HNC Echo Summer 2021

FOR STUDENTS BY STUDENTS

ISSUE 15

Enjoy a great short story Read our top 3 stories from our recent Short Story competition Kaitlyn Young: pg 12 Arfan Ali: pg 13 Grace Taylor: pg 14

6 Toxic Masculinity Aleksandrs and Megan explore what toxic masculinity is and share an opinion piece

16 The Breakaway: what happens to sport now?

An opinion piece by George Kelly

inside

issue 15 Welcome to the final edition of the HNC Echo for this academic year. Our soon to be Year 13 students have continued to get creative and explore a wide range of topics.

We are really proud of their creative talents, and the diversity of the topics they choose to specialise in. In this edition you can read their views on politics and recent events in football, along with an extended joint feature which explores why toxic masculinity is something we all need to be aware of.

4 London Decides 6 Toxic Masculinity 10 Your Head Students 12 Short Stories 16 The Breakaway: An opinion piece 18 Invest in yourself this Summer: HNC Enrichment

This edition also features three short stories – so why not get comfortable and enjoy these fantastic creative stories?

The HNC Echo is part of our enrichment programme, and students are welcome to join again from September. If you’d like any information about being part of the programme please email h.doyle@huddnewcoll.ac.uk

Angela Wiliams OBE Principal

The HNC Echo is written for students, by students. It is a core part of our Student Voice, with our writers independently developing their own ideas and content.

Please note therefore that the magazine contains the individual views of our young people, and any views expressed are not necessarily those of Huddersfield New College. We hope you enjoy the creative efforts of our students.

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LONDON decides On the 6th May, Londoners may well hand Mayor Khan a convincing majority.

But the result of the mayoral election will have profound ramifications beyond City Hall. Nicholas Budgen takes a look at the Mayoral elections.

In any centralised democracy, the capital always enjoys an oversized influence.

That is especially true in Britain, a nation whose capital contributes 23.6% of its GDP and the Leaders of its three largest parties.

Consequentially, the antics at London City Hall have enormous ramifications for the rest of the country. As Mayor, Ken Livingstone’s brand of “loony left” politics was a regular headache for Mrs Thatcher. The weakness of Labour in Parliament and trade unions meant Mr Livingstone was the most powerful opponent of Thatcherism. As Mayor, Boris Johnson embedded his idiosyncratic brand of bravado into the national conscience.

Sadiq Khan, the current mild-mannered Mayor of the capital, may not be the idiosyncratic quasar that either Livingstone or Johnson

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was- but he, too, has been a pivotal force in British politics.

He is predicted to enjoy a comfortable re-election victory. Khan, the son of a bus driver, has championed liberal multiculturalism and internationalism as London’s Mayor. He may not have delivered a revolution in affordable housing or drastically upgraded the Underground. But his unique brand of centre-left politics has put him at increasing odds with Britain’s hard-right Government. Mayor Khan has positioned himself as a safe, unifying counterbalance to the tide of populism that has delivered Brexit and maintained Boris Johnson’s career. His opposition to then President Trump’s visit to London earned him the favour of liberal, pro-European Londoners- and earned him criticism from the Tories, both in the City Hall and beyond.

A decisive majority would

intensify London’s drift away from the rest of England.

The Tories have selected Shaun Bailey, a former social worker, as their candidate.

His brand of politics, too, is at odds with the rightwing populism his party now embodies. Bailey’s background couldn’t be more different from that of the aristocrat who leads his party.

His life story is inspirational; Mr Bailey, who was raised by a single mother in a council house, has every right to position himself as a role model to other working-class Londoners who want to get on in life. A strong second place for Mr Bailey would boost the Tories’ confidence nationally.

It would strengthen the Tories’ efforts to appeal to a broader, more racially diverse set of voters ahead of the next general election.

Luisa Porritt, the Lib Dems’ candidate, also represents a distinct type of Londoner. She is a devout internationalist who speaks fondly of London’s global cultural ties. The Liberal Democrats are an unwaveringly pro-European party; it has opposed Brexit at every opportunity and continues to promote European integration.

