issue70

the award winning...

R

www.exposure.org.uk

A HARINGEY YOUTH PUBLICATION

free JULY 04

ARINGEY YOUTH PUBLICATION

free

ULY 04

ISSUE 70

A HARINGEY YOUTH PUBLICATION

£0.00

free JULY 04

ISSUE 70

£0.00

ISSUE 70

A HARINGEY YOUTH PUBLICATIO

£0.00

free JULY 04

ISSUE 70

ISSUE #70 JULY 2004 WHERE WE ARE The Bigger Shoe Box, Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park N10 3QJ Tel: 020 8883 0260, Fax: 020 8883 2906, Mob: 07947 884 282 E-mail: editor@exposure.org.uk, Web: www.exposure.org.uk OPENING TIMES Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00

am am am am am

-

7.00 3.00 7.00 7.00 1.00

pm pm pm pm pm

“exposure’s open to anyone between 14 and 21 living in and around haringey. If you’ve got something to say, come and get involved”

AWARDS

STAFF

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

Andreas Koumi Jon Golds Enrico Tessarin

ADVERTISING If your organisation wants to get its message across to young people call 020 8883 0260 PRINTERS Miter Press Ltd, Miter House, 150 Rosebery Avenue, N17 9SR Tel: 020 8808 9776 DISCLAIMER While Exposure has done its best to check material contained within this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for inaccurate information provided by outside organisations.

Organisations mentioned are not necessarily connected with or endorsed by Exposure.

Permission has been sought wherever possible for the use of copyright material. Where contact has not been possible we hope that, as a non-profit making organisation helping to educate and inform young people, it is acceptable for Exposure to use such material for the benefit of young people. If this is not the case please let us know and any copyright material will be removed from future publications with our apologies. is a registered trademark of Exposure Organisation Limited. Exposure is published by Exposure Youth Enterprises Limited, registered in England no. 3817711 and part-financed by Exposure Organisation Limited, registered in England no. 3455480, registered charity no. 1073922. Patron, Toby Harris GLA (Lord Harris of Haringey) The views expressed in Exposure do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. (c) 2003. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1362-8585

02

Gary Flavell Ryan Alexander Mirella Parletta

Michael Rally David Warrington

COVER UP in

RUBBER PEOPLE SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME WANTING TO BE THEMSELVES BUT WHEN THEY GET THE CHANCE TO BE SOMEBODY ELSE THEY JUMP AT IT. THEN THEY’LL SWEAR TO THEIR FRIENDS, SCREAM INTO THEIR PARENTS FACES OR SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS: ‘THIS IS ME!’ Some people can tower over tall buildings in the full and certain knowledge that, as they leap from balconies and flagpoles to the pavement, they are expressing their true selves. But others,

caught between cultures, split by divorce, bored by school, afraid of their own sexuality or forced to move away from home, aren’t so sure-footed.

You might find yourself in prison but bunking school and robbing people, dealing drugs or getting hold of a .38 won’t bring you any closer to ‘you’. Sperm might contain your DNA but masturbation, however preferable to babies, is not selfexpression - unless you can draw a smiley face on the carpet.

You can be a force for good. You might not need a shiny rubber super-hero suit with a mask and jet-fired grapple wires.

You just have to want it.

sponsored by: social spider

CONTENTS

stacy

TALKING OUT OF SCHOOL - 08 Stacey Lowe gets out of trouble.

Illustration by Matthew Hodgkin and Tasha Lockyer.

tasha

trevor

sebastian

FREE RUNNING - 06 Sebastian Foucan, founder of La Parkour. jumps around.

Illustration by Trevor Sylvester.

luke

LONDON CALLING - 04 Should Laura Bilas have stuck with the sticks?

Design by Luke Pantelidou.

YOUTH ACT! - 10 Young people in Haringey make a change.

UNDER EXPOSURE - Homophobia

nick

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL - 14 What is the Safer Schools Project?

Photography by Nick May.

nick

sade

DYING ROOTS - 12 Naija Man and Sade Adu try and hold on to African culture.

Photography by Nick May.

david

BUSSIN’ JUICE - 16 David Warrington cleans up the baby gravy.

tasneem

semra

MUSE - 15 Poems by Leah Bramble-Baxter, Semra Kati and Tasneem Ghanchi.

EVENT HORIZON - 24 What’s hip and happening in Haringey.

tasneem

nick alma

trevor

COVER DESIGN Trevor Sylvester

sade

mitzi tasha

ENIGMA - 22 Alma Oparaocha, Leanna Boyce, Sabrina Shiell and Tasha Lockyer autoreply.

alma

STAR SIGNZ - 20 Alma Oparaocha, Semra Kati and Tasneem Ghanchi read you like a book.

Illustrations by Natsha Lockyer

tasha

NOTHING BUT THE YOUTH - 18 Mitzi Martin takes over youth services in Noel Park.

Photography by Nick May.

REFLECTIONS...

“

Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid Johan Wolfgang Goethe

”

*regrettably our office is inaccessible to wheelchair users but we will nonetheless make every effort to include your contributions.

The Tottenham Grammar School Foundation

Hornsey Parochial Trust

03

BY LAURA BILAS DESIGN BY LUKE PANTELIDOU WHEN MY PARENTS TOLD ME I WAS MOVING TO LONDON, I DIDN’T HAVE A CLUE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE. TO MY FRIENDS AND ME LONDON WAS THIS UNKNOWN PLACE THAT I’D ONLY SEEN ON TELEVISION. I knew the basics - it was a massive place and the capital of England - but apart from that I didn’t have any idea. I couldn’t dream up anything good in my mind, only a horrible new area that I didn’t want to be in or live anywhere near

London would turn me into a nobody.

