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www.exposure.org.uk A HARINGEY YOUTH PUBLICATION

free FEB 05

ISSUE 73

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Exposure is open to anyone between 14 and 21 living in and around Haringey. If you’ve got something to say, get involved. Regrettably our office is inaccessible to wheelchair users but we will nevertheless make every effort to include your contributions. 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

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like everyone in Haringey being wiped out before breakfast.

On Boxing Day, while you were probably playing the latest Grand Theft Auto game you got for Christmas, or making plans for New Year’s Eve, hundreds of thousands of people in Asia, eastern Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean were hit by a tsunami that, at the latest estimate, killed at least 220,000 people. That’s

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A fireman living in a small village in Sri Lanka came home after work and was informed that his whole family had been killed. His five children, his wife, mother, father, brothers and sisters. Hundreds of children are now orphans. At least a million people are homeless. There may be people in your own class at school who have relatives that have been affected. But it’s amazing how the world is working together to help. Whether Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or Jewish,

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everyone has put aside their differences to aid thousands of people they don’t even know. There is still hope for people in Asia but they are still in need. It’s very important that houses are rebuilt and businesses restarted. Sadly, families cannot be replaced. But with your assistance people can look forward to a better future. TASNEEM GHANCHI

It’s not too late to donate: Disasters Emergency Committee, www.dec.org.uk 0870 60 60 900

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God is on everyone’s side... and in the last analysis, he is on the side with plenty of money and large armies. Jean Anouilh

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HOOD RATS - 04 Femi Ayaodola and Samantha Akinuli take a long hard look

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ISSUE #73 FEB 2005

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SKATES OF MIND - 08 A story for the New Year by Peter Layram Illustration by Trevor Sylvester

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TAKING THE RAP - 06 Claire Baxter says the kids are alright

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MUG’S GAME - 10 Pacman on mugging and being mugged

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CONSPIRACY CONSCHMIRACY Joey Leskin’s no schmuck

UNDER EXPOSURE - Gun crime

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TESTING TIMES - 16 Catch chlamydia before it’s too late, says David Warrington

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THE GREAT ESTATE - 18 Award winning young people! In Tottenham? Photography by Nick May

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ENIGMA - 20 Femi Ayaodola and Jamal Gayle autoreply

EVENTS - 24 Pacman reviews Dave Gibbons’ ‘The Originals’, and what’s hip and happening in Haringey

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CAREERING UNDER CONTROL - 24 Michelle Ruda sorts out your future

www.exposure.org.uk The Tottenham Grammar School Foundation

Hornsey Parochial Trust

BY FEMI AYAODOLA PEOPLE ACT BAD TO CHANGE WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF THEM. Acting bad involves being rude to other people, dressing in a certain way and having an attitude. Some people do it to feel cool or to impress their friends. Others, in bad places like housing estates, act bad to make other people think they’re hard and keep away. First impressions - clothes, trainers and jewellery - play a big part in being bad. You have to fit the stereotype of a bad person. When someone walks down the street bopping, with his trousers or tracksuit bottoms pulled down, wearing his hood even though it’s not raining and his fat chain blinging, anyone seeing him will have already labelled him as someone up to no good. Wearing drop-downs - trousers pulled a long way down - started in the USA among male prostitutes. Unlike female prostitutes they couldn’t wear tight dresses to advertise

themselves so they pulled their pants down to show they were ready for business. It carried on into prison where men did it to signify they were another cellmate’s ‘woman’. It seems that people now don’t know where it came from or just see other people doing it and don’t know what it means. Slang, street words and a certain way of dressing intimidate others but attitude is the main factor. To prove they are ‘hard’ people act like they commit crimes, are rude to people and act carefree at school. This is to look cool. Some people will respect a person for acting nice and being focused and polite. Others will feel that a person being nice thinks they’re better than them and so they dislike them, tease them and say he’s not cool. So being cool becomes a type of necessity. You want to be part of the ‘in crew’. You can try and change and start acting bad but in the end it’s all down to you.

