Contrast Issue 6

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A Hackney youth publication

SocialSpider

Contrast is a FREE magazine written by and for

young people in Hackney.

If you’re aged 13 to 19 and you’re interested in writing,editing, design or illustration, come and join our editorialteam.

If you’re a young person in Hackney with something to say, wewant to hear from you.

Joining the Contrast team gives you the opportunity to see yourname in print and get some accredited media training. We havea weekly editorial team meeting at Sky Partnership and regularworkshops at other community venues in Hackney.

Sky PartnershipDay: TuesdayTime: 4.30pm – 6.30pmVenue: Unit 2, 222 Kingsland Road,London, E2 8AX

If you would like us to run a workshop sessionin your School/Youth Club/Organisation pleaseget in touch.

For more information and directions to venues call Vicky on 020 7359 2053,email [email protected] orwww.myspace.com/contrastmag

Contrast is published by Social Spider. Social Spider is a Community Interest Company registered in England no. 4846529The views expressed in Contrast do not necessarily reflect those of Social Spider or Hackney Council © 2008 Social Spider Community Interest CompanyISSN 1754-0623 Contrast is printed on paper that comes from sustainable sources and is monitored by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international organisation thatpromotes the responsible management of the world’s forest

Advertising: If your organisation is interested in advertising in Contrast, call Stephen on 020 7354 9129 or email: [email protected] our media pack from www.socialspider.com/contrastmediapack for information on rates and specifications.

Printing managed by: Ten Alps Publishing, 9 Savoy Street, London WC2E 7HR Tel: 020 7878 2300.

Contrast Editorial team: Selin Kavlak, Bana Mhaldien, Cheryl O’Garro, Steve Liburd, Karess Laidley, Lara Akinnawo, Bisi Fashesin, Jasmine O’Garro, Stephan O’Garro,Fatima Ahmed, Rhasan Brunner, Tobi Meadows, Lisa Hamaz, Kimberly Wilson & Niki D.

Contrast Staff team: Mustafa Kurtuldu, David Floyd, Mark Brown, Stephen Gardiner & Vicky Hughes.

The Contrast team would like to thank: Sky Partnership, CityZEN, Hackney Libraries, HCVS, CityZEN, Linda Salmon, Lorna Robbins & Feryat Demirci

Contrast is funded by the Hackney Youth Opportunity Fund, which is managed by young people in Hackney Youth Service.

Contrast is supported by: Sky Partnership, Hackney Libraries, Hackney Youth Parliament and Exposure Organisation Limited.

Credit where credit’s due

Make your own news!

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Hackney students slam povertyStudents at BSix Brooke House Sixth Form College in Clapton took theircampaign against child poverty to parliament in Februrary.

The team of sixth form students has been working on the project withthe help of Envision – a youth empowerment charity, since Septemberlast year. On Tuesday February 26th the group joined charity Save theChildren in Parliament Square where they met with Jane Kennedy, MPand Financial Secretary to the Treasury. The group challenged theGovernment to keep its promise of halving child poverty by 2010 andending it completely by 2020. The students also had the chance tomeet David Blunkett MP and question him about how the Governmentwas working to reduce poverty.

Student Aisha Mohamed said: “It was amazing meeting with an MP whoreally wants to bring about change in this area. The Government hasdone a lot but there is a lot more to do.” The BSix team are currentlyworking on a documentary which looks into how poverty affects peoplein their local area and hope to screen this in their college later this year.

For further information please visit www.envision.org.uk or contact:Debbie Jackson-Hill on 0207 974 8440 or email:[email protected]

Can you kick it?April 22nd marks the start of a new girls six-a-side footballleague in Regents Park, Central London, for U10, U12 and U14teams. The league will run on Tuesday evenings for 10 weeks intotal with a one-week break midway through and is a great wayfor girls to enjoy the beautiful game. Cost of entry is £100 (50%of which will be refunded on completion of all fixtures) per teamand this will include all affiliation fees, pitch hire and referees.For more information please contact Natalie on 07715050374 oremail: [email protected]

Interested in film and fashion?Are you aged between 13 and 19 years? Youcan learn skills in directing, camera work,sound, acting, editing and scripting. Thesessions are held on Mondays at 5pm atMTR Studio, 23 Charlotte Rd, EC2A. If youare interested please call 020 7729 2323 oremail [email protected]

