you can cover when you saystoGoertzen.

“I suspect that your loves talk your parents.

And be sure to mom find out you very much and,means because she parents. is still healwhat church really to your “Is transitioning, she may how iting theand actual going to church ornot is itrealize the family hard her for you.

It’s OK to tell time?

Getquestioning clarity as toiswhy they want you to her. It’s OK toHolowochuk. let her know that attend,” says Youyou candon’t use want that to betoasked dad orcompromise. his girlfriend. Maybe And it’s info reachabout a satisfying verymeet OK toyour tell mom thatafterwards you love her just as you parents or too, go with muchtwice as you ever have.” them a month.

And reassure them that

Question: I think one of my friends might have an eating recently your values haven’tdisorder. changed,She just your beliefs. broke her boyfriend, ever Like a lotup of with problems, this one getsand better since thenthe she just hasn’t by keeping people that carebeen aboutherself. you Is anything I can do to help her out? inthere the loop.

-Concerned Calvin Question: I have visible hair on my breasts, and I’m a girl! I’m worried Dear Calvin, I’m a freak, worse, It sounds likeor your friendaisguy. taking the breakup –with Hairy Mary pretty hard, says Goertzen, her boyfriend and may be feeling a little down or depressed.

Hi Mary, “It’s normal for someone to feel a little sad There more girls ends with some hair around after aare relationship for awhile, but it’stheir nipples than you think.

It’s just notbetter something also typical to start feeling a bit as each they about.says It isn’tGoertzen. freaky at all; totally daytalk passes,” “If it’s your friend common. canbe begetting hard when think you are seems toItnot pastyou these sad feeldeveloping in different than peers, ings, it’s important forways her to talkyour about it and but don’t to ask forworry. help with these feelings.”

You can always thetostray hair Goertzen saysjust it’s leave difficult know for sure alone: it’s the probably near as as whether signsnowhere you describe arebad about you think. eating or symptoms of depression disordered There aresurface, a lot of ways to getthat rid of thefriend but, on the it seems your unwanted hair. best way is to pluck seems sad orProbably possibly the depressed. out the However Therebel very hairs best with helptweezers. you can offer your you approach it, be careful. It’s a sensitive area! friend, says Goertzen, is to encourage her to If it’s a real problem, can have laser talk with her mom, or ayou teacher or counselremoval, but that’ll costfriend you around $75want a to lor at school.

“If your does not session. excessive hair talk withSometimes anyone else right now, letgrowth her know can a hormonal imbalance.

If you think thatsignal you need to talk with someone because you’re much hair, youGoertzen. can ask your you’regrowing worriedtoo about her,” says gynecologist check levels.

If “Then tell anto adult youyour trusthormone about your conitcerns is a hormone periods be so they problem, can help your you and yourmay friend.” affected too.

Help Wanted is provided for general informational purposes only and is notfor intended replace Help Wanted is provided generalto informational consultations withisyour doctor orto toreplace provide medical purposes only and not intended consultations with your doctor or to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Always seek the advice, or treatment.

Always seek health the advice advicediagnosis of your physician or other qualified of your physician or other qualified health provider with provider with any personal medical and health any personal medical and health questions that you questions may have. that you may have.

E-mail helpwanted@griponlife.ca E-mail helpwanted@griponlife.ca mail Help Wanted, c/o Grip Magazine oror mail Help Wanted, c/o Grip Magazine 10259-105 10259-105 St.St. Edmonton, T5J 1E3 Edmonton, ABABT5J 1E3

SAME DIFFERENCE ISSUE We’re all familiar with the struggle between individuality and conformity, between wanting to be different but still needing to be accepted as part of the group. While we want to fit in, we also want to express what makes us unique. Is it possible for us to do both? Grip contributors show that we should look for similarities and celebrate what makes us stand apart. It’s that balance that makes each of us who we are.

WHAT SETS YOU APART?

WE POSED THIS QUESTION TO A VARIETY OF TEENS AND DISCOVERED THAT WHAT INITIALLY SETS PEOPLE APART ACTUALLY HAS A WAY OF BRINGING THEM CLOSER TOGETHER

BLEND IN OR STAND OUT?

BE YOURSELF, BUT ALSO BE AWARE OF THE SITUATION YOU’RE IN. A JOB INTERVIEW REQUIRES A DIFFERENT APPROACH THAN A CLASS PROJECT

GROUPS BEHAVING BADLY

WHY IS IT THAT WHEN A GROUP OF PEOPLE COMES TOGETHER, THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO DO THINGS THEY MIGHT NOT DO ON THEIR OWN?

ONE IS A LONELY NUMBER

STANDING APART FROM THE CROWD CAN LEAD TO FEELINGS OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION. LEARN HOW TO FIND VALUE IN BEING ALONE

HE SAID, SHE SAID

SHOULD YOU JUDGE A PERSON BY THE CLOTHES THEY WEAR? GRIP WRITERS DEBATE THIS

18 26 28 32 34 griponlife.ca

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What Sets you Apart?

We posed this question to a variety of teens and asked them to write first-person essays in response. As each one takes us into his or her world, a theme emerges: maybe what initially sets people apart actually has a way of bringing them closer together hen Grip asked seven teens to answer the question “what sets you apart?” we weren’t too sure what to expect. The teens were given broad guidelines – take us inside your world, and do so in fewer than 600 words.

The essays are each unique, describing very different circumstances and qualities that make each of these teens different.

One writer documents his life in a wheelchair, while reflecting on a job he loves at a summer camp. Another teen recalls how the diagnosis of a chronic illness changed her identity, or at least seemed to. We have a guy who writes how “gay” is a label he has, but it’s not one that defines him in his entirety. Another teen writes about how the constant change associated with always being the new kid has influenced who she is today. An identical twin shares that even though she has the same DNA as someone else, differences still exist. Finally, we have an essay from a teen who describes her constant quest for perfection and an essay from a teen that can’t quite put her finger exactly on what it is that sets her apart.

As each writer takes us inside his or her unique world, we find that numerous commonalities begin to emerge. Many of the teens talk about how other people may initially see them as being different, but they don’t share that feeling. Most of these teens have also experienced being labelled, but personally, they don’t really ascribe to such labels.

These essays give a new perspective on how other teens live. What sets these teens apart on the surface really doesn’t matter that much in the end. We’re not, it seems, that different after all.

GRIPMagazine

I have ARMS like tree trunks

By Bobbi Belsek

When people think of a guy in a wheelchair, they are surprised to hear of someone who drives his own vehicle, goes to university and plays sports – but that’s me People often think that because I roll around on a set of wheels instead of using my legs that I am not at all the same as they are.

Indeed, sometimes it does cause people to give me strange looks. Most of the time I am not actually the one who notices the strange glances people give me; instead, it is my friends who notice people’s looks. I am not actually as different as you would expect. When people think of a guy in a wheelchair they are surprised to hear of someone who drives his own vehicle (a lever controls the gas and brake pedals), goes to university and plays sports.

I don’t have use in my legs because of nerve issues. I’ve used a wheelchair since high school and I walked with crutches before that. I don’t let my wheelchair limit me, though; I’ve played wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey. I tried out for the national sledge hockey team when I was in high school, and I stay busy with school and work – including a job that I love at a summer camp.

My camp is not exactly the ideal model of an accessible location. The camp is built on a piece of land that has several different hills on it. It seems that it rains quite a bit while I am out there and when it does the whole place turns into an endless chasm of mud. For most people, this problem is no big deal, but the mud seems to be everywhere and it seems to stick to the wheels of my chair and it doesn’t come off very easily.

Usually when it rains I try to wear the same clothes for as long as possible so that I can wipe my muddy hands all over them; eventually I blend in with the rest of the surroundings! The mud also seems to act like quicksand and my wheels sink down into it – a problem unique to me as I’m the only

one out there in a wheelchair.

Despite these challenges, working at camp is a lot of fun and that is why I do it. Several of my friends playfully mock me because I fly around faster than anyone in a wheelchair really should on uneven gravel terrain. This can end up in mishap; I’ve been known to hit a rock the wrong way and go flying out of my chair. But because of my tree trunk-like biceps (I don’t mean to brag, but that’s what happens when you use your arms to push yourself around), I am able to pull myself right back up into my chair and go along as if nothing ever happened.

Out at camp we have a large hill that goes down towards our dock. Fortunately the beach is large enough so that if you do have a mishap you will not end up right on the dock.

To reinforce the fact that I am a testosterone-infused male, I once thought it would be a cool stunt if I could go down the hill after dark with a blinking headlamp on my head. As I was going down I realized that this was probably not a good idea because I really couldn’t see anything.

The whole stunt might have actually worked out quite well except there was a thin strip of wood at the bottom of the hill, presumably to stop people if they got going down too fast. If I had been able to see, I could have popped up my front wheels to go smoothly over it just like any other obstacle. When I hit the wood strip my chair stopped, but of course I didn’t stop as quickly as my chair. I tumbled out of my chair and ended up on the ground on my back. Once I flew out of my chair all I could do was lie on my back for a few minutes and laugh uncontrollably. As you can tell, life in a wheelchair comes with its own unique challenges – but it certainly doesn’t stop me from being me.

“People often think that because I roll around on a set of wheels instead of using my legs that I am not at all the same as they are… I am not actually as different as you would expect.”

griponlife.ca

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20 I like CONSTANT change

By Varda Khan

Frequently moving to new cities, and sometimes new countries, has caused my personality to change just as much as my address Throughout my 16 years of living, I have changed constantly with each new move. So far I have lived in three countries and stayed in a school no more than three years. As a young individual that constantly changes, I have mastered the skill of changing my personality with every move. The personalities I have come to live with have played a great role in my understanding of life and who I really am.

I was born in Pakistan and lived there for two years. I started school in America. While living there, I constantly travelled between New York City, Manhattan, New Jersey and Brooklyn. After five years of all this travelling, my parents finally settled in Canada. We moved to Ontario and started living with my cousins for a total of about five years. With this drastic move, my personality changed from being a shy little girl to an outgoing child. This transition was due to the number of people living with us. My immediate family consists of five people. My cousin’s family had four members and we all lived with my grandparents and their kids. In total I had spent five years living with 14 people. While living with a huge family has its ups and downs, it boosted my confidence and the way I acted helped shape me for who I am today.

After living with a big family, it was a huge change when my immediate family of five members moved to Edmonton. This was a drastic and critical moment for my personality and confidence. I had spent a good chunk of my life being supported by the love of my relatives.

With no one but my little family of five, I headed out into the unknown.

This is my fourth year living in Edmonton, and so far this is also the third house I have

moved in while living here. I have come to understand myself better because I don’t have the noise and assurance of my other family members.