Starmer’s failure to oppose Brexit may encourage some centre-left voters to give Miss Porritt their first-preference vote. Mr Khan’s strength might also prove advantageous. Voters who would otherwise vote tactically for the Labour candidate might feel tempted to give Porritt their first preference vote- since Mr Bailey has little chance of winning.

Luisa Porritt is far from the only candidate claiming the mantle of green liberalism, however. Sian Berry, the Green candidate, has placed the environment at the centre of her agenda. She has pledged to make London “the

greenest city in the world” by introducing an entirely renewable energy grid and protecting the green belt, an area of land on which building is forbidden. Ms Berry’s experience of paying sky-high rents has convinced her of the need for “rent controls”, a policy of limiting rent increase that has been implemented in other European capitals, namely Berlin.

Twenty candidates are standing at this election, the highest of any London Mayoral election. Each candidate is competing to appeal to a particular tribe of Londoner. Sadiq Khan, Sian Berry and Luisa Porritt are all vying for the votes of climate-concerned liberals.

Shaun Bailey, like Khan, has emphasised his background to appeal to aspirational working-class voters.

There are numerous fringe candidates vying for the small number of Londoners who oppose lockdown restrictions.

All major candidates share a distinctly London-centric outlook; most emphasise

London’s reputation as an international and cultural centre.

The contrast between London’s politics and those of Middle England is striking.

The London Mayor can shape the agenda nationally; Johnson’s dodgy dealings with Jeniffer Acruri, a tech moguel, was a precursor to the sleaze that now blights the Tory Party. Khan’s high polling ratings- even while Labour trails the Tories nationallyemphasises London’s pattern of defying political trends.

London’s influence and values may be international, but it’s politics are distinctly local.

(please note this article was written ahead of the elections and published in the nearest available HNC Echo edition)

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toxic masculinity

IC HOW THIS EPIDEM PLE HITS YOUNG PEO

In a joint article Megan Hall and Aleksandrs Ribalkins explore the idea of toxic masculinity, how this may impact on mental well-being, and what it means for young people.

‘Toxic Masculinity’ as a concept is the idea of “stereotypical traits of masculinity, which create a toxic expectation of ‘how men should be”. For example, the idea that to be masculine you must be tough, strong, independent and in control of your emotions brings an unrealistic standard. This can be internalised, leading men to push this unrealistic idea onto themselves and the men around them.

Growing up, I have seen the embedded toxic masculinity in our society effect myself and the people around me. This issue branches out to more than just the harm it is doing to the men in our lives, but how this effects women too.

In this patriarchal society we live in, misogyny is normalised. This toxic social norm has brought danger into our lives, with the promotion of dominance, power and

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often times violence in men comes the extremes, such as sexual assault and domestic violence.

Pressure to be masculine and ‘man enough’ has caused detrimental damage to men’s mental health. I believe it is important for us to find the root of these issues and expectations in order to bring them down and allow men to relearn and connect with their masculinity in a healthy way.

But this is just me talking.

Where’s the proof? Well, let’s look at the statistics.

reported that the perpetrator(s) were male. In addition to this, 65% reported that the perpetrator was a male aged between 20 and 39 years • In 2019, the suicide rate for men was at its highest. Men accounted for about threequarters of suicide deaths registered in 2019, at a shocking 4,303, compared to women at 1,388 (in England and Wales).

• Men are less likely to access psychological therapies than women: only 36% of referrals to NHS talking therapies are for men.

• 87% of rough sleepers are men.

The Statistics *All this information is taken from the websites linked below • In the years ending March 2017 and March 2020 combined, 98% of victims who had experienced rape or assault by penetration since they were 16 years old

• Men report lower levels of life satisfaction than women, according to the Government’s national wellbeing survey. https://tinyurl.com/pse9yh82

As a boy growing up surrounded by toxic standards, I often felt helpless in my own ability to be what people wanted me to be – a strong, emotionless man.

This often ate into my mental health and affected me negatively especially when I, myself was often told not to express my feelings as it was a sign of weakness, to stop acting like a ‘girl’ and to ‘man-up’ as it is not the manly way to feel sad, confused and alone.