Her mouth is tight, Her lips are glossed, Her tongue’s as pink as candy floss. Her eyes are darkened with black lines While her pierced nose Just screams out ‘crime’. Her eyebrows frown, Her hair’s jet black, Her favourite jacket has her name on the back. She blends in with her friends ‘Coz they all look the same And none of them call her by her government name. Her dimples are cute But sweet she’s not, Her hair raised up into a peacock. Her stare is cold,

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BY SAMANTHA AKINULI

Her temper’s quick. The front of her hair’s Gelled down in a slick. Her speech is ghetto And in one of her back pockets Sticks out an afro comb. In each of her ears Are at least three blings And on each of her hands There are sovereign rings. Her chaps hang loose, Her jeans are tight, Her attitude fits: fixed to fight. She acts like she’s strong but inside she’s weak. She’s never alone; She always rolls deep. She puts up her hood When she’s up to no good. She screws all the girls Just hoping they would. She sells drugs on the streets To make extra dough ‘Coz she can’t survive On her mother’s giro. With mascara-thick lashes And contacts in her eyes, She couldn’t escape even if she tried. But take the time To dig beneath, Behind the image, Behind the beef. You’ll see the truth Behind the mask: She’s a little girl Going nowhere fast. She stands misunderstood On the wrong side of right, A future statistic: A stereotype.

BY CLAIRE BAXTER A FEW YOUNG CRIMINALS ON THE STREETS DON’T MAKE US ALL GUILTY. There are crimes committed on the streets every day but before we call all young people criminals we have to think about why they are on the streets in the first place.

the ghetto. To fit in you have to live up to the expectations of being a bad boy. If you don’t you’re an outcast and set aside from the crowd: you don’t fit the job description.

We won’t stay at home because it bores us and with most people out on the streets we feel we have to be there too. When we were kids we were happy to stay in playing games in our rooms or sitting in front of the TV because it was fun to us.

We start off in groups of about two or three but in time the group turns into a gang and, even though you may not see it, this can be intimidating. Some of the older people begin to fear you and see you as trouble because you’re in such a big group. And you may find yourself doing things you’d never dreamed of doing. This

But now we’re older those things no longer keep us entertained. We like hanging

“WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE YOU’RE SEEN TO BE IN THE GHETTO. TO FIT IN YOU HAVE TO LIVE UP TO THE EXPECTATIONS OF BEING A BAD BOY” around near shops and on street corners because it beats the boredom of our bedrooms. And lots of us have problems at home, usually due to arguments about things like our behaviour at school. No matter how right parents are, we don’t like them to be and we’d never let them know it. So we resort to the streets to get away from them. When you’re out there you’re seen to be in

is because of peer pressure; people start telling you to do little things like going into a shop and taking a bag of crisps, which doesn’t seem bad but it’s still a crime. And it gets worse, with shopkeepers receiving abuse and even being jumped. The crimes and the bad boy image have a lot to do with rap music and what’s sung in the lyrics and shown in the videos – like 50 Cent carrying a gun and committing crimes. Because he’s loved all over the

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world, he influences many people to do the same. It’s the same with the image: nearly all rap stars dress and act the same and wear a lot of bling so now you can’t go out without seeing someone in an Academic suit or a gang bussin’ dropdowns. It’s a common thing these days but it all started with the stars thinking it was cool and all the fans just followed. So if they follow the dress sense why wouldn’t they carry a gun and commit crimes? There are many things that could be done to make every area a better place and get kids off the street. An easy thing to do is to open a youth centre with table tennis and pool tables and anything that would interest the youth. There are also things that we can do like helping people to see things differently or from another person’s point of view. Talk to people and spread the word that gangs scare people. If you’re not part of a destructive gang, out to cause trouble and unnecessary beef, then let people know you’re just out to have fun. There is trouble out there but we have to learn that not everyone is out to get us.

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BY PETER LAYRAM ILLUSTRATION BY TREVOR SYLVESTER CHRISTMAS HAS GONE AND SO HAS NEW YEAR’S EVE, ALTHOUGH YOU CAN’T REMEMBER IT. You’ve just woken up. It’s New Year’s Day and the whole year is laid out before you like an ice rink. Deja-vu... weren’t you here last year? Last night was fun... wasn’t it? The entire country united together in a sole purpose: to get pissed and, as always, it’s been achieved with a better pass rate than you could expect from even the best school. It makes you wonder what could be accomplished if we united toward a greater goal. Anyway, the drink explains the headache (the needles in the brain sort). ‘But what about those filthy spots?’ you ask your ugly pimply face in the mirror. Of course... the festive season. Enough sugar and alcohol to kill a small herd of reindeer. This also explains why you’re absolutely skint.