The first school that I had attended in Edmonton was the first time that I was on my own. In all of the other schools that I had attended, there was at least one family member that I would recognize. In Edmonton, I knew no one. At that school, my personality changed and I became a shy individual. At the next school I quickly made new friends and took part in so many after school activities.

I kept changing my personality because I never really knew who I was. While travelling, I met many confident and unique individuals that were so sure of their lives. They knew who they were and what they were doing.

As a confused and awkward girl, I began copying tiny little details of their personalities, all in the hope that I would one day be sure of my life.

Even to this day, I don’t know who I truly am.

But the opportunities I have had in my life have helped me to better understand myself and the world around me. The idea that I can take in my surroundings and make a niche for myself no matter where I live is the one unique thing that sets me apart from everyone else.

I adapted to my different personalities through my constant moving. Through my years of experience in changing who I am, I would just like to say that it is good to change.

With each and every change, I have slowly begun to learn more about myself. If I had never seen the world around me throughout my travels, I would have never become the confident individual I am today.

“Even to this day, I don’t know who I truly am. But the opportunities I have had in my life have helped me to better understand myself and the world around me.

The idea that I can take in my surroundings and make a niche for myself no matter where I live is the one unique thing that sets me apart from everyone else.”

I’m PROUD of who I am

By Blake

I’m gay, but this one label is not what sets me apart, and it certainly doesn’t define me in my entirety What sets me apart in terms of being gay?

It’s tough to say, because I don’t like the idea that one label can set me apart. I like to think that being gay doesn’t define me in my entirety. I do, however, feel that being gay changes the way people perceive me.

I have always had ease in terms of getting along with people. When I fi rst came out to my friends after high school, though, I started to feel as if my relationships began to shift as women seemed to drop their barriers and open up while men began to raise their barriers and it became harder to have strong ties with guys. There just seems to be a negative stigma attached to being gay that makes it quite difficult for us to come out and also difficult for others to accept us and not ruin their social reputation. I have found that this was mainly a grade-school feeling and not something I experience as much anymore, now that I’ve graduated from high school.

One thing I have found that sets me aside from other males is the ease in which I can drop the societal gender role of a male. To expand, it is fi ne for me to drop the normal role of playing/watching sports, hiding my emotions and wearing “manly colors”.

In a way, it just seems that with ease, I can identify myself as whatever I like, whereas a heterosexual male may be given the label of being gay or feminine if he were caught watching Desperate Housewives in a purple

shirt while the hockey game was on.

For the most part, I have found that once I admitted to being gay, people were generally accepting and happy that I had accepted myself for who I am and that I had pushed through the negative connotations of being a homosexual.

To be honest, I am proud of who I am and I don’t think it is because I am gay or 22 or an Aquarius that I have certain traits that set me apart.

Each person starts with a unique set of personality traits and DNA and we are constantly growing who we are through experience and education. These are the things that set us apart.

A famous theorist known as William Isaac Thomas once created a theory called the Thomas theorem that states: “If men defi ne situations as real, they are real in their consequences.”

So I suppose what I am saying is as soon as we attach certain qualities or activities to being gay, it will be because we are gay that we have these qualities. In reality, though, it is a compilation of everything (education, experience, DNA, sexual preference, etc.) that identifies us. We should stop letting societal discourses set frameworks on how being gay or straight should be, and simply be ourselves.

There is a spectrum on which masculinity and femininity lie, and each individual will fit into that spectrum quite differently.

“To be honest, I am proud of who I am and I don’t think it is because I am gay or 22 or an Aquarius that I have certain traits that set me apart.

I assert that each person has a unique set of personality traits and DNA and we are constantly growing who we are through experience and education and these are the things that set us apart.”

griponlife.ca

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22 My organic BRAIN dump

By Leanne Klimek

I like writing, I watch a lot of YouTube videos, I like playing World of Warcraft and I like the word “awesome” My brain is vomiting. I’m sorry. Reflecting is something I do a lot of, I guess.

I’m supposed to discuss what makes me unique. I’ve asked myself 246 times over the past 24 hours what sets me apart, and I’m having trouble deciding on a definite answer.

Part of me feels I’m not special enough to say I’m “set apart” from other people. I know people will tell you you’re unique. However, I like to think back to a Demotivational poster I once read: “Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.”

People like Rebecca Black and Justin Bieber are becoming famous (sometimes not quite for the reasons they expected). We must feel they’re different than the majority, otherwise why are Friday and One Less Lonely Girl such a big deal? Black and Bieber are unique, then. There is hope for the rest of us, too.

I don’t want to be famous. People would follow you, ask for your autograph, troll your YouTube videos. I wouldn’t want to be a movie star. Robert Pattinson has hordes of aggravating females.

I like writing. It’s a significant other who will never leave you, unless you leave it first. It’s like the movie you can’t stop watching. It’s like bashing your head against something until it doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s like a stupid dog with a bladder infection that keeps peeing all over the good carpet but in the end comes to you, puts his head on your lap, and looks up at you with these big, sad eyes; you have to forgive him and scratch his belly because if you didn’t, you’d feel bad.

I wouldn’t mind being a writer. They don’t get followed around by paparazzi, and most of the time they don’t do interviews watched by half the world unless they’re Stephenie Meyer or something.

I watch a lot of YouTube videos. I like seeing little parts of these people every day inside my

computer screen. It feels like a kaleidoscope of souls.

I like playing World of Warcraft. It doesn’t seem many girls do. I’m at level 25 with my troll priest, and this admittedly isn’t great, but I enjoy it and intend to play for hours when summer vacation starts. I wish I hadn’t named my troll “Tirtwaz”.

But we all have regrets.

I am quirky. This can be a flaw. I count calories, make lists, weigh myself all the time, attack problems head on, am quite blunt, and wash my hands more often than many other people.

I like to draw and paint, which helps feed my nostalgic, meticulous personality. I have collages on my bedroom wall. They’re awesome. I like the word awesome. I also like the words melancholy, insidious, innocuous and placid.

I’ve gone to every class I’ve had this semester.

A lot of people I know don’t go to class. It’s tricky for me to understand why. Maybe this stems from the fact that I have a hard time seeing other’s points of view. This is a flaw, too. I’ll make it change.

I’m trying to think more critically about information that I am presented with. A lot of the time, I don’t think the information I see in the media is valid or well thought out. The vast majority of people don’t seem to think about this.

It concerns me.

You’ve just read an organic brain dump. You’ve read what I like about myself, and what I don’t. I suppose there might be hope for normal people to be a bit less normal, if they want to be. Reading back, I think the things I’ve listed and discussed make me unique. Except they’re on a continuum.

They don’t exist in some defined, black-andwhite dimension like I thought they would.

Nothing does. It’s all shades of grey.

“I’m supposed to discuss what makes me unique. I’ve asked myself 246 times over the past twenty-four hours what sets me apart, and I’m having trouble deciding on a definite answer. Part of me feels I’m not special enough to say I’m ‘set apart’ from other people.”

I’m NOT fragile

By Jenah McPherson

The diagnosis of a chronic illness caused me to question my health, and my identity Everyone always says how you should find that one thing that sets you apart from everyone else. The one thing that makes you different, unique. But no one ever tells you what to do if that one thing is something you never bargained for.

I was just a normal kid. I loved playing with my friends and hated homework. I snorted peas out my nose when my mom wasn’t looking and idolized my older brother. Then everything changed.

The summer I turned 13, I noticed something wasn’t right. I was sore all the time, my fingers were swollen like Italian sausages, and I couldn’t even turn a door handle.

After five months of constant pain, dozens of blood tests, two or three frazzled doctors, and one diagnosis later, we had a name for it: lupus.

At first I was relieved.

Okay good, now we know what it is. Problem solved. Right? Wrong.

That was just the beginning of the next five years of confusion, desperation, and fear. Every week it was more blood work. Every month it was another symptom, and another drug to cover it up. I lived in a small town, and I’m talking real small – like 300 people kind of small.

Everyone knew I was sick. That was the hardest part. Now I was “Oh you know Jenah, the one with the disease?” Everyone started treating me like I was super fragile, like I would break if they touched me. I wanted to scream “I am still me!”

People would have eventually forgotten I was sick, or at least moved on to the next big news, but thanks to the medication, I now looked different too. It was a constant reminder that I was sick. That I was different. I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t feel different. Maybe a little more sore from time to time, maybe a little scared. But I was essentially still me. I had the

same likes and dislikes as before, the same morals and convictions.

But then something did start to change. I started to look at myself the same way I thought others were looking at me. Sick. Diseased. There was something wrong with me. It was obvious. I had gained so much weight in such a short period of time; I had missed school for kidney biopsies, and could now explain what Systemic lupus Erythematosus was without so much as batting an eye.

But then something happened, something that helped me cope, just a little. My cousin went to hug me goodbye and he gave me this feeble little tap on the shoulder – this coming from the guy who used to squish the life out of me. So I said to him “You know I’m not glass right? I won’t shatter if you give me a real hug.” And he looked at me sheepishly and grinned “Sorry, sometimes I forget that you’re not fragile, you’re just sick.”

It was a breaking point for me because I realized people were just ignorant to my circumstances. I couldn’t expect people to know about lupus. You can’t know what you don’t know. People didn’t know how to approach the topic. And my hostility towards anyone who tried to bring it up didn’t help matters any. I thought they were judging me, when really all they were doing was trying to understand – same as I was.

I realized that as much as I might wish otherwise, my having lupus does make me different. But there is so much more to me than that. And if I let people get close enough, I can show them that.

I have lupus. I am different because of it. But I know that it is not the only thing that sets me apart, and one day, they’ll know it too.

“People would have eventually forgotten I was sick, or at least moved on to the next big news, but thanks to the medication, I now looked different too. It was a constant reminder that I was sick. That I was different...I didn’t feel different. Maybe a little more sore from time to time, maybe a little scared. But I was essentially still me.”

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24 I LEARN from failure

By Himmi Cheruvu

When I finally decided to stop striving for perfection, I found out who I really was Today I seem to have as much in common with the girl I was a year ago as I do with any stranger I might pass in the doorway of a Starbucks or in the aisle of an airplane. I cannot remember what she wore or how she felt that day. But I can tell you this about her without question: She was perfect.

Before you jump to conclusions, let me be very clear what I mean by that. I mean that I got up every day and tried to be perfect in every possible way. If there was a test to be had, I had studied for it; if there was an essay to be written, it was done.

I smiled at everyone in the hallways, because it was important to be friendly, and I made fun of them behind their backs, because it was important to be witty. If anyone had ever stopped and asked me why I did those things – well, I’m not sure what I would have said at the time. But I can tell you today that I did them to be perfect, in every possible way.

Being brought up in a fairly affluent area meant I attended a well-off junior high. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the perks, but the downside of this was the pressure to live up to a standard.