Through high school, I often felt like an example rather an exception made by the other boys and girls. My courage to live life how I wanted to, showing emotion, being fragile in my own ways and not abide to societal expectations often brought about questions concerning my sexuality, mentality, and other interests. Most people could not comprehend my thought processes and how

I was able to prioritise my mental wellbeing and happiness over fitting in and ticking boxes in other people’s lives but that is what a toxic masculinity mind-set does, it skews perception of other things as it is something that is taught and brought upon by peer pressure and parental upbringing – ruining people’s views and often setting in trauma that will last a lifetime.

ITY: TOXIC MASCULIN AN’S FROM A YOUNG M POINT OF VIEW

Toxic masculinity is a disease that is hard to treat and cure once it has set in, we need to prevent its spread in the first place by raising awareness and teaching parents/friends that it is okay not to be okay, expressing your feelings is the steppingstone to a good mental health, safety for others and most importantly – your own contentment.

HOW TOXIC S MASCULINITY HA :A AFFECTED WOMEN YOUNG WOMAN’S POINT OF VIEW

Many of my female friends and I share a similar memory; a little frown when we didn’t get picked to carry the books in primary school, as the teacher wanted a ‘strong boy’ who could handle it, before forgetting the whole thing while you went to play outside. Or being told you ran ‘pretty fast for a girl’ during sports day and felt

so heart-warmed by such a compliment.

These are small, these are details, these are what embed misogyny into our lives from a young impressionable age. And it grows. As I have got older this unspoken expectation lives freely, like a virus. Sexual comments spread, behaviour grows

new variants and dehumanising language mutates.

A sarcastic tease of a high school friend’s skirt or chest provides a petri-dish of harassment and crime to multiply in severity and danger. As boys grow into men, the patriarchal power dynamic leaves so many male friends in my life suffering alone with no empowerment to speak up emotionally due to too much ‘strength’ in power resulting to no room to be vulnerable.

Misogyny has done its job here of telling women they are weak and men they are strong. It has fed into the continuous power imbalance of the patriarchy. Men have been speaking over us politically, meanwhile their voice has emotionally stripped. It has taught boys that their worth and value is strength and power.

And power equals control.

Toxic masculinity is one of reasons behind women’s harassment. By prioritising the negative aspects of traditional manliness, our culture allows cruelty to women.

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LES O R R E D N E G C I X TO IN MEDIA

reach out Teaching not just young men but men everywhere to be expressive, vulnerable and unapologetically themselves is what I believe to be one of the best first steps to battling toxic masculinity.

And there are so many people trying to do this.

Andy’s Man Club is a company with clubs located across England that are dedicated safe-space talking groups for men to talk about their feelings. There are clubs close to our college, based in Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge Bradford, Brighouse, Halifax and more. If you would like more information or to get involved, visit their website at https://andysmanclub.co.uk

Today, most of us by now are used to seeing ‘traditional’ roles used to define our films, books, TV shows and what we see on our social media timelines. But. Traditional doesn’t mean that is it is the right way nor is it good, traditional ways often have us abide to historical normalisations of ‘powerful and courageous’ men protecting and saving ‘helpless and weak’ women which in no sense fit in to our what society is today.

Filled with diversity and multiculturalism, why do we often find our media so behind and outdated?

In the last century, we have seen many stories based on harming others and ‘getting that girl’ praised to be heroic, strong and enviable.

Are toxic gender roles really that desirable? Even Shakespeare, back in 1606 with his infamous ‘Macbeth’ rocked the world when he

portrayed ‘Lady Macbeth’ as a bureaucratic, powerful figure who pulled the strings behind the plot of the play. This was done 4 centuries ago but some things still haven’t changed.

Lack of change coming from the media to mix and match our characters, to come up with something other than ‘the great Prince Charming and his Princess’ is staggering the progression of our entrance into the new times and preventing appropriate expression, revelation and appreciation of what really matters today.

If Shakespeare was able to include diversity and change 400 years ago, there should be nothing stopping us.