graffiti covered shutters, the Turkish offlicence is open, the shopkeeper apparently unaware what day it is. ‘The luckiest man alive’ you think. Empty beer cans lie in the gutter and you realise why the shop is open: hungry for more profit after the previous night’s buffet of alcohol. You kick a can, then see a road sweeper fighting against the festive filth, forced to clean up after someone else has made their money. ‘The unluckiest man alive.’ He sure as hell knows what day it is. Walking past one of those yellow police signs chained to a lamppost, appealing for information, your heart sinks even lower. Murder. ‘Can you help us?’ You move on to the park, flowers and cards lying against the fence. ‘To our son whom we love.’ Running home, you remember Christmas Day, and how your dad came over to your mum’s for dinner, the first time in ages you’d sat with them both without them fighting; the way mum strangled you with a scarf before letting you out last night into

“PLEASE LORD LET IT BE A PUBLIC HANGING! (IT’S NICE TO START THE the cold; and how your little brother had NEW YEAR WITH A PRAYER)” run up to hug you as you left. Ten years old Ice rink. So where are my skates? At the moment they don’t even exist.

and not yet ready for the New Year’s binge.

Surely TV can offer some hope. The smug face of Robbie Williams fouls the screen. Your stomach wasn’t feeling too good before but now you reach for the bucket. ‘Please, oh please Lord let it be a public hanging!’ (it’s nice to start the New Year with a prayer). But no, he’s actually a guest on a show. What else? Bush still running, no, ruining the world, Cowell crushing people’s dreams of stardom and Michael Jackson still claiming to be sane. OFF. I need to get some air.

Despite the cold you’re sweating when you get home and the headache’s gone. You can smell chicken. The little guy is watching TV, not Robbie Williams but one of those family films they have on over the holidays. You used to watch those. Mum comes out of the kitchen: ‘I’m cooking. You hungry?’

It’s raining. The streets are almost empty. Everyone’s nursing hangovers with bed and chemicals. You feel worse. Among the

‘Starving,’ you reply, realising this will never be true thanks to her. The ice rink is vast. Two options: you can hold on to the edge and go around it slowly but safely or you can let go and race for the middle. You might fall but you don’t think so. Not this year.

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BY PACMAN WHEN MUGGERS WANT TO MUG SOMEONE THEY JUST DO IT. There are many different types of muggers. Firstly, there is the mugger who is new to mugging or just really rubbish. They’ll have to wait for their victim to walk into a quiet area. Other muggers just mug people on the spot without caring about cameras or witnesses. They’re called the bate (obvious) ones. Then there are people that don’t plan it at all and they just do it: snatch and run. Real criminals are so used to committing crime. It almost becomes a hobby. They know how the system works: a person who gets arrested won’t tell the police who made him do it because he feels threatened by the real criminal. So they send out innocent people to do their crimes. These are the last type of mugger: normal people who, under pressure, are being used to do the dirty work. They just want to get it over and done with so they can be set free. Muggers mug you because they see something on you that catches their attention like a phone, cash or bling. It’s an easy way of making free money. They look for people who are younger than them, especially school kids. There are people out there who are racist and would mug you because of your skin colour but most

muggers go for you if they see you’re an easy target. They come to places like Muswell Hill, where people are rich and soft, but it could be done anywhere that’s quiet and there are no feds or CCTV. Most of the time muggers don’t think, they just do it. But they do get scared. The only thing a mugger thinks about after committing a crime is getting out of the area and going somewhere discreet because most victims go straight home and tell their parents. That’s when it’s reported. If you call the police they question you and if they think the criminal is still in the area then they take you on a cruise around looking for the criminal. They do a thing called ‘the anniversary drive around’ where they take you to the local schools in an unmarked car to try and point out the criminal.

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“IF YOU TRY TO FIGHT A MUGGER THEN IT COULD TURN OUT KIND OF DIRTY” If you think you’re going to get mugged then go to the nearest house and just explain the problem. They might let you hang about until the muggers are gone. The only way a mugging can be stopped is if you run away. If you try to fight a mugger then it could turn out kind of dirty but it really depends on who you are dealing with. Some people out there are very harsh, bad minded and selfish and they don’t care about you. They only think about money. Standing up for yourself is a stupid thing to do. The muggers could be carrying a knife or even a gun, which could make things worse or result in you, and the people that love and care for you, getting hurt. Belongings such as money and phones come and go but your life only comes once.