All around me were people who were good at school, good with other people, good at athletics, good at life. I started to push myself more and more, trying out for every school team, and berating myself when I didn’t get in.

I ran around and around cramming activities into a packed day and never felt good if I left the school before 6:30 p.m. I compared myself to everyone around me and to the best of the best.

This attitude only grew when I got into high school. Everyone seemed to have the perfect body, the perfect skin, the perfect act. The pressure to fit in, be popular, do well at school

and to get things together was starting to wear on me. It was the day I failed at something I had wanted to succeed at very much that I woke up.

I remember going numb when I got the news.

Sitting there, I fell into the centre of myself. I looked for that core to sustain me. Being perfect all my life, or at least managing to meet the expectations of my family, friends, community and society, meant that I had a black hole where my core ought to have been.

Without it, I broke. I was defeated! I gave up entirely and wandered around the next week like a zombie; the mere mention of the incident of my failure would bring me to tears. But slowly, I was able to pull myself up again – I survived.

I emerged stronger, and with something inside me that has held me up ever since.

So what I want to say to you today is this: if this sounds, in any way, familiar to you, if you have been trying to be perfect in one way or another, then make today the day to put down the backpack. Nothing important, or meaningful, or beautiful, or interesting, or great ever came out of imitations. The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. This is more difficult, because there is no template to follow, no mask to wear. Set aside what your friends expect, what your parents demand, what your acquaintances require.

Begin with that most terrifying of all things: a clean slate. Then look, every day, at the choices you are making, and when you ask yourself why you are making them, find this answer: for me, for me. Because my choices are who and what I am, and mean to be.

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. This is more difficult, because there is no template to follow, no mask to wear. Set aside what your friends expect, what your parents demand, what your acquaintances require.”

I SHARE someone’s DNA By Analyn Bell I have an identical twin, but this doesn’t mean there’s a replica of me out there – my sister and I are two very different people I have an identical twin sister. No, I can’t feel her pain and no, I don’t share a brain with her – but my sister and I do have a lot of similarities, both in our appearances and our personalities. But we also share a lot of differences and I’m not a replica of her, or vice versa. If you spend more than five minutes with us, you’ll easily be able to tell who’s who. Nonetheless, it can be difficult to feel like a unique individual when you have someone who looks exactly like you do.

We looked so similar as babies that our parents initially had to paint my sister’s toenail pink so that they wouldn’t mix us up. “Baby A” (she was born first) and “Baby B” (that was me) could now be distinguished – although my mom swears she never had to rely on the painted toenail. Still, when I look at baby pictures of us, I can’t even tell who is who. It’s a pretty weird feeling to not know who you are in a picture.

People always ask if we dressed alike; everyone seems to know a pair of twins who have rhyming names and dressed identical. There are a few pictures of us in the same clothes as babies and toddlers, but by the time we were in kindergarten we wore our own thing.

We still looked a lot alike, but we made a pretty big effort to distinguish ourselves, through haircuts, clothes and always correcting people if they called us the wrong name. We were never in the same class in school, which also helped us to form our own friend groups and distinct personalities.

One of the worst things when you’re a twin is when people just assume you and your twin are exactly the same person. They call you the wrong name, you correct them and they

respond, “Oh, it doesn’t matter, you’re the same as her anyway.” These sorts of comments can make it hard to form your own identity and it becomes very frustrating to constantly feel like no one really knows you as you, they just know you as one of the twins.

There are a million good things about being a twin, though, things that far outweigh such comments. I live in a world of “we” and constantly have someone to talk to and do things with; I have a builtin best friend who is always there for me.

Another good thing about being a twin is you can play tricks, although I have to admit, my sister and I have not taken full advantage of twin trickery.

We switched places on April Fool’s Day in Grade 3 until lunchtime, when we switched back. We cleared it with our teachers fi rst and our best friend (yes, OK, we shared one) was the only one who could tell we had switched places. While this trick worked in Grade 3, it would not work now as we look too different.

So while I share the same DNA as my twin sister, and she is my best friend now, there are many things that set me apart from her.

I’m a little shorter and my feet are size eight compared to her size nines. I’m quieter and am more content to be in the background observing everything, whereas my sister loves to be the centre of attention. I love Greek food, while my sister hates feta cheese. She loves Mexican, which I’m indifferent to. If you spend some time with my sister and me, I guarantee you’ll have more things to add to that list. We may look alike, but we are two very different people.

“There are a million good things about being a twin, though, things that far outweigh such comments. I live in a world of ‘we’ and constantly have someone to talk to and do things with; I have a built-in best friend who is always there for me.”

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26

Blend in? or Stan

A Grip writer examines a handful of situations you may find yourself in and determines if the time is better suited to a subtle or loud expression of who you are.

By Jenah McPherson

I

t’s a crazy world out there, and sometimes it’s not always easy to decide whether it’s the time to be yourself and be unique, or to blend in a little and go with the flow. It can be tough trying to figure out when to fit in and when to stand out, but we’re here to give you some examples of when it might be appropriate to be “out there” and when it’s better to just relax and be a little more mundane.

THE JOB INTERVIEW: When you are going in for an interview, you want to leave your employer with a taste of who you are and why you’d be an asset to their company. Your confidence in who you are and what you would bring to the job should be apparent. This is a time to stand out against the other candidates, which you can do by highlighting your personal strengths as they relate to the job. Let your potential employer know why you are uniquely suited for and interested in the type of work you are applying for.

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THE CLASS PROJECT: When you have to hand something in as a group you want your part to be distinct and noticeable, but you also have to be able to work together, and that means compromise. In class projects, I would say it’s best to do a little bit of both standing out and blending in. Make your part unique somehow, but also conform a bit and make sure you involve everyone’s ideas and thoughts. When I’ve done class projects, I always make sure to stay consistent with some sort of signature style that my teachers can recognize so they can look at it and say “Oh, Jenah must have done this part.”

But I also take the ideas of my classmates into consideration. I conform some of my thoughts to their ideas, which creates a win-win situation.

THE SPORTS TEAM:

This is a unique situation because there are times on the field or court when it’s best to stand out and be the star and other times when you need to be in the background to help your team out. On the basketball court, for example, you’re one of the team. You need to be able to work with the other players, but you also have to recognize when it’s time for you to stand out with your skills and really shine. This situation requires balance and strong communication with your teammates.

? and Out? THE GRADUATION:

Have you ever showed up to a dance wearing the same outfit as someone else? Talk about awkward. That’s why the best thing to do in a case like this is to find an outfit that is distinctly you; something no one else would wear. Maybe you buy it at a thrift shop and make it your own by taking a little of this and a little of that and creating something totally unique – this goes for guys and girls.

Or, maybe you buy an outfit but add a crazy hair piece or some wild shoes to make it pop. Even if someone else has the same outfit, if you added a brooch or a necklace it makes yours a little different. This is an example of when you definitely want to stand out.

THE DRAMA CLUB: Everyone knows that in drama you want to stand out, so get a calling card – something that screams your name. This could be an accent or a style in which you deliver your lines, anything that will make the audience remember you when the show is over. Leave them wanting more of your specific character. When I was in drama I always had my character carry around a handkerchief and I would fiddle around with it on stage. It helped me calm my nerves, and after the show people were asking the director “Who was the anxious one that was always fiddling? She played her part so well!”

My individuality paid off and people wanted more.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY: While it’s important to be yourself, there are times where, although you don’t have to conform completely, you could tone it down a little. One example of this is when you’re attending a party, for example a birthday or wedding. Although you don’t want to be a carbon copy of everyone else, you also don’t want to stand out too much. You do not want everyone looking at you because it’s not your day. So wear something you are comfortable in. If you have a very vibrant personality, try wearing something simple with an extravagant piece of jewelry. That way you are staying true to your style, but not stealing the spotlight.

THE VACATION:

When you are thinking of getting away with friends or family and are planning a spa weekend or a guys’ night, keep one thing in mind: these people love you for who you are. So be yourself, take what makes you unique and go with it. They wanted you to join them, so obviously they enjoy your unique personality. Be true to who you are and have fun with the people who love you for you!

So all in all, there are times when it is best to be yourself and stand out in doing so and other times when you might want to consider blending in a little. Just remember, be true to yourself – even when the situation calls for toning it down a little and letting someone else shine in the spotlight. Remember who you are and what makes you you, and when the situation calls for it, you will know if it’s time to stand out or blend in.

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28

Groups Behaving Badly

By Megan Ryland

ILLUSTRATION BY COLIN SPENCE

Why is it that when a group of people comes together, they’re more likely to do things they might not do on their own? What should you do if you find yourself in this situation?

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Y

ou’re sitting around with a group of others, hanging out in a friend’s basement after school. The conversation – what went on today, a complaint about tomorrow’s math quiz, did you see what she was wearing? – meets a brief lull, and someone quickly breaks the silence. “Hey,” a friend pipes up, “I have an idea.” You listen, and are immediately hit with uncertainty. You wouldn’t normally do what your friend suggests, but everyone else seems to be game – so what are you going to do, be the one person who says no? You feel adrenaline rushing over your body, and you see everyone else around you nodding – they like this idea. Your mind is racing with uncertainties, but you find yourself nodding your head too…

It’s a situation you’ve likely found yourself in. Sure the characters are probably different, and the setting changes too, but the underlying situation remains the same: you’re in a group setting and you find yourself doing something you would probably say no to if you were on your own.

What’s going on?

“Group mentality is the phenomenon that occurs when people behave differently inside a group of people than they might if they were on their own, perhaps doing things they would not normally do if they were alone,” says Lynne Goertzen, a registered psychologist.

Whether you find yourself picking up a drink in a friend’s basement, joining others in making a rude comment to another person at school, or participating in an illegal activity, group mentality comes in various shapes and sizes – and it’s not at all exclusive to teenagers. Riots, for example, are characterized by a group lashing out, often violently and intensely, against authority. An individual would likely not commit such action on his or her own, but a mob mentality in the moment changes the individual’s actions.

Why is it that we are quick to say yes in a group setting to actions we would probably think twice about on our own? According to Goertzen, there are lots of things that contribute to these differences in behaviour, including peer pressure, adrenaline, fear of rejection, and a desire to fit in.

“We’re afraid of rejection,” says Goertzen. “The group provides us with a social identity. As human beings, we seek to align with people we identify with.”

Because of this, the group ends up having a lot of power over us as individuals. When acting within a group, says Goertzen, we have less fear of negative consequences. Vandals rioting or behaving criminally in a mob, for example, would likely not do so individually. What can propel group mentality further is that no one speaks up, because of a fear of rejection. If I go against the group consensus, the thinking goes, I risk being rejected or ousted from the group. “This fear of rejection reinforces the individual’s compliances with the group,” Goertzen says.

So what can you do when you find yourself in this sort of situation?