JAYA “My name is Jayapreet Bains-Williams, and I’m the Head Student Pastoral here at HNC. My role is a public one that involves supporting

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students, welcoming visitors, and speaking and appearing at events along with other things. This year our aim as the Head Students is to increase student voice, we will engage with our peers and communicate their point of view to staff who can deliver it further. Generally, I would like to use my time as Head student

to emphasizethe message of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion by advertising our outstanding team here at HNC, I would also like to bring more awareness to the extra–curricular activities that all students have an opportunity to take part in at College. I am looking forward to working with college and the fellow Head Students to achieve these. “

LUKE “My name is Luke Bowen, and I am the Head Student for Curriculum at New College. This role involves speaking at events as well as answering any questions

that I may be asked at these events. In addition to this, the role of Head Student is a very visible one, meaning I am available around college to answer any questions that other students or visitors may have about college.

This year, the focus for the Head Student Team is student voice, meaning we are keen to take feedback from students and pass on this feedback, before making suggestions about possible changes which could be implemented. Personally, I would like to use my time in this role to make a real difference in College which will last well beyond my time here, to improve student experience.

This goes together with our plans to take 11 on student feedback, meaning everybody in College has a voice that should be heard. “

read Take a break! Enjoy our short stories Before she could talk herself out of this, find another way out of her dilemma, she picked up the closest weapon to her, turned around and swung.

Recently we chose our top three stories in our Short Story Competition. Grab a cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy the talents of our young writers.

Kaitlyn Young

She knew he was following her.

This was not the only occasion she had noticed him lurking around her, this had been happening for a few days now, but this time would be different, it had to be, as she knew that given the chance she would not be able to say goodbye to anyone before she was taken away. So, when she saw him from the corner of her eye dressed completely in black and innocently- to anyone that was not in her position- walking along the same street that she was, only at a slightly slower pace than her, she marginally sped up and continued to walk home.

As predicted when she sped up, he did too. So she let him follow her.

When she reached her shabby apartment, decorated in pastel wallpapers and plain white furniture- that she

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had only bought to be away from probing eyes and blend in- she told herself to keep calm. She could do this. And so, when she leisurely entered her appartement- first subtly scrutinizing the area to make sure no-one was aroundshe left the door unlocked.

In doing so, she invited him in. She knew he thought it an innocent mistake and an advantage for him, but she knew he was terribly wrong.

She had made him the prey.

Honestly, she did not want to do this. The first time was an accident- one that no-one was supposed to find out about. She was sure that she had been careful, but she couldn’t dwell on the thought now. She deliberately made her way towards the far end of the apartment, where all her tools needed for this job were situated. She heard his footstep right behind her and she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. She supposed he wasn’t hiding anymore. And ironically, neither was she.

When she looked up, it was to stare into her own face from a mirror situated on the wall diagonal to her.

There was an unfamiliar face looking back at her- the one who had started this treacherous operation and was determined to finish the final act. Her hair, once luscious and full of life, laid limply against her neck and her once olive skin had paled and seemed almost as if a watcher had decided to take away any colour that allowed her to look alive, punishing her for continuing this deceitful plan. Her once electric eyes filled with shades of Prussian and Sapphire blue, were now dulled and hollowed, making her face look gaunter overall. The tear tracks running down her face did nothing to disguise the pure malicious intent clearly seen in this woman’s eyes and the residue splattered over her clothes showing the unvarying intentions of a successful kill.

This woman knew what she had donewhat she would do again if the situation demanded it. She thought this was for a justifiable reason, in her world he deserved everything that happened to him. After all, now she was finally free to do what she wanted too, no more pesky police tailing her.

She supposed that it’s not always the heroes of the world that succeed- at least in this case- as she started to clean up the blood that was seeping through her floor.

It was a dark and stormy night.

I was walking home in the pouring rain, the raindrops were hitting me on my face and running down my cheeks.

My clothes were soaked. I felt the low, the lowest I’ve ever been. As I walked through the darkness I saw a bit of a glow in the corner of my eye. I turned to look at it, I couldn’t quite make out what it was.

It was coming from one of the ally ways. I walked down it, I was a bit nervous, it’s not the ally way I normally use.

I walked towards the light it was quite faint. But when I got closer, it suddenly shot out at me, it was really bright I could not see anything. Then it hit me, it was warm, it felt like it was burning through me. I just did not know what was going on. Then I suddenly felt the floor under my feet give.