How could I find an identity in London?

Circumstances only gave me a short amount of time and this made it better. It wasn’t my choice, I just had to go along with it and hope for the best. My mind didn’t have time to go round in circles and create the worst and most terrible possibilities that could happen to me. I knew deep down inside that moving was the best option for me. The only way to get through this was to peek at the

“LONDON WOULD TURN ME INTO A NOBODY. HOW COULD I FIND AN positives: London is a big place, with loads IDENTITY IN LONDON?” of different shops, new people to meet to. Where I lived was perfect: a good home, the countryside, a comfortable group of friends and a not-too-big town.

My home. Cheltenham was where I belonged not London!I’d miss it so much.

Walking my dog in the fields, spending time out with my mates without thinking I wasn’t safe. How could I possibly live in London with it’s high crime rates and builtup housing estates?

04

and a whole new area to explore. The day came to move to London. My parents found the best route on the route planner.

The journey would take two hours seventeen minutes. Please could it be longer? Strapped into the car I was ready to face the future. The endless long and windy roads hypnotised me into a trance.

Me in this car was not really life, this was a dream and I am really in a rocket flying

luke

“I ENJOY WALKING AROUND LONDON AND HEARING THE AMAZING LANGUAGES SURROUNDING ME. LONDON IS SO DIVERSE, WHICH IS Diwali, the Hindu festival welcoming Ram WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT” and Sita out of the forest and celebrating into orbit and outer space… Then reality hits, I wake up and realise only ten minutes to go until I was there. It could have been a new world after all.

Everything was so different. So many cars, people and houses. Nine months on and I’ve settled into London better than I’d expected. It wasn’t effortless and all fun and games but I can truthfully and openly say that I wouldn’t change the decision to come to London. I’ve met and been introduced to so many different people that I would never have met under any circumstances if I’d hung about in Cheltenham. In the past at school I wouldn’t talk to anyone in the years below or above me but moving to London forced me to. I’ve experienced and encountered so many various cultures and traditions that I didn’t even know about before! A friend celebrated

the Hindu New Year. It was amazing to join in with the celebrations at school, something I would never have celebrated in Cheltenham. I enjoy walking around London and hearing the amazing languages surrounding me. London is so diverse, which is what I love about it.You have to accept changes to your life that you might not like but trust in yourself and not only can you get through it, but you’ll be a stronger and more mature person.

The bad points in life will always get you down so look to the future and see the positives!

05

FREE Sebastian Foucan is the founder of la Parkour or free running.

BY SEBASTIAN FOUCAN illustrations by trevor sylvester WE TRIED TO TRANSLATE ‘LA PARKOUR’.

THERE IS NO ENGLISH WORD BUT IT MEANS A ROUTE OVER OBSTACLES. THE IDEA IS TO RUN AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BUT TO NEGOTIATE EVERYTHING. Sometimes you run and never pass an obstacle. Sometimes you pass a small obstacle. Sometimes you stay in one place and repeat, repeat, repeat, like with a martial arts dolly, or practising piano scales, looking for more fluidity.

You change your way so you’re not always the same but it’s always la Parkour.

For you it’s a table. For me, it’s an obstacle I can roll with my back. I try to find out how I can do it with more style, more fluidity, more creativity. It’s always like this. I never switch off. It’s always in your mind. It is a way of life: you have an obstacle and you find a way to pass it.

And you can take that into every day of your life.

“IT BECOMES A FIGHT IN YOUR MIND: ‘BE CAREFUL’, ‘NO, SHUT UP’. practice. Always progress. The philosophy YOU WANT TO FIND THE MIDDLE” is to move, and when you move, try to The discipline began a long time ago. I have developed it but it’s always been there. Human beings have always had the capacity; thousands of years ago we had to hunt. I just moved myself back.

We started as children about 15 years ago in Lisses outside Paris. When you are a child you do a lot of things and you don’t know why. In the beginning it was at a low level, nothing spectacular.

You’ve got to learn everything. When you start, you get interested. If you’re interested, you learn the techniques. You have to do it in your rhythm and with your feel for it. But never stay. Always

06

be like water.

We have a lot of techniques but kids have in mind just jump, jump, jump. I don’t know what my best technique is but there is one I like less and that is a high jump. It is necessary but I don’t spend all my time jumping.

We’ve never done a jump where you have a big risk. I prefer to do a jump where you have more sensation and less risk. A lot of people think big but it’s not true. It’s the time you spend in the air, that’s what gives the sensation. If I put down a big crash mat you still get the same sensation, like in a swimming pool

trevor

sebastian

RUNNING “THE PHILOSOPHY IS TO MOVE, AND WHEN YOU MOVE, TRY TO BE LIKE WATER” or a bungee. The difference is you have to land.

For me, everything is dangerous but you do it to your level and your rhythm. When a gymnast does his triple thing, for me it’s dangerous but for him it’s not.

Sometimes things look too difficult but it’s just in my imagination. If you have fear you run. I have apprehension. When you practice, when you start, you never have fear. Fear is a wall. If you have apprehension, you can progress.

Apprehension is necessary. You need to have a little voice saying ‘be careful’. It becomes a fight in your mind: ‘be careful’, ‘no, shut up’. You want to find the middle. It’s a discipline for the body

but a discipline for the spirit too.