You’ve nodded in agreement to a friend or peer’s idea, when on your own you wouldn’t be participating. And now that you’re part of the group, you don’t want to stick out and say no – even though you know what’s starting to unfold is not something you want to be a part of.

Lana Bentley, a mental health therapist, suggests approaching such situations with a long-term perspective. She says that when we’re in a hurry to fit in, we can’t always appreciate the longer-term consequences of our behaviour. “As important as it seems to fit in right now, the things that are important to us right now might not be as important as we think they’re going to be ten years from now, or even one year from now.”

“I encourage people to really balance out their short term desires with long term desires,” says Bentley. “I think that we all want to fit in, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a sense of belonging. But it’s about having a sense of belonging that isn’t going to hurt you in the short term or the long term.”

“Sometimes being different actually means saying no, and not participating in something that’s going to cause you to compromise who you are or what’s important,” says Bentley. She advises you to ask yourself: ‘Do you think 10 years from now you’re going to look back and think gee, I’m glad I did that just to fit in? Do you think it will matter 20 years from now?’ If your answer to those questions are no – don’t do it.

Goertzen offers similar advice. “A key question to ask yourself when you’re inside a group and questioning something you believe is wrong is ‘What would I do if I were alone?’” says Goertzen. She says that if you can take time away from the group, even a few minutes to go to the bathroom or retrieve a ‘forgotten’ item away from the group, you’ll give yourself the opportunity to breathe, think, and answer this question.

Goertzen also suggests a few follow-up questions to ask yourself: ‘Will I be proud to share my actions/choices with my family, my community and the entire school tomorrow?’ and ‘Will I be proud of how I handled this when I look back in 10 years?’

The answers to these questions, says Goertzen, “will tell you whether to leave, stand up, or go along with the group.”

Asking these questions might help you leave before a situation escalates. What happens when you feel okay going along with the group, but as things escalate you find yourself wanting out?

“If you’re in an unsafe situation, do whatever you need to do to get safe,” says Bentley. She suggests going into a situation, assessing the risk, and having an exit strategy. Sometimes that exit strategy – calling a parent or older sibling to pick you up – may result in its own consequences (getting grounded, for example), but Bentley reminds people to measure such short-term consequences with longer-term consequences.

Another question that may be racing through your mind is if you should speak up; should you tell your peers that you don’t think what they’re doing is right? griponlife.ca

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30 “Sometimes speaking out may put you in a more difficult situation, in which case, could you just leave?” says Bentley. “It’s about doing whatever is safest for you in the moment and getting out of there and home in one piece.”

“If it is not safe to stand up or say something inside the group at that time, try to find a safe way to leave the group and go tell an adult right away what is happening – or telephone police,” says Goertzen.

It’s a lot to think about next time you find yourself sitting around that friend’s basement after school when group mentality strikes, but it’s also likely that by asking and answering such questions you’ll feel a lot better about your final decision.

What should you do if you find yourself in a group behaving badly?

Both Lana Bentley, a mental health therapist, and Lynne Goertzen, a registered psychologist, suggest asking yourself a few crucial questions when you find yourself in the middle of such a situation. Take some time away from the group and give yourself the opportunity to breathe, think and answer these questions: • � Do I think 10 years from now I’m going to look back and think gee, I’m glad I did that just to fit in? Do I think it will matter 20 years from now?

• � What would I do if I were alone?

• � Will I be proud to share my actions/choices with my family, my community and the entire school tomorrow?

• � Will I be proud of how I handled this when I look back in 10 years?

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Quiz: Are You a

Good Fit??

A mix of personalities is what makes every social group unique. unique Where do you fit in most comfortably within your group of friends?

Take this short quiz to find out.

Pretend that you are faced with the following scenarios and think about how you would react to each of them. Select the answer that best suits your response. Using the answer key, add up your score to learn more about where you are most comfortable in the crowd.

When you have a weeknight to yourself, free from homework or activities, you are most likely:

There is a group of kids at school that has been making a lot of fun of one of the new kids who just moved here from Africa.

You:

a) Spending time quietly by yourself; maybe drawing, reading a book, or listening to your favourite CD. b) Organizing an event with your friends – be it going to the movies, for ice cream, or shopping, you just want to socialize. c) Doing whatever strikes your fancy in the moment. Spontaneity is a must in your life.

a) Bring everyone together over an African meal, including the new kid and the group doing the teasing. b) Confront the group of kids who are doing the teasing. Someone, after all, has to tell them this is not right. c) Make an effort to get to know the new kid, including sharing your lunch and inviting him or her to hang out with you after school.

3.

5.

a) Talk to the teacher immediately after class and explain why you think this surprise quiz should not count for marks.

If your friends had to describe you in a maximum of three words, they would probably say that you are:

a) Confident, a leader, outspoken b) Calm, a listener, a thinker c) Quirky, interesting, odd

BETWEEN 6-10 POINTS: You’re most comfortable occupying a position of balance.

You understand when it’s time for you to talk and time for you to listen. You’re recognized as good at resolving conflict within your friend group, because you’ll listen to what everyone has to say before making a decision.

MORE THAN 10 POINTS: You’re most comfortable occupying a leadership position.

You’re the outspoken one within your friend group; the one who likes to be front and centre.

You’re good at organizing groups of people and you’re not afraid of putting yourself out there in front of everyone.

[ANSWER KEY]

You’ve just been given a complete surprise quiz in math class and, quite frankly, you don’t think the situation is very fair. You:

comfortable occupying a position of contrast.

Melding with a friend group isn’t a top priority for you; you much prefer to be the different, quirky, even zany one. Expressing your individuality, even within your group of close friends, is important to you.

c)3 c)1 c)2 c)2 c)1

2.

4.

FEWER THAN 6 POINTS: You’re most

b) 1 b)3 b)1 b)3 b)2

a) Listen to what your friend has to say and make it clear that you are there to support him or her in whatever way you can. b) Guide your friend to write his or her troubles on a piece of paper. You then fold it into a paper airplane and send it off. c) Find out the root of the problem and go and talk to whomever else is involved, standing up for your friend and warning others not to upset him or her.

b) Consider starting a petition for your fellow students to sign. When this doesn’t garner much interest, you change your tactic and decide to wear purple tomorrow as a sign of protest. c) Spend some time after class asking your peers if they also thought this quiz was unfair.

You’ll gather their opinions before talking to your teacher tomorrow morning and explaining the situation.

1. a)2 2. a)2 3. a)3 4. a)1 5. a)3

1.

One of your friends is going through a hard time. To help them, you:

*This quiz is for information and fun; it’s not diagnostic. griponlife.ca

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32 It’s one thing to stand on your own, but what happens when feelings of isolation and loneliness sink in? Can these feelings lead to depression and anxiety?

By Varda Khan

I

’ve felt alone before, and let me tell you, the life of a loner is pretty boring. You go to school and spend time by yourself. For me, this life came when I was in Grade 8 and was attending a new school. My family had just moved to a different province and I didn’t know anybody. I made friends at first, but I wouldn’t call them good friends. Considering the fact that they soon deserted me, I occasionally found myself spending a lot of my time alone.

Loneliness can be defined as standing apart and isolated, like a lonely tower. That’s how I felt; nobody understood me, I had next to no friends, and I spent a lot of my time thinking about how alone I was. This wasn’t much fun, as you might imagine, and I soon came to realize that this isolation and loneliness was not what I wanted.

I started to think of ways to branch out, to try new things, and to stop feeling lonely.

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• I joined a school club.

• I spent time at the school library.

• During my breaks I would read a book. It’s really shocking when you find out how fast time goes by when you’re reading.

• I made new friends! I was very fortunate in Grade 8 because in that year, a new student just happened to enroll in my class. I quickly became her friend and soon I wasn’t feeling so lonely anymore.

While I can clearly remember what that loneliness and isolation felt like when I was in Grade 8, how does one know when what they are feeling has turned into depression or anxiety? I’ve witnessed a friend who had such feelings, and I saw firsthand the serious impact they had on her life, hindering both social and personal goals. Her depression was triggered when her best friend had left school to study in another country.

AM I FEELING LONELY OR DEPRESSED? “Everyone feels lonely on occasion, for short periods of time, but these feelings should not persist,” says Lynne Goertzen, a registered psychologist.

“Sometimes being excluded and feeling different from your peers can lead to feelings of intense loneliness, sadness, anxiety, and depression.”

Pay attention to these signs: • feeling down, sad • � feeling worthless, helpless • feeling tired, low energy • f� eeling like life is not much fun, not enjoying fun things like before • f� eeling worried, nervous • thoughts or plans to kill or harm yourself • trouble concentrating, restlessness • losing or gaining a lot of weight • sleeping too much or too little • � feeling irritable, short-tempered • feeling aches and pains with no definite medical reason.

“These can all be symptoms of depression and a sign to ask for help,” says Goertzen. “Depression can be addressed, and you don’t need to continue feeling this way. A counsellor can be helpful in helping you recover from depression. Sometimes antidepressant medication might also be prescribed to help treat symptoms of depression like guilt, hopelessness, and anxiety – as well as some physical symptoms like loss of appetite, decreased concentration, restlessness, and nervousness.”

Goertzen also suggests staying physically active, planning enjoyable activities for yourself, eating healthy, learning and practicing some ways to relax, and spending time with people who support and care about you.

My friend felt that the world was crumbling down before her.

Throughout the school year, she slowly got better and began to view life in a more optimistic way. The things that she found helpful were: • Being with her friends and family helped to cheer her up.

• Watching comedy TV shows and movies.

• Becoming occupied with other tasks, such as doing homework, getting a job or cleaning up her house.

• Going for a walk and enjoying the beauty around her.

• Maintaining perspective by thinking about how fortunate she is.

Is there a turning point though, when my feelings of loneliness and isolation turn into my friend’s feelings of depression and anxiety? According to Dr. Jonathon Eustace, a psychologist with Alberta Health Services, experiencing feelings of isolation and loneliness is a normal part of being a teenager. “Feeling lonely is not the same as being depressed,” says Eustace. “Certainly if one is lonely for a long time, one could develop depression, but they’re not actually the same thing.”

Eustace says depression can come with a variety of signs, including losing interest with things you normally would enjoy, losing interest in being sociable and meeting up with friends, feel-

HOW TO HELP A FRIEND WHO IS DEPRESSED Lana Bentley, a mental health therapist, advises young people who have a friend who is struggling with any mental health concern, be it an eating disorder or depression, to be a supportive friend.

“Remember that your friend is a person, not a diagnosis, label, or medical term,” says Bentley. “You can support them just by continuing to be their friend and helping them to move forward and get the help that they need.”

ing really sad, a changed appetite and sleep, interference with other areas of your life, grades dropping in school and not getting along with family and friends. While for some people such feelings come and go, Eustace says if they last longer than two weeks you should seek help by talking to a parent, family doctor or school counsellor.