Getting mugged means whenever you’re walking somewhere you’ll be more cautious and look back a couple of times. If the mugger gets caught then there’s a lot to go through for both the victim and the criminal. The victim has to attend court and face his enemy, and if the mugger gets a criminal record then he’ll remember you for the rest of his life. A criminal record can mess you up. It sticks with you for a long time and it’s hard to do things like getting a job or applying for education. If you’re a mugger, everyone around you gets hurt.

Conspiracy

CONSCHMIRACY BY JOEY LESKIN BORN AND RAISED IN THE BACK STREETS OF CROUCH END, A SMALL JEW FIGHTS FOR SURVIVAL. By blood I am Jewish but it’s not obvious. I don’t quite have the assumed stereotypical Jewish features – a bulbous hooked nose, long curly sideburns and a large rimmed black hat. I don’t wear a Kippah (you might know it as a skullcap) and I didn’t even know how to spell ‘synagogue’ until I used spell check just now. I go to a service twice a year: New Year and Repentance Day. It’s like a Christian only going to Church on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. Being a Jew has no impact on anything in my life whatsoever. If I tell someone I’m Jewish, and that I’m also Israeli, they always ask the same question: ‘Do you hate Arabs and Muslims?’ The answer is no. Why should I? I hate the suicide bombers, and I hate those who incite violence and hatred towards people, but the fact that Jews and Muslims are clashing in the Middle East has no bearing on how I feel about Muslims in general. At White Hart Lane, the fans chant ‘Yid’ as an affectionate term for players and fellow supporters. Its actual meaning is of someone who speaks Yiddish (an orthodox Jewish language) but has come to be a put-down word for a Jew. Although I don’t join in with this chant, I don’t stand up and protest against it because firstly, I don’t find it offensive, although some people might, and secondly I would be protesting against thirty thousand people so, you know…

Jews have a history of being unloved (see World War II). It seems wherever they go they are thrown out of a country or waged war on. For thousands of years, since Moses and his people were enslaved by the Egyptians, the Jews have been disliked. The biggest example of this is the Holocaust where millions of Jews, amongst others, were killed. Perhaps because the world felt guilty, the Jews were finally granted their ‘own’ country, Israel, in the Middle East between several Arab nations. There has been constant hostility ever since. The general stereotype is that Jews own all the banks and control everyone’s money. This was the kind of propaganda used by Hitler in World War II. He portrayed Jews as money grabbing businessmen to strengthen German opinion against them. This stereotype still exists loosely today although it’s nowhere near as strong.

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“DAVID ICKE BELIEVES THAT JEWS ARE IN FACT SHAPE-SHIFTING LIZARDS” Early in the last century, a document called ‘The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion’ turned up one day. It charted the secret plans of the Jewish Elders to take over the world and has been used as proof that a Jewish conspiracy exists and we should all be worried. The document is a complete sham written to encourage persecution of the Jews. It’s often done the trick even though it’s quite blatantly a fake to anyone with an IQ higher than a certain current US President. People think that Jews run Hollywood thanks to names like Bruckheimer and Spielberg. But the conspiracy theories don’t just deal on a small scale; they also encourage speculation that Jews will take over

absolutely everything, if they haven’t already. David Icke believes that all powerful men, and especially Jews, are in fact shapeshifting lizards. David Icke started off as a footballer, then became a football pundit, and then became a raving lunatic. This means that, unfortunately, all of his thoughtful conspiracy theories are about as useful as pork to a starving Jew. However, I do check frequently underneath my skin, but so far no forked tongue or lizard skin has turned up…but there’s still time. The Jewish conspiracy doesn’t exist but if it does, I’m annoyed not to be included in it.