I risk my life, fight in my mind and have a choice: to do it. When you think you’re not capable of doing something but you just do it, that is la Parkour.

It’s not a competition. Competition is good for spectacle and ego trips but not for me. I want to practice and focus on techniques, on feelings. Some people, they practice and do something spectacular.

But the person who’s trying to feel will go further.

The Jump London DVD featuring Sebastian is out now. See review on p26.

07

BY STACEY LOWE graffiti by matthew hodgkin Illustration by natasha Lockyer HANGING AROUND LONDON IS COOL WHEN YOU’VE GOT A WHOLE LOT OF PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO: THE SHOPS, THE VIEWS AND RAVES WHERE IT’S HEAVY AND COOL AND YOU CAN HAVE A COUPLE OF STRONG DRINKS OR A BLAZE. IT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WANT TO BUNK SCHOOL. THERE’S ONLY ONE PROBLEM: THE CRIME. School in London is not that bad. When people say that it’s rubbish it’s the children that make it that way. It’s their behaviour that gives the school a reputation.

concentrate and so you bunk school.

And that leads you to smoking, and I’m not talking about the cigarettes, I’m talking about the weed, the drug that gets us lean. Most of us don’t turn up to school because the skunk is there for us to blaze.

You may not like it but school is important.

It’s there for us to learn and achieve as much as we can so we can go to college or university and be what we want to be in life. We’ll ask ourselves why, when we’re still depending on our parents at 21, with no qualifications and no job, we decided to

“MOST OF US DON’T TURN UP TO SCHOOL BECAUSE THE SKUNK IS THERE FOR US TO BLAZE” bunk and do silliness when we could have There are loads of reasons why young people bunk school, like family problems.

When your parents split up it damages you, seeing the people you love the most go. It affects your schoolwork. You can’t

08

been at school doing what we had to do.

When I used to bunk school it was to impress my friends but the more I bunked, the more trouble I got into.

When I got permanently excluded I was sent to the pupil support centre. I met some

That’s what’s bad about London: the crime. There is so much crime happening in Haringey. There are too many thieves, attackers and even murderers around. It goes from bad to worse. People go out wondering whether somebody is going to follow and attack them. What is going on?

None of us should fear walking the streets. It needs to stop.

We need to look after ourselves, watch where we walk and not do anything to attract thieves and drug dealers. We need more police officers in Haringey and other

natasha

stacy

friends and we started getting up to mischief. It started with robbing people’s phones and money on the bus. We all thought it was funny and had a laugh robbing, threatening and assaulting. It carried on until we got caught.

boroughs too. And if you see a crime happening report it, don’t hide it. The world is losing too many people.

When I was arrested I could have got a custodial sentence but I got a 12-month supervision order that meant I had to report to a probation officer twice a week and do community service. I wish I hadn’t been caught because now I have a criminal record but I put it on myself. If I hadn’t been caught I would have wrecked someone else’s life. I’d have carried on because I liked to follow friends, it made me feel a lot older and made me think I was someone big.

But now I’m back in school, hiding from trouble and trying to do the right thing.

09

YOUTH ACT IS ABOUT CAMPAIGNING FOR AND ACHIEVING CHANGE IN YOUR COMMUNITY. TWO GROUPS OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM SEVEN SISTERS ARE DOING JUST THAT. “When we came to Youth Act we discussed what was important to us,” says 15-year-old Francion, part of the Value Life team from Gladesmore Community School. “We found that each of us was affected in some way by gun crime whether it was ourselves, our family members or just being scared of living in an area affected by gun crime.”

15-year-old Jordan is part of a group from Stonebridge Road Estate: “We’re trying to improve safety and facilities on the estate. It’s just awful. We’ve got drug dealers and prostitutes. People walking between the overground station and the underground get mugged. There are kids on the estate being threatened by boys that come round making trouble. The parks are filthy. The climbing frames have been ripped up and there are condoms and syringes around. I have younger sisters and mum just had a baby. I don’t want them to grow up on this type of estate.”

“The NDC had already formed a youth residents group for Stonebridge Road Estate,” says youth worker Hayley Jukes. “They’d already been discussing a lot of the issues affecting them when we found out about Youth Act. Youth Act gave the group skills they could use to actually change some of these things they were talking about.”

10

STREET LAW

youth act!

TM

“We want more lighting, more dog bins, and regular cleaners,” says Jordan, “We’re planning a Make a Change Day in the football cage, the darkest area on the estate. We’ll invite councillors and people in top places to come along and show them what the estate is really like.”

“Youth Act teaches us how to work as a group,” says 15-year-old Sasha, part of the Value Life team. “We have weekly meetings for six weeks and there was a residential weekend to learn basic skills about getting on with each other and communicating better.”

“If it wasn’t for Youth Act we wouldn’t have come up with the idea,” says Sharon Williams, a citizenship administrator at Gladesmore School working with the group. “They’ve shown us how to run a campaign, how to get what we want and let us know that we have the right to.

“We’re hoping to raise awareness of the effects of gun crime and re-educate the younger people, to change their mentality towards gun crime. We’re going to kick start our campaign with a Walk For Peace from

Gladesmore to Bruce Grove. We’re just trying to make changes. Even if they’re small they’ll still be significant.”

“We’re going to find out how many people have died from gun crime in England and then have that amount of people march through Tottenham, and more if anyone

on being invited to make presentations and get involved in seminars and various projects.

ITV even came to film them. They keep getting confirmation that what they’re doing is being taken seriously. Success leads to success.”