I was falling, it felt like I was tumbling, turning and whirling all over the place. I could not see anything. The bright light blinded me. I was falling and falling this when on for what it felt like hours but it must have been only minutes. Then suddenly I hit ground, with a hard thump. I must have passed out because I don’t know what happened, when I gained consciousness I woke up and looked around. To my amassment I was in Victorian London. “How did I get here?”

I thought to myself in disbelief.

I was so shocked. There were people in Victorian clothing walking down the same street I just walked a few minutes ago but in a totally different time. There I was in modern clothing, in late Victorian London.

“What had happened?” More importantly “how would I get back?” Suddenly there was a shout, lots of police whistles, I thought “oh no they’ve spotted me”. But no, everyone ran past me towards this other ally way. I followed the people down there, feeling very apprehensive and scared.

I was thinking that any minute now someone will point at me, and start shouting that there is a stranger dressed strangely among them. But everyone was looking at something else.

The women were covering their eyes and crying. The men were looking very shocked. I pushed my way to the front to see what had happened. I could not believe what I was looking at. There was a dead body. It was a dead woman.

She had been stabbed. “Oh my gosh, what had happened?”

I thought. Then I heard someone say, “It’s the ripper he struck again!” I thought, “oh gosh this is the time when Jack the ripper was killing people, this is where I have ended up. I know what is

going to happen. I have to do something to stop this.

But what if I change history?

What would happen? Would I be able to get back? Would my family be still be there?

But what if the ripper got me? What if I died here?” All these questions were running through my mind, as I stood on these cobble stones. I looked around at this Victorian London full of smoke and soot, all these people shaking their heads and the women crying.

I was so scared, I have never been this scared in all my life.

Then suddenly someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned around and I looked in complete disbelief, I could not believe who I was looking at.

There stood Sherlock homes complete with deerstalker and pipe, but this can’t be right?

He’s not really real, he’s just a made up character in a story.

So how could he be standing here in front of me in flesh and blood? Just then turns to me and says “this is no time to be standing about Watson, the game is a foot” What the hell was going on here? What I did not know then as I stood there with a blank stare on my face and my mouth gaping open, was this was just the start of my amazing adventure, where I will have to capture the very embodiment of evil, cheat death, and face off against time and fate it self.

Arfan Ali

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Grace Taylor

What Dies Beneath Scott breathed in the cool evening air as he tried to steady his nerves. The water lapped gently at his feet as he went over and over his speech, trying to perfect it. He didn’t want anything to ruin tonight.

Piercing screams erupted from inside his parents’ lake house. Scott leapt to his feet, his heart pounding. Allison.

Stumbling over loose rocks, he ran towards the house and noticed that all the tires of his car were flat. He reached the edge of the glass sliding doors on the side of the house, gasped for air and peered inside. A man was standing with his back to the door, a blood-soaked knife in his hand. Tall and dressed entirely in black, he was moving slowly around a large dining room table- as if stalking his prey. On the other side was a young woman with long blonde wavy hair, pale skin and wide blue eyes. They were fixed upon the man as she clutched her side, blood trickling down her hand. With trembling hands, Scott grabbed his phone and tried to turn it on. ... ...

No battery. Damn it.

Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he swung back round to see a contorted face wearing a sadistic smile pressed up against the glass. His heart dropped. It was Michael- Allison’s ex. Pushing the door open, he lunged and grabbed Scott by the collar. He struggled as Michael slashed wildly with the knife. The icy blade pierced his skin and he felt warm blood seeping from the searing pain. He grasped frantically at the vice-like grip when a blur of white came crashing down on Michael’s head. He collapsed to the floor, roaring in pain. Allison jumped over him, dropping the shattered remnants of an old vase, and grabbed Scott by the shoulder. They ran. And ran.

And ran.

Down the steps and onto the rickety wooden boards of the jetty. Scott’s chest was burning as he raced after his girlfriend until they reached a small boat swaying softly on the water. Clambering in, they started rowing furiously over the glittering lake, trying to maintain a steady rhythm. Scott craned his neck back to look at the jetty. No sign of him. Distracted, he got his oar stuck in the silt and they swerved towards a dense patch of reeds.