According to Lana Bentley, a mental health therapist, that line between feelings of isolation and feelings of depression looks different for everyone. “My message is it’s always better to overdo rather than under do, so when in doubt check it out,” says Bentley.

“I think if a person is having feelings that they would identify as being unusual or strange or something that’s out of the ordinary and it’s causing you to behave or react differently than you normally would, then it’s time to get help.”

For any other teens out there who are dealing with feelings of loneliness and isolation like I was, I would just like to say that there is value in spending time alone, just like there is value in developing friendships. Being comfortable with yourself and being alone at times is a good way to better understand yourself and learn who you really are. In a way, I think everyone should experience this because it makes you a courageous individual that isn’t dependent completely on your friends. That was my experience, and I’m happy to say spending time alone in Grade 8 helped me become the person I am today.

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34

He SaidS

Should you judge a person by the clothes they wear?

There are plenty of ways to express your individuality and although clothing is one of the most obvious ways to do so, two teens disagree on what’s best.

“Clothing should have little to no impact on defining who a person is,” writes Chris Berthelot. “School uniforms negate the possibility of stereotyping people by their clothing.”

ILLUSTRATION: HEFF O’REILLY

Human identity is a tricky thing to defi ne. Almost half of life is spent fi nding this identity, and the other half is spent trying to live with and understand it. A common way to search for yourself is by using clothing to develop a “look,” which can be a base point for defi ning yourself. This is a common practice among teens. I believe, however, that clothing should have little to no impact on defi ning who a person really is. As the old saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Instead of using clothing to express his identity, a person can express himself and show who he is through his actions.

While many people fi nd that wearing clothing of any sort (whether the latest trend or the most obscure) can show who they are, they often fi nd other ways of expression more fulfi lling.

Through drawing, playing music, writing and also through acting in plays, for example, a person can express who he is. These are just a few of the positive ways to develop an identity. Some young

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people join organizations such as the Scouts Canada or the Girl Guides or the Cadet Program. While people who join these organizations are given a general uniform, they are encouraged to fi nd out who they are through what they do, by participating with others in the groups, with their actions rather than their clothes.

Clothing, however, brings up several issues. For example, certain kinds of clothing worn in certain ways (a baseball hat worn sideways, for instance) can give a person a “label” which he can decide to accept or reject. This often leads to stereotyping of individuals, and can be a negative impact in their lives. An example of this is with people who wear dark clothing and are considered “goth” or “emo.” While some may adhere to this term, most are often insulted.

With regards to school clothing, while everyone should have the right to choose what they wear, school uniforms negate the possibility of stereotyping people by their clothing (at least during school). This also prevents teenagers from wearing clothing in ways that could be considered distasteful or distracting. And last but not least, it prevents people from insulting others for not wearing the clothes which are considered cool or trendy.

Clothing should have little to no impact on defi ning who a person is. There are a plethora of ways in which a person can express himself, through what he does when he’s alone (such as reading, drawing or listening to music) and when he’s with others (such as camping with friends or playing sports).

Clothing does not have to be the restriction on how people show who they are.

She Said By: Chris Berthelot and Jena Tang Grip assigned two teens to argue the opposite side of this issue, just for the fun of a good argument. We found an aspiring fashion designer who sees clothing as a driving force for expressing individuality, and a high school student who thinks there are plenty of other ways to express yourself than through what you wear.

“The use of personal style is capable of subtly declaring who you are, or in some cases, loudly flaunting it,” writes Jena Tang. “Dress codes and uniforms identify with conformity and eliminate character.”

In the age of Lady Gaga, haute couture and social culture, the mere suggestion that clothing be uniform ignites the flame of protest and objection from fashion devotees, unruly teenagers and cultural enthusiasts everywhere.

In a conformist world, and the overflowing sea of people, how else does an individual fi nd distinction? Fashion is not about assembling clothing attire or dress codes – it has evolved into an artistic form of expression. Punctuated across the nation and the media, are manifestations of slogan tees, runway trends, and outlandishly styled media moguls. It’s a brand of communication and the world is made vividly aware of people’s opinions and character. Fashion is like a kaleidoscope of individual interpretation and freedom – the driving force behind personality and creativity.

As an aspiring fashion designer, the natural hunger for distinguishing myself from the breadth of people is gaudily apparent. In the world of fashion, artists are critically aware of the need to separate oneself from the rest – to create a unique voice that differentiates what one has to offer in comparison to the others.

The personal interpretation and individuality incorporated into the clothing designs are

what detaches and brands the artist.

Dress codes and uniforms identify with conformity and eliminate character. The use of personal style is capable of subtly declaring who you are or, in some cases, loudly flaunting it. The initial act of choosing what to wear directly incorporates who you want to communicate yourself to be – your subliminal message – to the world. In truth, individuals may be judged according to how they present themselves, as irrational, overwhelming or loud, for example.

This is an honest depiction of who you are as an individual.

Culture is a myriad of clothing, distinction, individuality and qualities that defy imitation. In creating a uniform sense of style, we lose aspects of unique and diverse cultures. The Japanese kimono, Kenyan prints, or modern day rock band T-shirts disappear when a uniform sense of style is created.

Instead, we receive a bland Lady Gaga and repressed personalities in conservative clothes that emanate sameness, sameness and sameness.

This is the age of fighting the norm. The age of self-acceptance, the age of subliminally showing who you are in what you wear, raucously brandishing your quality, or modestly paying tribute to your character.

What we wear is a forward method of communicating when words are not articulate enough. How else does one stand out?

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35

A New Kind of

DANCE PARTY

By Emma Frazier

Shout Out Out Out Out has listeners clapping, jumping, dancing, moving, singing and – well, shouting out – across Canada and the U.S.

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WHAT’S PLAYING ON SO4’S IPOD aren’t busy Out Out Out Out t Shou in When the guys the following: to ing listen re they’ , party e creating a danc CLINT Holy Ghost! g Air Future Islands - In Evenin boy Panda Bear – Tom Types of Light TV on the Radio – Nine James Blake

LYLE Walias – Tche Belew Hailu Mergia & The ck and White The Stranglers - Bla Edgar Froese - Aqua hn – Gimme Some Peter, Bjorn and Jo Summer Games

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Q:

What do you get when you cross the early musical influence of Frank Mills, Nana Mouskouri, The Cure, The Dead Milkmen, Cocteau Twins, The Clash, CCR, SNFU, Motley Crue, Neil Young, Poison, Abba, Anthrax, Stompin’ Tom Connors, AC/DC, AFI, The Who, The Platters, and The Wheat Chiefs with four basses, a pile of synths, a vocoder, and two sets of drums?

Edmonton’s own six-man electro-poppunk-rock-crazy-crazy-Juno-noddeddance band Shout Out Out Out Out.

A:

The name may be a mouthful, but don’t think that it doesn’t work. Before these guys start their incredible live show, followers deliver a thunderous chant of “Shout - Out Out - Out Out” for as long as it takes to get band members Nik Kozub, Lyle Bell, Jason Troock, Will Zimmerman, Clint Frazier and Gravy on the stage and ready to throw the floor-shaking, sweat-breaking dance party people across Canada and the U.S. have come to expect.

So, what kind of music is it, exactly? “Analog synth-based electronic dance music with somewhat of a rock element…if I had to describe our music with one word, well, I don’t think I could, frankly,” says band member Nik. Frankly, they are like six giant cans of Coke that have been violently shaken and cracked open on stage. They are everywhere. The difference, though, is that they don’t lose their effervescence. They don’t ever slow down and neither does the crowd who clap, jump, dance, move, sing, and well, shout out the words to their favourite tunes.

Coming together from all directions in 2004, the guys all echo the same positives about being a band in the city of Edmonton. “Something I’ve always admired about Edmonton is what seems to be a self-imposed initiative to get things done,” says Jason. “I don’t know whether it’s because of its relative isolation, but there have always been so many creative promoters/musicians/DJs/

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labels/designers that want to create something – and do. There is a very strong and selfsupportive local music scene here in Edmonton that has most definitely helped us get to where we are today.”

Shout Out Out Out Out, or SO4 as they’re also known, have only one lament: the tremendous amount of equipment they have to haul across Canada and the U.S. when it comes time to tour. They have also toured the U.K. and parts of Europe. “The best insight into life on the road with us is to go to our website (www.shoutoutoutoutout.com) and watch our ridiculous and extensive collection of tour video diaries,” says Nik of life on the road. “We have a pretty great time with each other on the road; we definitely lucked out with getting the right collection of guys in the band. We have had the opportunity to play a lot of great venues over the years, it would be hard to pick [a favourite] one.

Melkweg in Amsterdam, Webster Hall in New York City, Virgin Festival in Baltimore, and our home town shows at Starlite all come to mind as standout experiences.”

The most revered trip the band has ever taken was down the red carpet at the Junos for their 2006 debut album Not Saying/Just Saying, which was nominated for Best Alternative Album of the Year. “It was a very surprising, great honour,” says Nik. “We were still a fairly new band at the time and we were, and still are, completely blown away that people were responding so well to what we do. I don’t think any of us expected that we would get the kind of mainstream recognition that something like a Juno nomination represents. It feels nice to have people notice what you do.”

And, once in a while, it’s not the show that actually ends up being the most exciting part of the day – as was the case for Lyle one morning.

“I like running in the mornings on tour,” Lyle says. “While jogging near Minneapolis I ran into

JASON James Blake Nicolas Jaar Superpitcher Neil Young arhols.

The Dandy W

a beautiful public park and it was serene and completely empty. I walked around for a while enjoying the peaceful sunshine and suddenly this huge cop was screaming at me and waddling my way. Turns out the park was closed for an archery contest.”

SO4 released their second album, Reintegration, in 2008, and there is a new album in the works for 2011 plus some remixes of old songs. This summer the band will be heading up to the Yukon to play in the Dawson City Music Festival. For something a little closer to home, you can see them perform at the Boonstock Music Festival in Gibbons, Alberta June 29 to July 2, 2011.

As for personal advice from SO4 about getting into the music business, Gravy suggests, “If music is your passion, pursue it with all you’ve got. Take lessons, learn how to read music, and learn as much as you can about your instrument.”

“Start creating!” says Jason. “This is an exciting time in music in that many of the previous barriers to making music, such as costly studio time, need for physical distribution, etc., are simply non-existent. It’s a great time to get creative and have fun making interesting stuff.”

Lyle’s advice is, “Be humble! Keep learning.

Ask. Listen. Share. They all say: Do it! But, don’t do it for the money.” Clint adds, “Money is always a challenge…money sucks.”