Youth Act is for young people aged 11-18

“WE’RE HOPING TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE EFFECTS OF GUN CRIME AND RE-EDUCATE THE YOUNGER PEOPLE, TO CHANGE THEIR MENTALITY” wants to join in,” says Francion. “We’ve set up a meeting with the Peace Alliance to discuss planning it and we’ve started looking into where we can get funding. We’re going to do a leaflet and posters and we might even have an advert on Choice FM.” “Youth Act tries to get the message to everyone that you can make a difference,” says Hayley. “It’s just about knowing the right people to ask, the right places to go and getting the confidence to do it.”

Carrie Supple, Youth Act Project Manager at The Citizenship Foundation, says “When the training finishes we stay in touch. I send them funding ideas, contacts, newspaper articles, all sorts of things that crop up, but then it really is up to them. The two successful groups last year - an anti-bullying group from Islington and an anti-mobile-phone-theft group from Northumberland Park Community School - have recruited new members, keep

who want to make a difference to their community. It will be running again in Haringey this tsime next year.

As Francion says, “Everybody can get involved in Youth Act. Anybody can join.”

To find out more about Youth Act call Carrie on 020 7367 0519 or email carrie.supple@citizenshipfoundation.org.uk For information on the Stonebridge Road Estate Make a Change Day call Hayley on 020 8880 1022 or Yemi on 020 8489 0841 For information on the Walk For Peace call Sharon on 020 8800 0884

11

12

photograph by nick may

nick

sade

BY NAIJA-MAN AND SADE ADU photography by nick may I’M A PROUD AFRICAN BUT THERE ISN’T MUCH I KNOW ABOUT MY ROOTS. SOME OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION KNOW LITTLE ABOUT WHERE THEY COME FROM AND EVEN LESS ABOUT THEIR CULTURE. “There are a lot of Africans in the UK,” says Sade, “some born here and some who have come here to live. Although I was born and brought up in Nigeria for 10 years, I have lived here in London for almost 5 years and I have grown to adjust with the society. I don’t just know where I come from, I also remember and learn new things about my culture as I grow older everyday.”

Most young people know the country they come from and the ethnic group but what about the languages? More Turkish and Asian children speak and understand their language than children of African origin.

“Living with my mum, who was born in London, means that there is no way that I can forget my culture. At home, I speak both Yoruba and English and have been brought up to practice my language.

“I go to a school where there are a lot of Africans, mostly Nigerian. We sometimes speak Yoruba to each other and have fun watching others look disturbed, trying to work out what the words could mean.”

But there are children who don’t

“IF SOMEONE WAS TO ASK ME WHERE I’M FROM I’D SAY ‘AFRICA’, NOT WHAT MY PASSPORT SAYS” understand a word of their language and others who try to change their accents.

“Young children today live their lives the way they think is fashionable. It’s like comparing an old style Nike trainers with the most recent one. Young people will definitely buy and wear the most recent one. Speaking your home language is just like fashion, some kids think it’s out of date and some don’t. But the child chooses.

“Some people might change their accents or characteristics to fit in with society, but

13

most just grow and become the way they are without training themselves.”

Some parents aren’t doing enough to teach their kids their culture. There are youngsters going around feeling ashamed of who they are, even going to the extent of telling a lie and saying they come from another country.

“How can we be sure that this is down to the children’s parents about when some young adults decide to ignore and avoid their culture, thinking that it was not right because they were not in Africa?”

In music in the UK there’s a big influence from the Caribbean, the USA and even a

“WILL THE NEXT GENERATION HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR ROOTS? WILL THEY CALL THEMSELVES AFRICANS WITH PRIDE OR WITH SHAME?” little from Asia, like Punjab MC. But I hardly see any artists representing the Africans.

Most youngsters today will rather listen to Pharell than Fela. There are groups mixing their songs with African beats but you won’t see them on Top of the Pops or MTV Base. People nowadays want to hear about sex, drugs and gangs; fast cars, phatt rides and bling-bling.

“Can you really blame them?” says Sade.

“After all, this is England! You can’t just expect everyone to like African music and start listening to it everywhere you go. If you have ever heard of BEN TV, you will find that they air African shows, films, musicss and news. Africans do get a chance to get a taste of things from our culture; just on a separate channel.”

In today’s society people are more concerned with looking ‘British’. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this but If someone was to ask me where I’m from

14

I’d say ‘Africa’, not what my passport says.

“Although I don’t live where my culture has originated from, I bring and keep my culture with me by the way I have been brought up. I think if you don’t know much about your culture, it is up to you to find it.”

But there aren’t enough places for young people to learn. Something should be done. There should be more made available for kids to find out about their history, heritage and culture. Will the next generation have the knowledge of their roots? Will they call themselves Africans with pride or with shame?

“If children today are losing their roots, forgetting where they are from, or forgetting about their roots, it is not up to their parents, it’s up to the person.

“If they know nothing about their culture, they should find their roots, which will lead them to their culture.”

THE END OF THE TUNNEL My scars are healing, the pain has gone.

I’m out of the Tunnel, the light is switched on.

I forgive myself now, I don’t hate ME no more.

Now I know that being true to myself, and who I am, Isn’t a major flaw.

I don’t care about your opinion, It means nothing to me.

I’m out the Tunnel so now I can see That this life is a game, it always has been, And I’m passed the first stage, Do you know what I mean?

One day you’ll understand me, one day you’ll know, That what I feel on the inside, My outside doesn’t show.

You can curse me all you want if it makes you feel big, But after years of cursing, It’s your own tunnel you dig.