Michael exploded from behind the grass and grabbed Allison, dragging her into the water. The boat toppled and Scott was enveloped by the freezing darkness. Flailing around, he could feel the panic rising in his chest until he regained his composure and started to swim. Somehow, he found the wooden jetty and heaved himself up. He sat there shivering, scanning the water for any sign of her.

Nothing.

He felt something pressing against his leg. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a sodden velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring inside. A ring she would never get to wear.

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15

George Kelly reviews all this year’s debate about breakaways, and why there is still more to be said.

We all will know what the breakaway I am referring to and what it was about. We all know the avarice that drove the so-called super league but that has been spoken about enough, not to say that it isn’t true. And how amazing the response of fans was.

My point is that breakaways and reform aren’t always a bad thing it can make everything better in the end, but it needs to be done in the right way and for the right reason. An example I would use is from our very own Huddersfield as this was the very place where rugby league was founded in 1895 as the then ‘northern union’. The breakaway was done for the right reasons as the players wanted to be paid for their playing as in doing so, they were missing out on work (known as broken time).

This was an issue as you weren’t allowed to be paid for playing in rugby union rules at that time. The northern players needed to be paid as most were not born into wealth like the union establishment who are based

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around boarding schools and the rich in the south. This was a just reason to ‘break away’ and they then took the opportunity of the freedom in a break away to change the game to be more entertaining and quicker and forming rugby league as it is today. The game succeeded, in a form as it isn’t in the greatest situation at current with finances and attendances in general but that’s not the point, as it had a reason to occur that could be supported. So, even though recent media events were an illustration of how negative a breakaway can be, history shows us it is not always bad.

There has been another breakaway in rugby league recently with the formation of the North American Rugby League as to get away from the poorly run American NRL, yet again in the best interest of the game.

Reform can be a good thing and is definitely needed in football. These organisations took the moral high ground over the super league, whilst striving for the same ideals of profit and greed that they were condemning those clubs of. This has been made clear by the recent decisions made by these organisations, for example the new champions

league proposal or the idea of having a world cup every two years by UEFA and FIFA respectively.

I believe they need to be stripped of some of the power and control that they have over football at this time. There could be a league structure with all the best teams which would make this league really good. Possibly a super league?

However, the main put is that a measure of control for the clubs over the running of football on a European or even world stage could be a positive step but it has to be done with respect to the leagues, clubs and fans.

It would most likely lead to everyone looking out for their best interests like the premier league can be at times but at least in that way if enough team’s interests align change would be able to be made unlike leaving it to the powers above to rule and shape football in their image, they can sound like a comic super villain when you think about it like that.

I hope this has helped to bring the idea of breakaways not all being what the super league was and that something does need to happen to save the sport that so many of us love.

“ There has been another break in rugby league recently... ”

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DON‘T FORGET YOU CAN VISIT MOODLE FOR ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO ENJOY THIS SUMMER

EMIC IN THE NEW ACAD UNCHING A YEAR WE’LL BE LA GRAMME OF BRAND NEW PRO YOU! LOOK ENRICHMENT FOR R DETAILS OUT FOR FURTHE RN UPON YOUR RETU

GET CAREER READY Join virtual work experience across a wide range of sectors

GET INSPIRED Check out a range of inspirational talks to build your cultural capital

GET CREATIVE Join local events and free workshops to stretch your creativity

GET VOLUNTEERING We link to services looking for support and help – many of which support the VInspired certificate

GET COMPETITIVE Check out opportunities to join others in competitions this summer

GET QUALIFIED Gain an extra qualification, or practice for your driving theory test!

GET ACTIVE Keep active by getting outdoors and keeping fit in the sunshine

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If you need the information in this magazine presented a different way, please contact our Equality and Diversity Director at info@huddnewcoll.ac.uk

Huddersfield New College Ney Hey Road Huddersfield HD3 4GL 01484 652341 info@huddnewcoll.ac.uk www.huddnewcoll.ac.uk

fe awards 2019

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Winner

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Sixth form college of the year