LOVE YOURSELF!
A. Um....They’re completely different?! These images have been manipulated in Photoshop. Can you spot the differences? Next time you’re looking at a model or a movie star in a magazine and thinking ‘I wish I had her hair, or his skin’, ask yourself: ‘Could this image have been Photoshopped’? The answer is probably ‘yes’! Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/ madonna-photoshopped Answers on page 17.
TECHNO-STEEM “Technology and self-esteem... how are they related?” asks RUTH BARNARD.
21st - 29th May
STEP UP, Be heard, Take responsibility, Be YOUth
Youth Week aims to create a society that values young people and affirms their diversity. The week highlights the amazing things young people do all year, and challenges the negative stereotypes about young people. This year there will be Youth Week Youth Ambassadors, so stay tuned for more on that. Youth Week small grants will be available again in 2011, thanks to support from the Vodafone Foundation. Applications for grants are now open. For more info or to post a Youth Week event, go to www.youthweek.co.nz or email youthweek@arataiohi.org.nz.
WHAT IS SELF-ESTEEM? Self-esteem is your level of self worth. Imagine you have a fuel tank, except instead of petrol it contains selfesteem. You feel good when you have fuel in the tank. When it’s running on empty, that’s the low self esteem kicking in. When our egos get hurt we can feel our meter reading drop a little. Having low-self esteem can make it difficult to deal with disappointments, criticism and what we perceive as failures. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEGATIVE FACTORS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY FOR PEOPLE WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM? TEXT BULLIES Text or Facebook bullies can cause – or add to – self-esteem issues. Believe it or not, often bullies have low selfesteem themselves, and their way of feeling better is to make someone else feel worse. Text bullying is so easy for someone to do; you can just let
Report the messages to your mobile phone company, or if you are with Vodafone, you can block that number from texting or pxting you youself – check www.vodafone. co.nz/blacklist/ For Telecom, TelstraClear and 2degrees, to make a complaint: 1. Don’t reply to the messages or contact that number 2. Make a list of the exact date and time you received at least four bullying or harassing messages from that person. To show that the messages are unwanted, the call list can only start from when you stopped replying 3. For Telecom call 0800 809 806 between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday
out your mean words and hit ‘send’, without the pressure of talking to someone face to face. TECHNO “FRIENDS” Cell phones, Twitter and Facebook make it easy to stay at home rather than socialising with people face to face. However the in-person connection is arguably the true bond that makes us feel good inside. We all need a friendly smile, hug or chat, especially when we feel low. This kind of connection can be hard for people with low self-esteem to have, because they often do not feel comfortable in social situations. Social networking sites can make it easy to ignore real social situations and to stay at home clocking up techno-friends, but honestly, how many of your 500+ ‘friends’ do you honestly care about? On Facebook you advertise to your ‘friends’ who you are, or at least how you would like them to see you. You can upload photos of yourself that fit what you think you should look like. You can fill in your ‘info’ with things you think people will like. You can create an idealistic version of yourself. This has the potential to create a fake sense of happiness but may only be building a wall on the path to true self confidence.
4. For TelstraClear phone 0800 299 500 5. For 2degrees phone 200 from your mobile,or 0800 022 022 from your landline. If the messages are from someone at your school or another school, talk to the deputy principal, guidance counselor or a teacher about how they can help stop the bullying. If the messages include threats to hurt you physically (like threats to “get you” or punch you, etc.) they are breaking the law. Save these messages on your phone. Show the messages to the police and ask to make a formal complaint about receiving threats on a mobile
WHAT ABOUT THE POSITIVES? Having good friends is important, and having the use of technology to connect with them at any time is also good. You may be able to say things in confidence to a friend through chat or texting that you may not have had the confidence to say face to face. However, if you have low self-esteem, you may need real contact with people to give you real support. Our generation is the first to be surrounded by such amazing social technology, so enjoy it! Don’t let our social networks and technology be abused with negative interactions – use them for good! In the words of Bob Sinclair, “feel the love generation.” What do YOU think? Write to us with your opinion: rain@tearaway.co.nz
phone. Record your complaint number and contact the Police if there are further threats. You can also make a complaint to your mobile company as above about threatening messages or calls. For more info on text or Facebook bullying, go to www.netsafe.org.nz Want someone to talk to? Youthline: 0800 37 66 33 of free TXT 234 www.youthline.co.nz If you’re feeling down, try www.thelowdown.co.nz
What do YOU think? Write to us with your opinion: rain@tearaway.co.nz
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