I guess now would be the time to reveal that Clint Frazier is my older brother. He’s the one with the big hair and he’s also one of those rare “nice” older brothers who has always treated me with respect and encouraged me in my musical pursuits. Occasionally, he even lets me take over his drums for the last song of SO4’s set. It’s a dream come true to play alongside Gravy and the other guys in front of hundreds of people, with invisible springs on their shoes. No wonder they love what they do.

GRAVY Caribou - Swim Doomriders - Darkness Comes Alive Molten Lava - Sevens and Nines AC/DC - Back In Black Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

38

This is

By Erin McCarty

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

3TEN

This dinosaur lover’s passion spurred him to move halfway around the world, from Japan to Drumheller. He’s now a paleontologist studying with his childhood idol.

GRIPMagazine GRIP Magazine

F

ew people are lucky enough to meet their childhood superhero or idol, and even fewer people manage to pursue their dream career.

Tetsuto Miyashita found a way to do both when he was only 16 years old.

Reaching those milestones wasn’t easy, though – it took a great deal of curiosity, bravery, and a move of more than 8,000 kilometers across the world.

Tetsuto, who was born in Tokyo, Japan, received a book as a gift from his parents when he was ten. The book was about dinosaurs and was written by Canadian paleontologist Dr. Philip Currie. Tetsuto says he was immediately fascinated by the subject matter, as well as the country the book’s author was from.

“Philip explained, step by step, how a story comes out of every rock and fossil,” says Tetsuto. “By looking at these tiny pieces he could tell so much about a dinosaur. It was like detective work…I got a taste of it from the book and I wanted to do the same thing because it was really cool.”

When Tetsuto says he wanted to do the same thing, he means it quite literally. The teenager from Japan wanted to move to Drumheller, home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the science of paleontology, and work with Dr. Philip Currie.

While a proposed trip halfway around the world, in chase of dinosaurs, might seem extreme, Tetsuto says it wasn’t. He was a teenager who was starting to seek independence, so planning such a trip wasn’t that out of character for him.

Perhaps more remarkable than the fact Tetsuto proposed the idea, is that his parents actually agreed to it.

Tetsuto said it took about two weeks to convince his parents to let him make the journey. What finally sold them on the idea was all the preparation and research Tetsuto had done before he presented it to them.

“I put together everything – I contacted the principal at the school in Drumheller and I got a letter from him.

I started looking for families. I had also written to Dr. Currie, who was at the Tyrrell Museum at the time…I got all of these documents saying I could go, provided I had somewhere to stay, and I laid them out for my parents to see that I was serious.”

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40 Thisis Tetsuto Miyashita

“I already knew what I wanted to do, and going to the museum every day was my way of making it happen. I think my classmates Despite such a devotion to came to think it was cool, dinosaurs, says he because I was so passionate.” never felt like heTetsuto was missing

During the winter of 2003, 16-year-old Tetsuto moved from Tokyo to the town of Drumheller, where he attended Grade 10 at Drumheller Composite High School. He says being so far away from his family was one of the most difficult challenges he faced, along with the fact that he initially spoke little English.

Life in a new country was full of many firsts for Tetsuto, including sleeping in his own bedroom.

He grew up in a house with four siblings, two parents, and often three grandparents, so he says he never had his own space before.

Despite the many adjustments he had to make, the teenager who had travelled across the world was determined to complete the task he GRIPMagazine

had come for. Tetsuto began volunteering at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, where he helped his idol Dr. Currie as a research assistant, as well as completing tasks like cleaning specimens.

“I think my classmates thought I was a little weird because I would finish at school and ride my bicycle to the museum to work until eight or nine at night,” says Tetsuto. “They’d be out partying or doing things, and I’d be invited, but I’d have to say no.”

Tetsuto says the only time he was really teased about his extreme love of dinosaurs was when classmates said his girlfriend must be a female dinosaur. That ceased, however, when Tetsuto eventually found a human girlfriend.

out on any part of normal teenage life.

“I already knew what I wanted to do, and going to the museum every day was my way of making it happen,” says Tetsuto. “I think my classmates came to think it was cool because I was so passionate.”

When he finished high school two and a half years later, Tetsuto knew he wanted to go to university and continue studying dinosaurs. Coincidentally, Dr. Currie received an offer from the University of Alberta to apply as a professor at that same time. Tetsuto was also accepted to the University of Alberta, in the Bachelor of Science program, so he and Dr. Currie both moved to Edmonton. At first he lived in Dr. Currie’s basement. “It has been amazing to have the opportunity to learn from and work with Philip,” says Tetsuto. “He really is my superhero. He’s always treated me like a comrade.”

While Tetsuto was once a child in Japan reading about dinosaurs, today he works in Alberta

a digging them up. Tetsuto completed his undergrad with a major in paleontology and was able to do a significant amount of field work. His focus was on the Tyrannosaur family.

One of Tetsuto’s most memorable discoveries came four years ago, when he went to Grande Prairie with another student to look at new fossil sites and discovered a small baby dinosaur skull that had a lot of similarities to the Tyrannosaurus rex, but at the fraction of the size.

Achieving his childhood dream hasn’t been without setbacks, though. In 2009, Tetsuto was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease that attacks the digestive tract and forms ulcers. After losing a quarter of his body weight, he was sent back to Japan and remained in the hospital and at home for many months. This obstacle, however, didn’t discourage him from pursuing his dream.

“It surely did slow me down, both in life and work, but only did so for about a year,” he says.

“When I was at the hospital, I was so bored and missed all the things I enjoy doing. I could not stand the thought of never being able to go back to a dinosaur dig, for example. Only then I knew it’s not that I simply wanted to be a paleontologist, but I had to be a paleontologist, whether or not I’ve got some weird disease.”

Although there is no cure for Crohn’s, Tetsuto keeps the disease under control by being careful about the food he eats and going for regular medical checks, in addition to receiving medical treatment. He said the diagnosis changed the way he approaches his research.

“It changed my research in a way that I started going more in depth with my projects after returning from the medical leave, because I liked all of the projects enough to spend a little bit more time than other researchers might want.”

Now 25, Tetsuto only has a year left in a master’s degree in paleontology. His childhood hero Dr. Currie is his supervisor. He plans to pursue a PhD, and he regularly returns to Drumheller and donates his fossil findings to the Royal Tyrrell Museum as a way to give back to the place that supported him so much.

Tetsuto says he always knew being a paleontologist would be fun, but he could never have imagined just how amazing it actually is.

“I love that I have a university degree, but I still get to go outside and get covered in dirt.

You’re in this wild condition, but you never really care because you are having so much fun.”

TETSUTO’S MILESTONES

SPOT THE DINO: Tetsuto practices his best dinosaur pose at the Royal Alberta Museum.

Tetsuto is also quick to encourage other teenagers to pursue what they love, just like he did. “[You] could be the one to discover new avenues of knowledge. If you really want to do something, you have the power to make it happen,” says Tetsuto. “One of my mentors, Rich Palmer, passed on this advice to me – be curious, and be brave. And I think that’s valuable to anyone who wants to do their own thing.”

• Last year Tetsuto went to Uzbekistan, near Moscow, to study fossils and evolution with colleagues. There is a possibility he might travel to to Siberia in 2012 or 2013 to study the mechanism of dinosaurs’ evolution and migration.

• The first specimen he worked on was the daspletosaurus (related to the tyrannosaur family) given to him by Dr. Currie. Tetsuto went on to find more bones in a quarry where the original skull was found, 10 years earlier, in Manyberries, Alberta.

• Tetsuto plans to continue studying the Tyrannosaur family, but his master’s thesis is on a completely different subject. After spending several summers out on the West Coast, he is exploring the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates through studying the hagfish and embryo development.

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This summer, give volunteering a try. If the experiences of the volunteers Grip interviewed are any indication, through volunteering you will make new friends, find out what you want to do with your life, be exposed to different opportunities and experiences, travel, learn more about yourself, gain experience to put on scholarship and university applications, help your community, feel valued, gain leadership skills, explore future career options, get a job, and much, much more‌ so what are you waiting for?

By Annalise Klingbeil

GRIPMagazine

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44 ndrew Phung, program director at Youth Central in Calgary, vividly remembers the first time he ever volunteered.

“I got in trouble at school and I was volun-told to volunteer my time at Loose Moose Theatre Company,” says Andrew. “I remember my first day there I ripped tickets, I scooped popcorn and I didn’t think anything of it.”

The experience introduced Andrew, a class clown, to the world of theatre. He started performing on stage and quickly realized why his Grade 12 teacher had made him volunteer. “Every week, my grades went up because I knew that if I did well in school my parents would let me go to the theatre that weekend,” says Andrew.

While Andrew’s fulltime job is with Youth Central, an organization that provides opportunities for youth in junior and senior high to volunteer and participate in their community, Andrew has continued to donate his time to Loose Moose for over a decade. “I’ve been volunteering there for 11 years,” says Andrew. “That’s my first volunteer experience and without that volunteer experience I would not be the man I am today.”

The benefits of volunteering are endless and can, as they were for Andrew, be life-changing.

When 18-year-old Sadie Shrestha came to Canada four years ago from Nepal, she was required to log volunteer hours for her Grade 9 leadership class.

“I didn’t know what volunteering was,” says Sadie. “I was told to get volunteer hours and I was panicking. [At the time] it was a huge part of my grade, but now it’s a huge part of my life.”

To fulfill her class requirements, Sadie became involved in her school’s recycling program. She spent countless hours after school collecting and sorting bottles and subsequently caught the volunteering bug.

Throughout high school, the bubbly teen volunteered an average of seven hours a week for a wide range of organizations. She has helped kids with homework at the Calgary Public Library, knitted toques for babies at the Peter Lougheed Hospital, helped organize a school fundraiser that brought in over $3000 for the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and dedicated five weeks of her summer to helping with a day camp for immigrant children.

“I guess volunteering just defines me now,” says Sadie, who has won awards for her volunteer efforts.

For Sadie, the benefits of volunteering include travel, scholarships and career exploration. The teen travelled to the Annual Youth National Conference in Ottawa (YOUCAN) and has also attended events in Jasper and

volunteered at organizations all over Calgary.

“When I was applying to universities, basically every university looked for volunteer experience that relates to what you want to do,” says Sadie, who finished her first year of international relations at the University of Calgary in April.

Choosing to pursue international relations is a decision that was influenced by Sadie’s volunteer work. “I didn’t know what I wanted to be, so I got involved in very different things,” says Sadie of her volunteer experience. Being exposed to a range of organizations meant Sadie realized that what she loved most was helping people in other countries.

Back at Youth Central, Andrew sees firsthand the benefits youth experience from volunteering.

Last year, approximately 2,500 youth gave 40,000 hours to volunteering in Calgary through Youth Central’s various programs. Andrew says volunteering is an awesome way for youth to be exposed to different opportunities and experiences.

“You learn more about yourself. As individuals when we take risks and we try new things, we find out more about ourselves,” says Andrew.