By Amelia Dillingham

Send your images to Exposure, The Bigger Shoe Box, Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park, N10 3QJ Email: jon@exposure.org.uk

By Jon Golds

Send your images to Exposure, The Bigger Shoe Box, Muswell Hill Centre, Hillfield Park, N10 3QJ Email: jon@exposure.org.uk

TESTING BY DAVID WARRINGTON

ONE IN TEN YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER 25 HAVE CHLAMYDIA. Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK. Since the early 1990s, the number of cases of STIs in Britain has doubled. 1.5 million new cases are seen at clinics every year. At the same time, chlamydia infections have tripled. While there’s quite a lot of stigma attached to going to a sexual health clinic, the 10 percent of young people with chlamydia tested by the Department of Health weren’t even thinking about visiting one. Most of them wouldn’t even know anything was wrong. Chlamydia is caused by a bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis. It’s tiny - you could easily fit a billion on your fingernail – and it can’t really do much except attempt to reproduce; a bit like bored teenagers late at night after too much cheap vodka. It usually infects cells in the genitals. In men, the urethra, the tube in the middle of the penis, and in women, the cervix, which is at the top of the vagina. It can also infect your throat and sometimes even your eyes. It divides every two to three hours, making new bacteria which infect other cells. Within a week there are billions of them. Women might notice slightly different or increased discharge, a bit of burning when they go to the toilet or pain deep in the

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womb during or after sex. Men might notice burning when they go to the toilet, a bit of discharge or painful swollen testicles. But according to Deirdre Sally, Chlamydia Screening Coordinator in Enfield and Haringey: “Most of the time people who have chlamydia don’t have any sign that they’ve got it. About 50 percent of men and 70 percent of women won’t feel any symptoms.” Which is why one in ten young people are wandering round totally unaware that many times the world’s human population of bacteria are floating about in their semen or vaginal fluids, desperate to escape the crush and find someone new to live in. “Any sort of contact with bodily fluids in that area could mean that it’s passed on,” says Deirdre, which means anal sex, vaginal sex, oral sex and heavy sex play. It doesn’t mean by sharing bath towels, toilet seats or swimming pools; the bacteria can barely survive unless they’re warm and cosy somewhere inside you. If it goes untreated the bacteria can spread. In men, it can spread to the testicles, causing a very nasty infection. Every now and then it spreads to the joints and causes arthritis. In women, it can move into one or both of the fallopian tubes and cause a blockage. If that happens then eggs from the ovaries can’t get past causing infertility or even an ectopic pregnancy, where a fertilised egg can’t get to the womb and grows in the tubes. That can be fatal. “But not everyone who has chlamydia is going to get that,” says Deirdre. “Chlamydia

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“CHLAMYDIA DIVIDE EVERY TWO TO THREE HOURS. WITHIN A WEEK Health Educators and there’s a simple form THERE ARE BILLIONS OF THEM” to fill in. You decide if you want your result by can do some nasty things but it’s easily treated with four tablets that you take all in one go. It takes a few days to work and you need to wait for your partner to be treated as well. “4YP offers testing to under-18s on the 4YP bus, at the drop-in centres and the clinics. People do them themselves and they’re really easy: boys just pee in a pot and girls take their own swab from just inside the vagina. It’s a little bit bigger than a cotton bud but not much. It’s like using a tampon. “It’s completely confidential; your parents and mates won’t be able to find out you’ve been for a test. You talk to one of the Sexual

text, phone call or letter. There are sections on ethnicity and sexual history but that’s confidential too, and only used for statistics.” And unless you want to become one of those statistics, you should use a condom, which will protect you against chlamydia as well as most other STIs. And since most people, including your sexual partners, won’t even realise they’ve caught it, you should ask 4YP for a swab or a pot. Either that or cross your fingers, avoid cracks in the pavement and touch wood that you’re not already one in ten. See listings on p27 for 4YP details

THE

“WE’RE STOPPING CRIME ON OUR ESTATE BY GETTING LI GHTS AND UNCOVERING DARK AREAS, CORNERS AND ALLEYWAYS”

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK MAY

A YOUTH GROUP FROM SEVEN SISTERS HAS WON A PHILIP LAWRENCE AWARD. Philip Lawrence was the headteacher stabbed to death outside his school gates when he tried to help a pupil being attacked by a gang. The awards he inspired reward young people who do something instead of nothing, bring people together and, as Frances Lawrence said in her speech during the awards ceremony, “defy stereotyping and do not stay silent about the things that matter.” The Stonebridge Road Estate Youth Group was chosen from over 120 youth projects from across the UK by a panel of judges led by Sir Trevor McDonald. “We’re stopping crime on our estate by getting lights and uncovering dark areas, corners and alleyways,” says Dean Uba, 13. “We saw that there was crime on the estate like stabbings and muggings,” says Jordan