TASNEEM GHANCHI

THE POOR BOY The boy is poor, 13, 14 years old, An old hat on his head.

His naked feet are in the water.

He’s got a torn and thin coat.

He’s shaking from the cold, He’s freezing.

He’s walking slowly.

He doesn’t have anything to eat.

No one looks at him.

He sees a rich man.

He walks to the man, His eyes lit up.

He dreams something.

The rich man is talking on the phone.

The man walks away.

The poor boy falls down.

The mud on the road splashes him But his clothes are already dirty.

There is an old man.

He has bread in his bag.

He is walking slowly in the rain.

He has a warm coat.

He stops when he sees the boy.

SEMRA KATI

IT’S STARTED AGAIN ‘Oh no! It’s started again!’ is said by many girls Who have already experienced it.

‘Aaaahhh!’ is said by many girls Who it just hit.

Some girls get headaches, Some girls get pains, Some girls get stomach aches, I hope you don’t feel the same.

Starting it is not an excuse to get out of PE Though that would be a real treat.

Don’t believe me? Wait and see.

They’ll say ‘Just go take a seat’.

Some girls get headaches, Some girls get pains, Some girls get stomach aches, I hope you don’t feel the same.

Don’t be afraid when it first happens, It will happen to your friends too.

It’s just a message you body sends Saying ‘Your period is due’.

muse

muse

LEAH BRAMBLE-BAXTER Send your poems together with your name and address to: The Bigger ShoeBox, The Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park, London, N10 3 QJ. Altrnatively E-mail: editor@exposure.org.uk

15

illustrations by trevor sylvester

BY DAVID WARRINGTON illustration by trevor sylvester IT MIGHT BE HARD TO SWALLOW BUT ‘CUM’, ‘SPUNK’, ‘JISSOM’ OR ‘JUICE’, LIKE THE BAD TASTE JOKES, JUST KEEPS ON COMING. Starting at 11, 12, or 13 years old, men never stop producing semen. On average they can expect to ejaculate several thousand times, shooting a teaspoonful or two up to 12 and 24 inches at about 28 miles per hour.

Over a lifetime, a man could fill a bath deep enough to cover your thighs (but you’ll need two for a good, deep soaking).

There are more than 40 million sperm in an average load but they wouldn’t cover the head of a pin. They take over 70 days to

parsley, green tea and boiled sweets improve its taste, and smoking, alcohol, drugs, greasy foods and asparagus make it taste worse. But on the whole, as one 17year-old girl put it: “It’s sticky and disgusting and I would never put it anywhere near my mouth.”

The colour, thickness and consistency can vary a lot but as long as it’s not red, brown, yellow or green, foul smelling or watery, thick, lumpy or non-existent for any length of time, it’s perfectly normal.

Some cultures believe semen is good for your hair and skin. A (male) professor has recently

“IF BOYS MASTURBATED MORE AND HAD SEXUAL INTERCOURSE LESS, ESPECIALLY AT 14, 15, 16 WE MIGHT REDUCE TEENAGE PREGNANCY RATES” grow tails in the testicles, then nearly two weeks to reach the seminal vesicles ready for ejaculation. Then it’s all over in 10 orgasmic seconds.

It’s the seminal vesicles that produce most of the fluid in semen. Despite being full of the sugar fructose, semen smells and tastes like something you might use to clean the oven.

There are rumours that sweet exotic fruit,

16

sponsored by:

claimed it’s an addictive anti-depressant. In some Pacific islands, semen is seen as the store of masculine energy and young boys are pumped full of it until they start to produce their own – a sure sign that the ritual works.

But what is definitely true is that semen carries diseases including bacterial vaginosis, trichomonas, hepatitis and HIV. Gonorrhoea, chlamydia and herpes can be caught just by having semen in your mouth so it makes

trevor

david

“IT’S STICKY AND DISGUSTING AND I WOULD NEVER PUT moment. A lot of young people think ‘I’ve IT ANYWHERE NEAR MY MOUTH” got to have sex or they’ll think I’m peculiar’. no difference whether you swallow or spit.

Sperm, which don’t have room for a brain even though their owners should, get girls pregnant. And, says Dr Christopher, Head of Family Planning in Haringey, “Semen is not the only fluid that contains sperm. Before the guy’s ejaculated there can be semen in the fluid that lubricates the penis. That’s why ‘pulling out’ can still get the girl pregnant.”

The pill, the coil or the contraceptive implant can protect you from pregnancy. Only one form of contraception protects from the diseases in semen: condoms. But there is one other 100 percent effective method.

“Some religions think that nothing must impede the travelling of the Blessed Sperm.

In the Bible, Onan was supposed to take his brother’s widow as his wife and produce offspring but what he did was cast his seed upon the ground. God was Very Angry and smote him, or whatever God does. This has been taken to mean that all forms of nonreproductive sex are against the Lord’s will.

But you can masturbate as much as you like.

It won’t make you get yellow palms or get hairy and your mum won’t be able to see it all over you.

“Girls are being too soft on boys at the

That just comes out of anxiety about whether they‘re normal or not: Are their bodies normal? Are they attractive? If someone has sex with you, you can say you are normal, you are fancied. But premature sex is not a good idea. Turning up at the 4YP clinic pregnant, wanting an abortion and with genital warts and gonorrhoea is one hateful way to learn about sex.

“If boys masturbated more and had sexual intercourse less, especially at 14, 15, 16 when it’s inappropriate to become a father, we might reduce teenage pregnancy rates.”