Through a variety of programs and events, Youth Central provides opportunities for youth aged 12 to 18 to volunteer and participate in the community, a cause that program director Andrew knows is extremely important.

“Our volunteer projects are fun. They’re really engaging, you work in a team of youth, you meet new friends and you feel valued,” says Andrew. “When you come home at the end of the day, you’re not treated like a second-tier member of society. You’re treated like a leader, a champion in our community.”

Youth Central’s largest program is the Youth Volunteer Corps, in which teens donate their time at events, organizations, and programs throughout the city. Youth sign up for projects online and volunteer alongside other youth and a team leader.

“The projects that we post are things that we think would be engaging. We don’t take just any random project, we really advocate for meaningful volunteer projects,” says Andrew.

“If you can think of something that you’re passionate about, there is a volunteer opportunity out there for that. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit.”

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Programs like Youth Central’s Youth Volunteer Corps allow teens to volunteer with a wide range of local organizations. Other volunteer opportunities involve intensive training for one position and organization.

At the Calgary Distress Centre, 18 youth have completed three months of training to volunteer answering phones and chatting

with teens online for the Calgary Distress Centre’s ConnecTeen line program.

“They’ve been trained on every single topic that you can imagine.

Suicide, domestic violence, addiction, mental health, relationships, proper documentation skills, things like that,” says Ashika Singh, youth program coordinator at Calgary Distress Centre.

Ashika’s volunteers work three five-hour shifts a month, and while some are keen to pursue careers in counselling and social work, others simply want to make a difference.

“We have a broad range of teens who volunteer in our program,” says Ashika.

While many youth volunteer opportunities across the province focus on helping seniors or children, the Calgary Distress Centre’s youth program allows youth to help youth.

“Hearing my volunteers on the (telephone) lines, it comes so naturally to them because they use the same language, they use the same tone of voice and they’ve been there,” says Ashika.

“They know how hard school is and how hard relationships are and how tough family can be.”

Ashika believes volunteering is a wonderful learning experience for youth.

“Volunteering is important because it gives (youth) a chance to give back to the community and get out there and meet new people and build their communication and social skills,” says Ashika.

Another organization specializing in youth volunteer opportunities is the Information and Volunteer Centre for Strathcona County, located east of Edmonton. The Youth Volunteer Program at the Centre helps

FROM VOLUNTEER TO EMPLOYEE Beyond boosting your resumé and helping with university applications, volunteering may just lead to a job with the organization you volunteer for.

Just ask 19-year-old Andrew Chell of Edmonton.

Andrew started volunteering at Camp Kuriakos, an overnight children’s summer camp on Sylvan Lake, when he was 14.

“It’s fun to be in that role-model position and be a good model for kids,” says Chell, who returned every summer, dedicating one week to helping at the camp. This summer he will spend 10 weeks working as a full-time counsellor at Camp Kuriakos, a position he got, in part, because of his previous volunteer experience for the organization.

Volunteering also paid off for 18-year-old Sadie Shrestha who landed a part-time job as a team leader at the Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth after volunteering with the organization’s after school and summer programs.

“I’d done a lot of small little things for the Calgary Bridge Foundation but when I went to apply for the job it kind of just added up,” says Sadie. “I guess that’s how I got the job.”

youth find meaningful volunteer opportunities within the community. Executive Director Scott Lundell says the summer provides a perfect opportunity for youth to get involved.

“There are so many great festivals around the summer. There are all kinds of short-term opportunities. Festivals are always looking for volunteers and warmly welcome youth volunteers especially,” says Scott.

When choosing where they want to volunteer, Scott likes to ask all volunteers, no matter their age, to think about what difference they want to make in the world.

“What would you do if money was no factor? If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

Scott asks.

Once volunteers have started to think about what type of cause they are interested in, or the skills they want to develop, then they can be matched with an appropriate volunteer opportunity.

“If you can think of something that you’re passionate about, there is a volunteer opportunity out there for that,” says Scott. “It’s just a matter of finding the right fit.” So what are you waiting for?

WHERE IN THE WORLD SHOULD I VOLUNTEER? Scott Lundell, executive director of the Strathcona County’s Information and Volunteer Centre’s first volunteer experience was in Grade 4 at his elementary school’s library. “My job was to do cataloguing of cards and re-shelving of books back in the day when they used to have the sign out cards inside of the books,” Scott explains. Sadie Shrestha has volunteered at a hospital, for a political campaign and for the Nepali Youth Society. There are a multitude of organizations that need your help and it’s all about finding the right fit. Can’t decide where you should volunteer this summer? Learn more about the organizations mentioned in this article by visiting their websites: Youth Central is at www.youthcentral.com, the Calgary Distress Centre is at www.distresscentre.com, and the Information and Volunteer Centre for Strathcona County is at www.ivcstrathcona.org/youth-program.

You can also start researching one of the following places and you’re bound to find an organization that you love: • An animal shelter • A senior’s home • A local environmental group • A hospital • A local immigrant organization • A community centre • A library • A summer camp for children • A summer festival • A homeless shelter • A local foodbank • A cultural society

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Everyb DANCE NO 46

Dance is taking over the big screen, in movies like Black Swan and TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance.

Dance But what is the life of a dancer really like? A ballet dancer takes us inside her world

By Erika Luckert

I

began studying classical ballet at age three. I haven’t grown up to be a professional dancer, but I do still take time to dance, even now, in the midst of first-year university classes and the struggles of determining what comes next in life for me.

Lately, ballet, and dance in general, has been making a popular comeback. Between TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and movies like Black Swan, this classical art form and its relations are stepping their way into pop culture again, at least on our television screens. But what does dance look like in real life? What do you have to give in order to be a dancer? What does dance give back to you? And why, with everything else in my life right now, do I continue to dance?

Ballet, like any dance form or other athletic activity, takes discipline and time. You have to commit to regular classes, just as you might train for a sport, because your art relies on your body: on its strength, speed, grace, agility. Even as a recreational dancer, for years I devoted eight hours a week to ballet classes. People often questioned whether such a time commitment might have a negative impact on things like school, but for me it was exactly the opposite. Ballet gives me time to breathe. Scheduled classes force me to keep a part of my week that cannot be overtaken by school or social stresses – “me time,” you might call it. I’ve never tried meditation, but based on my understanding of it, ballet comes pretty close. Even though you’re sweating

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body OW BALLET TERMINOLOGY

PIROUETTE: a turn executed while balancing on one foot TENDU: an extension of one leg with the toe on the floor PLIÉ: a bend of the knees POINTE SHOES: worn so that ballerinas can perform steps while standing on the ends of their toes PRIMA BALLERINA: the lead female dancer in a company

DANCE BENEFITS To learn more about the benefits of dance, I turned to my teacher Cathy MacFarlane, who, with almost 30 years of experience as an instructor, was able to provide expert insight.

She says that dance is “a form of exercise for the body and the mind.” She notes that the discipline which I am so familiar with in ballet “carries over to the discipline required for everyday life.” Furthermore, a dance community “builds confidence and creates camaraderie amongst fellow dancers.” She emphasizes that “most of all, dance is enjoyable and... this in turn encourages health and happiness.”

BEYOND BALLET While I have been studying classical ballet since age three, there’s a variety of other dance styles out there – here’s a look at some of them.

JAZZ: a style developed in the 50s, with a focus on attitude and performance flair, as seen in the musical Chicago. Many of the steps come from ballet, but tend to be executed with the legs and feet parallel, rather than turned out. Jazz dancers wear leather slippers with a very slight heel.

TAP: characterized by the percussive use of the dancer’s feet. Tap shoes have two metal plates – one on the ball of the foot, and one on the heel – which are manipulated in complicated rhythms throughout the choreographed sequences. Gene Kelly of Singin’ in the Rain is a famous tapper.

IRISH: one of many traditional, cultural dance forms. Irish dancers wear black shoes, and often perform in curly-haired wigs. The style was made popular by the show Riverdance, and is characterized by intricate, fast footwork and very minimal arm movements.

CONTEMPORARY: a dance form that evolved in reaction to classical ballet, with the goal of breaking free from the confines of ballet’s strict technical aspect. Being a relatively new form, the definitions of contemporary dance are continually being changed and expanded.

BOLLYWOOD: a style that was developed in Indian cinema, seen in the musical finales of Bollywood movies, and western spinoffs such as Bend it Like Beckham. Bollywood dance features influences from traditional Indian dance, but with a modern, movie-style twist.

ZUMBA: a newcomer on the dance scene, created in the early 90’s. Zumba dance borrows from numerous styles such as salsa, flamenco, hip hop, and belly dancing. The steps are combined with a focus on fitness, and workouts use upbeat music as their source of energy.

instead of sitting, dance still requires intense mental focus. When I’m dancing, there’s no room for thoughts of what happened yesterday, or what needs to be done when I get home. If my mind wanders in the middle of a pirouette, I’ll fall. So, for the duration of the two-hour class, all of my thoughts are focused directly on me: abs in, eyes up, plié, and pirouette!

Two years ago, I travelled to St. Petersburg, Russia with several other dancers from my studio. Russia is renowned for their ballet (think famous names like Baryshnikov, who was hailed for his 11 pirouettes). We knew when we got on the plane, our bags packed with leotards, tights, point shoes, and Band-Aids in anticipation of aching feet, that we were headed for a place where ballet was far more than recreation. And we were right – the ballerinas we saw there had sacrificed their lives for dance. Their bodies were whittled down to nearly-skeletal ballet “perfection,” and their hair seemed to be permanently fixed in a ballet bun. The performances we saw were aweinspiring, but watching the dancers in rehearsal, I could see the horror of what it was doing to their bodies. Ballet in Russia is beauty at a cost. Like in Black Swan, many of the dancers have eating disorders, and the fierce competition for the position of prima ballerina can make a company less of a family, and more of a lion’s den.

Instead of turning me away from the discipline, seeing the dancers in Russia simply reaffirmed my love of dance. Here in Canada the professional ballet world is not as fierce and I am happy to dance recreationally in a studio that embraces its members as a family while still teaching the mental and physical rigours of classical ballet.

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Portfolio In each issue of Grip, we feature creative works from our readers – poetry, personal essays, short stories, illustrations, comic strips and photography.

Seams

BY MARIA MILANOWSKI

They come apart If bound with weak thread If under too much pressure If torn or stressed or wrung If the seamstress, In weaving two fabrics together Threw down her needle, Heeding the call of her frustration, Never to return One who comes to wear the torn seams One day finds, to their surprise, One, or two, or a million widening cracks in their cover A stitch in time, they say A tight-lipped fold of fabric Slowly bleeds open Dooming one To tread carefully evermore, Never jerking or running or reaching, Or continue moving, Pell-mell, Until everything falls to pieces.