Morris, 14. “People came to do these type of things because the estate is darked off.” With help from The Bridge New Deal for Communities (NDC) and Youth Act, they organised a Make A Change Day. “We had a barbecue, a bouncy castle, a sound system and a three-a-side football tournament,” says Jordan. “It was a fun day for the community and for MPs to come down.” “We made some posters and did some presentations and surveys. It was quite useful because we got what we wanted,” adds Duane Uba, 13. That was followed by an appearance on BBC Newsnight. “We wanted to show people what the estate was really like,” says Jordan. But, the day the TV cameras arrived, “there were about three big road sweepers plus sweepers with brooms trying to clear up the

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“THEY‘VE REMOVED BROKEN CLIMBING FRAMES AND OTHER EQUIPMENT FR OM THE ESTATE AND CLEARED OUT UNUSED AREA S”

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whole estate. The next day the estate was back messy again. Where were the road sweepers to sweep it up again? But Newsnight gave us a lot of publicity.” “People are really taking notice of what they’ve said,” says NDC youth worker Hayley Jukes. “They’ve removed broken climbing frames and other equipment from the estate and cleared out unused areas. They’re seeing some real concrete improvements.” “There has been quite a few changes on the estate,” says Jordan. “Now we’ve got road sweepers on the estate every day. Street lights have been put up and we’ve got flood lights and new basketball nets. We’re waiting to get the funding to pay people to put them up.” “They’ve applied for a community chest grant,” says Hayley. Hopefully that’s in the pipeline and now winning this award they’ve come into some more money for the next project they come up with.” Haringey Council, obviously delighted that young people were making a positive contribution to their communities, were out in force at the awards ceremony, hanging around the buffet. “I think we should be very proud of those young people,” said Councillor George Meehan. “It’s an example of what young people working together can achieve, not just for themselves but also for the communities. It’s a big, big, big thank you to them for all their energy and effort. Young people want to do things to help themselves and we should make sure we encourage them.” “If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed has to come to the mountain, isn’t it?” added Councillor Diakides, to great mirth, while twirling a sausage-on-a-stick. Elizabeth, Dean and Duane’s mum, said: “I’m very, very proud. They’re working so hard to make the estate safe. I wish all children could be like that. Then there wouldn’t be any problems in Haringey.” “It’s getting better, but we’re still trying to do more,” says Jordan. “When we’ve finished it’s going to be the best manor ever.”

CAREERING

UNDER

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CHOICES ARE ALWAYS HARD. Working out what to do after your GCSEs is one of the first really big decisions you’re going to have to make. Other people are either past this stage or heading towards it, but when it’s your turn, you find out exactly how difficult it is. It’s hard to know what to do, especially if you don’t. I remember being in Year 9 and teachers asking me what I wanted to become. How was I supposed to know at thirteen? Even at such a young age you’re expected to have your whole life planned. Even your friends pressurise you: they all seem to know where they’re going but you don’t and you feel stupid asking them to explain it because they all assume you know already. Back when life wasn’t so complicated, you did the normal, childish things and if you made a mistake, it didn’t matter. But what if halfway through further education you realise you’re studying the wrong thing? Working towards the wrong job? Do you just use up more years studying something else in the hope that this time you’ve made the right choice? What you decide now will affect your whole life. If you get a good job and build up a big enough pension, you can enjoy the rest of your old age. But how can you enjoy it with a broken hip, brittle bones and a walking stick? You may have money but what can it do for you now except pay your medical bills? Why not enjoy your life when you’re young? But how can you when you need to save money for when you’re too old to work? I remember a very fine day when the sun was beaming and tempting me to go outside. I should have enjoyed the day but I had a very large problem: homework. Stuck inside my house, I was told I could go outside after I’d got it all done. So I did the homework but by the time I finished it was dark. And the next day at school I was given more homework. This continuous cycle of work continues so that when you should be outside enjoying your childhood, you’re inside writing an essay. And we do it so we get the best education, the best jobs and the best life. We race to get there but when we finally make it, what happens? What do we win?