Although the body can cope perfectly well with unused sperm and men won’t swell up or develop the mythical ‘blue balls’, Dr Christopher has “yet to meet a boy who has many wet dreams because they’re all too busy masturbating”.

So keep a pack of tissues handy because semen is the one stain soap powders never claim to bring out whiter than white.

Sex is hot, contraception is cold. Prepare to get carried away with a conscious decision to visit a sexual health clinic for advice. See Directory, p27.

17

NOTHING BUT THE

YOUTH

BY MITZI MARTIN photography nick may IN NOEL PARK THERE’S NOTHING FOR US TO DO DURING THE DAY OR AFTER SCHOOL. THERE’S A YOUTH CLUB AT NEW RIVER BUT THERE’S NOT ENOUGH ROOM AND IT’S A DISTANCE. PARENTS DON’T WANT THEIR CHILDREN GOING ALL THAT WAY. CHESTNUTS PARK IS EVEN FURTHER. YOU’D HAVE TO BE MAD TO GO ANYWHERE NEAR IT. We sit on the corner of the road and people come out screaming ‘You’re making too much noise’. It’s not even after nine o’clock.

Their kids must sit in the house all day on their own: come home from school, go into their rooms and not come out till breakfast.

They use the word ‘gang’ like we’re violent

an advert for Timebank which said ‘do you have a passion for something’. I thought ‘yeah, I’m frustrated, I’m stuck in the house because there’s nothing else to do’. I was sat at the computer so I typed in the web address, checked it out and it started from there.

Timebank got back to me and offered me help. I started getting letterheads to write to people. They didn’t tell me who to get in touch with but they spoke to me and when I had meetings they’d send someone to come with me.

The first meeting I had was with three councillors. The second one was a youth

“WE DON’T WANT TO BE STUCK IN THE HOUSE SO WE’RE ON THE STREET AND STICKING TOGETHER BECAUSE THE STREETS JUST AREN’T SAFE” groups of people that hang about together causing trouble. We’re not. We’re just people with nothing to do. We don’t want to be stuck in the house so we’re on the street and sticking together because the streets just aren’t safe.

I was reading through a magazine and it had

18

steering group meeting and everyone was there including Rob Graham, Haringey’s Deputy Director of Education, the neighborhood manager and Barbara Roche, the MP for Hornsey and Wood Green.

They listened. When I went to the meeting, the man from TimeBank was more shocked than anyone because of the way I spoke and the way I presented myself. Everything

photo by nick may

nick

mitzi

“THEY USE THE WORD ‘GANG’ LIKE WE’RE VIOLENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT HANG ABOUT TOGETHER CAUSING TROUBLE” that someone said I questioned: ‘why is it like this’ and ‘how come you can’t do this’. They must have thought ‘this fifteen year old, sat across our table, who does she think she is?’

We just want a place for people to watch TV, play computer, table tennis and pool and just do whatever. We’d run it every night after school, until 7 or 8 o’clock. Not late.

But, as 17-year-old Stefan says, “It’s got to be bigger than a youth club. Most of the people around here, they want to do things but they can’t because they’ve got no doors open for them. It needs to be a learning centre.”

We’d like to work with local organizations to help people enroll on courses if they’ve dropped out of school or got no GCSEs. The youth club will help them, they’ll gain from it and get some self-pride out there.

“Kids won’t go to Connexions but they’ll come to us,” says Stefan. “Kids don’t want to go to school. It’s how they want to be.

They’re scared really. A lot of people don’t want to make the wrong choices so they stay in one spot. But it doesn’t work like that. They

need help but don’t cry out.”

A youth club in Noel Park could open doors for them, give them more options and show them their career options can include something they enjoy doing. They can further their education, use their knowledge and talent to their advantage and have fun at the same time.

There are a lot of parents here who would help fund it, who’ve said they’ll come and help. We’ve got plenty of adult volunteers but the council want qualified youth workers, so we need some of them. We need furniture and equipment, anything that anyone can give.

But more than anything else we need a building with nothing in it, a shell that we can have for a certain amount of money. And then someone to fund that. We need a lot of funding and a lot of help.

Anyone with a building full of money can call Mitzi on 07944 380 186.

19

chinese

rooster

star dog

1969•1981•1993

1970•1982•1994

You’ve bitten off a little more then you can chew. Don’t feel so proud. Its okay to ask for help. You might just make that deadline with a little help.

Me, me, me. Do you ever consider anyone else? Stop and take a look at your surroundings and try to consider the people around you before your selfish ways drive them away. You don’t know what you have till it’s gone.

pig

rat

page design concept and illustration by natasha lockyer

1971•1983•1995

20

1972•1984•1996

All that angst is having a detrimental effect on your health, so isn’t it time you chilled out? Put your pincers away and stop scuttling sideways - quite honestly, it’s unnerving and you’re not doing yourself any favours. Go and play in the sea. It’s your natural element and you’ll see you can float more gracefully there.

Its time for you to take that big step out of the box: things are much clearer from the outside. You’ll be able to see what you came out of and move on.

Don’t let the past hold you back, make that first move.

ox

tiger 1973•1985•1997

You are working much too hard and if you don’t take a break you will suffer the consequences.

Vacate to a quiet park for a few hours. Gather your thoughts and de-stress yourself. Only you know how much this is needed.

1974•1986•1998 You have reached a new place in your life where your confidence has gone through the roof and you feel like nothing can go wrong.