Still, I can now choose the clothes I wear Accept the rips and tears as my own.

I hold grudges against no one.

Fell apart at the seams a long time ago.

I search for my own needle now, The tender threads hidden away, Useless Until I weave them anew A stitch in time, they say But I’ve already spent So many years In the cold Can I hate you for never looking up to see me shiver?

Can I blame you for darning your own chills away?

Can I condemn you for leaving me with the scraps of your life?

Can I forgive you?

A stitch in time, they say I’m sure you heard them As much as you tried not to.

If only You weren’t So Darn Stubborn.

Except for you.

Is this a grudge?

Whispering bills in an envelope Cannot replace a father Cannot fill the void you left empty When your strong arms didn’t move To catch me when I fell Cannot atone for the fact That the blanket I had Since I was young

GRIPMagazine Magazine

Fairytales

BY SARALENA

KUNTZ

Winning submissions are awarded $50, are featured in the magazine and on the website at www.griponlife.ca. Send in your submissions to creative@griponlife.ca

Untitled

BY MAHMU

DA SHEIKH

The View From Your Back Window

BY VANESSA STEWART

But still.

In the night you can hear the wind I’m drawn to it Like my mother calling my name I open my doors to the cold and the white wind The scent of the night creaking in the doorway.

Air so dry, my hands could crack up.

It takes me away, to a place I know well.

Where you can feel the frostbite on your fingertips already.

The mysterious blackness of the night, Endeavored when we use to go on adventures, But unknown behind windows.

The cold dark wind on a winter’s night.

The street lights illumining the snow.

The night’s shadows, everywhere.

Stiffened, frozen, like a photograph, The view from your back window

Haiku

BY RACHEL GAGNON

Hot cocoa is sweet Hot chocolate is tasty The night is complete

Nice and Snug

BY CANA AN NG

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Portfolio

Portfolio Dear Diary

BY JESSICA CHEN

Dear Diary, I quit. It’s nothing serious, I promise. But I ditched some of my friends because they were making fun of my boyfriend, Brian. I’m not sure that I’ve told you about him before, have I? Well, he’s tall, blonde, and really cute and he has the most amazing green eyes. I really like him, even though he’s kind of strange. I forget what it’s called, but Brian told me he has social problems and that he was surprised that anyone would ever think of dating him. He’s really nice and sweet but he’s just hard to understand.

But today, I was hanging out with some of my friends. Brian had to do something with his brother.

He didn’t tell me what. Anyways, we were all having a good time, just chilling in the park with our candy and slushies. Then my friend Logan said, “So how’s your boyfriend? Why aren’t you with him right now?”

I thought it was a friendly question. I said, “He had to do something with his brother.”

The other boy that was there, Chris, laughed along with Logan. I didn’t really know what was going on.

The girls were looking unsure as well. “Are you sure he isn’t just avoiding you?” asked Chris.

“Yeah,” spoke up Allison. “I think you’re his only one, and you don’t count because you’re dating.”

I was still really confused. I jumped off the monkey bars I was sitting on and my banana slushie slipped to the ground. “What are you guys up to?” I asked.

“Your boyfriend,” said Logan shortly. “He’s … he’s, what? Mentally retarded.”

The others joined in with agreement and a few other insults. I felt tears spring to my eyes. Were they really talking about Brian like this? “No, he’s not,” I said. I heard my voice shake. “He’s just … he’s just different. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Is it?” said Chris. His feet hit the ground.

Logan nodded and stood up, calmly brushing off his jeans. “He’s weird,” said Logan. “I don’t really like him.”

“Why?” I said. Even Holly looked like she wanted to spit out some insults about Brian. “There’s no reason. It’s not bad. I mean …” I looked at Chris, who was just standing there. “Chris, I thought you’d be different.”

I shook my head. “He wouldn’t do that,” I said.

One of the girls spoke up. Holly. She was my best friend, and I put emphasis on “was”. She said, “Are you sure he just doesn’t want to see you? We all know he’s a little … stunted when it comes to friends.”

“Yeah,” Chris said, “but unlike yours, my boyfriend is actually kind of smart.”

“That’s only because he hangs out with the popular kids,” I shot back. Ever since he got a boyfriend Chris has been spending less time with us. I tried to

Compassion 50

GRIPMagazine

BY ERIN VANCE

o balance my time between my friends and my own boyfriend.

“No,” Chris said. “Actually, he’s amazing at guitar.”

Beside him, Holly took a sip from her slushie and shrugged. “I don’t know. I think the popular kids are a pretty good role model.”

I couldn’t believe my friends were saying stuff like this.

I’m trying to remember as much as I can, but from that point on I don’t know what happened. I’m pretty sure I yelled at them and ran away. I might have listed every single talent that Brian had. He’s really smart, too. He can play piano, which isn’t as “cool” as guitar. He gets above 90% in every subject. He knows all the constellations and stuff about the stars and it’s amazing just lying under the night sky with him.

When I got home I immediately picked up you, Diary. I wrote down everything I could remember.

I don’t think it’s worth being friends with them anymore. I don’t want them to think I’m mean … well, they’re mean. I don’t have to care what they say, because it’s my life and I make my own choices.

I’m going to ask Diana for her number tomorrow, because she’s Brian’s other (kind of) friend and I’ve talked to her a lot recently.

It’s dinnertime now. I think I’ve written down everything I need to. Oh, I got a 96% on my math test today, which I’m pretty proud of. That’s it.

Signing off, Sabrina Wilson.

l Nature's Little Mode

BY CANA AN NG

GARDEN ROSE

BY RACHEL GAGN ON

The Garden rose is special to me, When it blooms pure beauty, The pastel Pink The deeply red, the pointy thorns in a flower bed,

All Around daisies lay but the rose in the middle is the pride of the day, I watched it in sum mer most day and nig ht now beauty is mixe d to the world’s delig ht.

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Portfolio

Portfolio EAGLE

BY RACHEL GAGNON

Sing in the wind dance on the flames soar in the clouds and whisper your name To the top of the mountains let yourself be seen on your greatest of flights for where you’ve been, Call out your arrival to this common earth build your nest from the threads of mother nature’s skirt.

CLUTTERS OF THE HALLWAY

BY VANESSA STEWART

Clutters of the hallway The brave ones look up Sometimes I just look at my shoelaces Studying the color, tracing with my mind.

Lunch time fever, no words left to say.

So much noise, I can barely hear.

My ears are straining to catch the tail end of sentences that are thrown my way We never have enough time to say anything, of any importance or relevance.

We are just pawns, passing through movements Mindlessly moving because we are told to do so.

Check mate, you lose, there is so much more.

So much more to these movements than we realize.

So many colors we don’t notice, so many feelings I want to paint Grab into my heart and take out the pretty colors Splash them all over and hope you aren’t offended Some aren’t the prettiest, but I’m just trying to be nice.

Share my world with you, if you want it.

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GRIPMagazine Magazine

ec Queb

ERU MI CH

BY HIM

VU

o

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Last Word 54

Humour

My Friend Facebook

By Holly Midkiff

Hey BFF, you’re great. Here’s why:

F

acebook, I’m so glad we’re friends.

No really, what would I do without you? You make it so easy to be social; I rarely bother going out to the mall or movies with my other friends anymore. You’re also great in times of crisis, as in “Heeyyy, uhm…

WHEN’S OUR TEST???” I typically use you to ask this in capital letters and excessive symbols – because, you know, that’s what crises call for.

Oh, you’ll have to excuse me – it’s hard to write to you without taking a break with you. Sorry, was I gone that long? It didn’t feel like half-an-hour, but, well, you know… you start scrolling through the news feed, checking out those funny groups and fanpages (*CLICK* presto – I’m now a fan of I don’t even know what), what I’m trying to say is that Facebook, you sure know how to get me hooked, not to mention distracted.

Really, though, what’s not to like (*nudge-nudge* hehe, get it) about you?

It’s so much easier to maintain my friendship with you then to call another friend and talk to them on the phone. And Facebook, you’ve been so kind to me by exposing me to all sorts of new things – like farming! None of my other friends have done that. Sure, maybe Farmville isn’t GRIPMagazine

quite like life on the farm, but it sure is fun.

I also like how you help me keep track of my other friends. There’s no need to talk to them and ask them what they’re doing, I just come and see you and your news feed tells me all. OK, so maybe stalking isn’t exactly what you want me to be doing, but you know, it just sort of happens.

My one complaint with you, Facebook, is the lack of a “dislike” button. It’s like having an “agree” button, but no “disagree” button.

You can’t just have one without the other.

To me, you’re being a tease. It’s almost like you’re saying to me: “MWAHAHAHA! You cannot express your true opinions! MWAHAHA!” Sorry Facebook, but this leads me to think that you must clearly have some control issues.

Despite this one major flaw, I still like you Facebook, and I’m really glad we’re friends.

Although, you might have noticed – my parents and teachers sure don’t love my friendship with you. They always seem a little lost when I talk about you, and they think we spend too much time together – but I think they might just be jealous. So, thank you Facebook, for your friendship. I don’t know what I would do without you in my life. No really, I don’t.

By Holly Midkiff AN ODE TO FACEBOOK

by Abby Riehl Friend requests, statuses, updates, oh my!

Facebook helps the time fly by.

When homework creates an unbearable boredom, I’ll just go on the Facebook forum.

It’s become the homepage for the computer on my lap, I even have the iPod app.

I joined at thirteen after quite some convincing, I never knew it would be so addicting.

I love the wall, The layout, The look!

I’d rather look at it than my social textbook.

Though, I’ll admit the messaging system is terrible, Come on guys, fi x it! It’s getting unbearable.

Best friends bicker, Boys all snicker, Her relationship status finally changes, It’s the first time in ages.

The comments show us at our worst, And yet the chat still barely works.

Oh, dear Zuckerberg, you created hell, But I’ll forgive it ‘cause Eisenberg played you so well.

Dude, this is a joke so please don’t sue me.

I don’t even have the money to go to a movie.

(A Division of Smooth Operator)

Who’s that lighting up the dance floor?

Why - it’s you, when you apply a spritz of Calvin Klone’s LUMINOSITY*.

The cologne combines with your own body chemistry, causing a molecular chain reaction that produces a stand out glow accentuating your own awesome dance moves!

So don’t blend in with the crowd, shine on with the latest in Glowroma™ technology.

Get glowing with…

*WARNING: Some users reported sensitivity to light, garlic and silver, while experiencing a sudden fondness for the Twilight Saga film trilogy. Discontinue use if you start to glow in the daylight or have unexplainable dreams about being a lab rat. May cause night sweats that result in luminous bedding. Additionally, some users reported producing an unpleasant odour at the most inopportune time, like while in the middle of a dance move on the dance floor. Keep away from open flame, small children, pets and your parents.