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BY MICHELLE RUDA

At the Haringey Careers Fair there’ll be people from colleges, sixth forms, universities, training providers, employers and apprenticeship courses. They can give you the full range of things you could do after your GCSEs. You’ll be able to talk with them, find out about things you never knew existed and maybe work out what you really want to do. You have to be careful what you choose in life and think carefully about what you want. Don’t do something that you have to do: do something you want to do. When you race ahead and don’t look back, you could be careering the wrong way. It’s your choice.

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Friday 11 February 2005, 8.30am to 4.45pm, at West Green Learning Centre, next to Park View Academy. Organised by Blue Ribbon Events, funded by London North Learning and Skills Council and supported by Haringey Council, Connexions & Haringey Education Business Partnership. Schools taking part: Alexandra Park Gladesmore Community School Haringey Pupil Support Service Haringey Tuition Service Highgate Wood Hornsey School for Girls John Loughborough School Northumberland Park Park View Academy White Hart Lane William C Harvey Each school has a timeslot. If your school is not listed, contact Blue Ribbon Events to check what time you can attend. Call 0207 609 7400, email Haringeycareersfair2005@blueribbonevents. com or visit www.blueribbonevents.com

Reviews THE ORIGINALS REVIEWED BY PACMAN The Originals is a graphic novel by Dave Gibbons, a writer and artist who’s worked on 2000AD, Superman and Batman and co-created Watchmen with Alan Moore, the book that changed comics forever. The Originals is like the Mods and Rockers from the 70s transported into a future where instead of twist-and-go mopeds, they’ve got hover bikes. The narrator Lel’s ambition in life is to leave school, make money and make it big like Ronnie, the leader of the Originals, a crew of bandits on bikes. In his efforts to become an Original, Lel gets involved in drug dealing and in beef with another crew, the Dirt. In this brutal mix of gangs, drugs and bad language, Lel has to choose between his girl, his best friend Bok and Ronnie. I hate reading and I haven’t read a comic since the Beano, but I think this book is great. It relates a lot to everyday things like friendship, the need to belong, gangs, drugs and bullying. I like the way the crews roll up at clubs on their hovers and just pick up girls. And there were more illustrations than text. The Originals by Dave Gibbons is out now and full of pictures like these.

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Events

TSUNAMI RECYCLING APPEAL

You can donate your old mobile phones and printer cartridges to the Tsunami Recycling Appeal and raise cash for the Disasters Emergency Committee. Simply visit the website www.recyclingappeal .com/tsunami or call 08712 50 50 50 and ask for a freepost bag, then drop it in the post.

WRITE UP YOUR STREET

A unique writing competition that gives young writers the chance to win time with a professional writer. Ten winners receive a £100 cash prize, will see their work published on posters in buses and spend time with a professional mentor. Previous mentors have included Amy Jenkins, Frederick Forsyth, Gurinder Chadha, Philip Ridley, Catherine R. Johnson, Toby Litt, Patience Agbabi and Simon Beaufoy, among others. Every year the young writers involved receive great attention and often go with their mentors to national literature events and open-mic performances to promote themselves and their work. The competition is open to young writers aged 16-21 who either live, study or work in selected boroughs within London (Barnet, Brent, Camden, City of Westminster, Corporation of London, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Kensington and Chelsea). The deadline is February 28 so if you want to enter email caroline@eastside.org.uk for an entry form.

WWW.HERBONLINE.INFO

SORETHUMBS

A youth-friendly website with lots of information about drugs, the law, health and social risks, advice agencies and an interactive quiz.

What with mobile phones microwaving your head when you phone people, no wonder so many people are texting each other instead. For a one-off payment of £9.95, SoreThumbs offers instant messaging on mobile phones for a fraction of a penny (on average, 1p for seven messages). It’s compatible with all major messaging systems such as MSN Windows Messenger and AOL.

FACE TO FACE An exhibition featuring the photography of 60 young people aged 9-19 years old involved in Red Cross support groups from across the UK. Contributors include asylum seekers, refugees, young carers, and those living in conflict in Northern and Southern Ireland. 20 January to 6 February, 11.00 am - 6.00 pm, Oxo Tower Wharf, South Bank. Free. For more information visit www.oxotower.co.uk

To find out more, and try SoreThumbs for free, visit www.sorethumbs.biz