Don’t be so sure and don’t let your guard down because you never know what’s lurking round the corner. Don’t set yourself up for a big disappointment.

rabbit

alma

semra

tasneem

signs dragon 1975•1987•1999

1976•1988•2000

Good to see you’re moving on.

Don’t look back: trouble may be sitting on your doorstep but if you keep that door shut, sneak out the back and jump the fence into that open field, you’ll be free.

Don’t isolate yourself from the outside world. You did something stupid, and now you have to face the result: getting laughed at. Go out there and show everyone how confident you can be and hey, if the outcome is bad, at least you still have your secret collection of magazines to cheer you up.

snake

horse 1978•1990•2002

1977•1989•2001 You’re in limbo at the moment with all your frankly insane plans for world domination. Even you must be wondering at the practicality of it all in the cold perspective of unpaid bills and stretched overdraft limits.

Things always work out spookily well for the twin sign though, as if your second self were tying up all those loose ends.

Things sure are looking good for you.

Mercury and Mars are doing their best to keep this up, but beware: if you don’t listen to the counsel of your peers, then danger will follow. Don’t go through the purple doors, you will not be happy on the other side.

monkey

goat 1979•1991•2003 Blue may have been your colour for a long time now but maybe you should consider green, yellow or maybe even pink. Things may not be working for you right now but don’t give up or settle for less, try other things.

1980•1992•2004 You need to be careful who you make friends with. You have too many enemies already and trying to make more friends will just add to your dilemmas. And keep away from chocolate. In fact, stay away from anything with sugar in and do some exercise.

21

MT

PROBLEM TYPE CKÚ»* I have really hairy legs. My friends call me furball! I’ve tried shaving, waxing and hair removal cream but nothing seems to last more then a day. I could probably make a nice winter coat out of all the hairs and worst of all I’m a girl! Please, please help me!

PROBLEM TYPE IIUX^(*) I think my boyfriend and best mate are seeing each other behind my back. They were friends before I started seeing him but recently they’ve been getting on a bit too well. I notice them flirting with each other, they talk a lot on the phone and even go out without me. He says they’re just good mates. What should I do?

PROBLEM TYPE WQR¤^° I’m 17 years old and my mum kicked me out of the house a couple of weeks ago. We’d got into a massive argument. I went to stay at my friend’s house but her mum can’t have me there anymore. She’s got no space and I’ve got no money. What should I do? I don’t want to go back home.

PROBLEM TYPE XK}7 I’ve been going out with this boy for about two months now and I heard him discussing with his friends how to tell me that he loves me. The problem is that I want to break up with him. I don’t want to hurt his feelings but there’s someone else, in fact, it’s a very good friend of his. What do I do?

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

22

alma

tasha

MT

ENIGMA Solutions Corp. because Your problems are Our problems ENIGMA SOLUTION NM/+$ First of all, if your friends are behind this big insecurity maybe you should consider whether they really are your friends. A true friend would have set up a bedroom-based coat-making industry a long time ago. Harness your gifts, child. Otherwise, there’s always laser surgery, amputations or woollen tights.

ENIGMA SOLUTION GKK¢ Damn girl! Boys and girls can be good mates without anything going on. But you can’t trust a tiny human man-brain to know what’s what so, if it’s bothering you that much, you should talk to your friend. But beware, when she wants to, the human female can manipulate and deceive with a cold, mechanical precision that rivals even Enigma.

ENIGMA SOLUTION HH5_#6 You need to go to the Homeless Persons Unit at Apex House (820 Seven Sisters Road). They’ll make every effort to help you. There’s a strict criteria because a lot of people think they’re homeless when they’re not at all. You need to be sure that you’re in genuine difficulty and not just trying to annoy your mum and get a nice two-bedroom flat into the bargain.

ENIGMA SOLUTION 8V8Á Well, just so you don’t hurt his feelings, you could stay with your boyfriend, telling him you love him too, while getting more and more miserable and lonely until you eventually fake your own death in a bizarre wheelie-bin accident just to escape someone you don’t even like that much. Or you could tell him the truth.

The System loves you 23

E V E N T

UK UNSIGNED The Grand Final of the UK Unsigned Talent Quest will feature young RnB artists, garage MCs, punk metal acts and pop wannabees competing for a share in the ÂŁ5000 prize money.

Previous contestants include MC Smart Guy, a 13-year-old rapper who performed with Kelly Rowland on Top of the Pops as a replacement for Nelly; FYA, a girl group now signed to Def Jam UK; and Katie Melua.

Sunday 25 July at the Carling Academy, Islington. 6.00pm - midnight. Organised by SABA, the Society for the Advancement of British Arts.

ROLLER COASTER AT THE LIBRARY Alexandra Park Library have planned a summer full of events including a Peter Pan morning, magic, puppet shows, the Toy Library, craft workshops, writing workshops, a book swap day and Junior Book Club.

For more information call Dawn Golborne or Edna on 020 8883 8553

MAKE A CHANGE DAY Stonebridge Youth group have organised a fun day on the Stonebridge Road Estate to show what needs to be done to improve safety and facilities. There will be a barbecue, presentations and plenty of fun.

28 August. For more information contact Yemi Akinfenwa on 020 8489 0841.

24

H O R IZ O N WALK FOR PEACE The Value Life team, a team from Gladesmore Community School campaiging against gun violence, are having a Walk for Peace between Gladesmore School and Bruce Grove. There will be refreshments and speakers at the end of the march.

Meet at Gladesmore School at 1.30pm on 11 July. March begins promptly at 2pm. For more information contact Sharon Williams on 020 8800 0884.

HARINGEY YOUTH SUMMER SCHEMES BRUCE GROVE AREA YOUTH PROJECT 10 Bruce Grove, N17 6RA 26 July to 20 August, 7-10pm Games, sports, dance, recording studio, advice and information.

Call Berkeley on 020 8808 1604 FERRY LANE ESTATE Jarrow Road, N17 19 July to 27 August, 12-5pm Sports, training, trips, advice and information.

Call Gladstone or Berkeley on 020 8808 1604 HARINGEY YOUTH SERVICE OUTREACH/DETACHED 10 Bruce Grove, N17 6RA 19 July to 27 August, 12-5pm Games, sports, training, outdoor, advice and information.

Call Khaja on 020 8808 1604 ISLAMIC COMMUNITY CENTRE YOUTH CLUB 115 Clyde Road, N15 4JZ mid-July to mid-September Games, sports, tournaments, discussion forums and trips.

Call Khaled on 020 8809 2137 or 07940 009 810 MUSWELL HILL SUMMER SCHEME Muswell Hill Centre, N10 3QJ 19 July to 20 August, 11-5pm Sports, bowling, ice skating, competitions, drama, dance and DJ workshops.

Call 020 8883 5855

SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD A poetry and comedy event for young aspiring poets, lyricists and comedians from across London including guest performances from established UK poets.

The show will begin the process of selecting artists to be part of a book on the poetic talents of UK youth.

16 July at Northumberland Park School, 7.00pm. It’s free but ticket only. Contact 07932 302 771 or 07947 180 322

NOEL PARK OUTREACH 115 Clyde Road, N15 4JZ 19 July to 27 August Dance, drama, drumming, art and craft workshops.

Call lausainne on 020 8489 2741 UPROJECT Youth Action 676a High Road, N17 0AE 19 July to 27 August, 12-5pm Sports, media and music.

Call Ken on 020 8365 1230

25

E V E N T JUMP LONDON DVD

BY GARY FLAVELL I remember being in a park with my mates, aged about ten. We were all at the very top of this climbing-frame looking down at a ten-foot drop. I decided I’d jump first. I took a leap of faith. My mates were impressed. I broke my ankle. You can forgive me for doing such a thing, I mean I was kid and I didn’t know better, and we all know that peer pressure is a bitch, so imagine my amazement when I saw JUMP LONDON. Free Running, as it’s called, is about a group of French mentalists who do crazy stunts: leaping from rooftop to rooftop and back-flipping their way through Europe’s cities to London. Great…so not only do we have to worry about terrorists but falling French people too.

The film follows the main nutter Sebastian Foucan, cofounder of Free Running (also known as Le Parkour.) It features Foucan and his band working the many tourist sites, even making the Royal Albert Hall look exciting.

There’s a plethora of smaller stunts: jumping off ledges, running up walls, landing on street signs, sliding down rails and scaling the side of buildings. Lunatic stuff. To be honest these guys are amazing. You really have to see Jump London to fully appreciate what Free Running is all about. But be warned: you have to be over 18 to see it because we all know how impressionable you lot are.

26

H O R IZ O N d i r e c t o r y YOUTH CLUBS Muswell Hill Youth Centre Hillfield Park, Muswell Hill Tel: 020 8883 5855 Bruce Grove Youth Project 10 Bruce Grove, Tottenham Tel: 020 8808 1604 Wood Green Area Youth Project New River Sports Complex, White Hart Lane Tel: 020 8489 8940 / 020 8489 8942

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL STEP-AHEAD 40 Bromley Road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8493 8525 Turning Point The Old Health Clinic Suttton Road, Muswell Hill Tel: 020 8883 8887 HAGA 590 Seven Sisters Road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8800 6999 Freephone Child helpline: 0800 389 5257

SEXUAL HEALTH 4YP drop-in clinic St Ann’s sexual health centre St Ann’s hospital, St Ann’s road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8442 6605 / 020 8442 6536 4YP BUS Tel: 0800 1613 715 www.4yp.co.uk Young Mums To Be Alexandra Court 122-124 High Road Wood Green Tel: 020 8889 0022 Outzone For gay and bisexual men under 26 www.outzone.org.uk

EMERGENCY HOUSING Shelterline Tel: 0808 800 4444

MENTAL HEALTH Antenna 9 Bruce Grove, Tottenham Tel: 020 8365 9537 www.antennaoutreach.co.uk email: info@antennaoutreach.co.uk Host Excel House, 312 High Road, Tottenham Tel: 020885 8160 LEARNING DISABILITIES Markfield Project Markfield Road, Tottenham Tel: 020 8800 4134

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Hearthstone 10 Commerce Road, Wood Green Tel: 020 8888 5362 SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES Duke of Edinburgh Award New River Sports Complex, White Hart Lane Tel: 020 8489 8941 / 07967 336 338 e2e Alexandra Court 122-124 High Road Wood Green Tel: 020 8889 0022 Keep It Simple Training Old Fire Station Tottenham Green Enterprise Centre Town Hall Approach Road Tel: 020 8375 3420 Prince’s Trust Old Fire Station Tottenham Green Enterprise Centre Town Hall Approach Road Tel: 020 8375 3420 BTCV Millenium Volunteers Tel: 020 7843 4292 / 7843 4291 E-mail: mv-london@btcv.org.uk www.mv-london.org.uk

27

“The past is history and only the future can give you happiness.

So everybody must prepare for and create their own future�

Bruce Lee

Free your mind at

call our hotline 020 8442 3055