Make your mark (on some clothes)The Hackney Youth Print Project is a professionalscreen-printing business that trains young people indesigning and printing clothing. They run a freecourse open to young people aged between 16 and25 who will eventually be offered the opportunity tobe paid to train other young people. The coursetakes place on Wednesday afternoons. For moreinformation call Joel on 020 7241 7480 or [email protected]

Issue Six - Editorial

Contrast 03

Bana “I would stop all written exams because it stresses me out :(“

Welcome back guys and welcome to our new edition! We've gotexciting reports for you on Hackney's most popular reading group,and a star-studded peace concert. We have top tips on dealingwith exam stress and a feature on the adventures of young peoplewho get involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards scheme.There’s a big election for the Mayor of London next month, sowe’ve got useful info on how you can vote (if you’re over 18) and

an interview with a young local councillor who tells us why shethinks it’s worth giving up her time to go to lots of boringmeetings. Got an idea about what should go in the next issue?Fancy getting involved?! Come along to our Tuesday sessions andbecome a reporter yourself!

Rhasan, on behalf of the Contrast team

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Volunteer for the Olympics in 2012 Are you not in work or education? Would like to bepart of the Olympic dream? If so, there are going tobe some volunteer training sessions for the 2012Olympics held every week on Wednesdays from1.00 – 3.00pm, Thursdays from 5.00pm –7.00pm and Fridays 1.00pm – 3.00pm atNavarino Mansions, Dalston Lane, London. E81LB. To book your place contact Bianca Foster on020 8533 7053 or email: [email protected]

04 Contrast

‘The GPU’ was a concert sponsored byleading Muslim charities that was held atExcel London. GPU stands for Global Peaceand Unity, and the event was exactly that.

When I heard about it, I was a littlesceptical. I assumed it was a boring eventthat was a waste of time and money but (Idon’t know why) I still ended up goinganyway!

30,000 people attended the event.Everywhere I looked there were kidsrunning around laughing and playing, andthe adults genuinely looked like they werehaving a good time.

Several famous individuals attended theevent. Jermaine Jackson was present aswell as Malcolm X’s daughter, who bothspoke about peace. Malcolm X’s daughter

expressed how proud she was to be thereon behalf of her father.

The concert finally started and thescreaming and shouting commenced. I hadno idea who most of the acts thatperformed were, apart from a group calledSeven8Six that I only heard of from myoverexcited cousin that was sitting next to

me. But the music was great and theatmosphere electric!

I was lucky enough to sit in the VIP sectionbecause my cousin got me a ticket. It wasactually quite cool to be up that close.What wasn’t cool was my brother waving

and jumping around every time the camerazoomed in on us.

People of different religions from all aroundthe world came to the event to learn abouteach other’s cultures together. The moneymade from the proceedings was given toChildren in Need. Just goes to show thatMuslims are not what is portrayed in the

media but are people of peace.

Overall I had a great day out and as theevent progressed I realised that I waswrong to be sceptical; I had a fantastictime.

Global Peace and UnityContrast reporter Fatima Ahmed attended a peaceful musical extravaganza and gives us thelowdown on the day

“Malcolm X’s daughter expressed how proud she wasto be there on behalf of her father”

Yusuf Islam

Muhammad Abdul Aziz (Jermaine Jackson)

Seven8Six

Contrast 05

Human writesContrast’s Rhasan Brummer meets Lorna Robins who runs the Impetus Awards Scheme helpingyoung people organise human rights projects across Britain

What is the Impetus Awards Scheme andwhy was it set up? It’s an awards scheme designed to helpyoung people organise human rightsprojects in their school or local area. Theproject was started to encourage youngpeople to think about human rightsbecause sometimes young people don’tknow that they have these rights, forexample: you have the right for people notto bully you, make you feel small or to takeaway your freedom and you have the rightto express yourself. We have projectsrunning already about sexual health, drugs,and international problems. There’s lotsgoing on all the time and the actual awardsceremony takes place in May.

Why aren’t lot of young people alreadyinterested in human rights? A lot of young people feel that humanrights have nothing to do with them, it’ssomething that goes on miles away but infact it’s the total opposite. Human rightsare about when you are talking to yourfriends and whether they are respecting

you, whether your teachers are treating youfairly, whether you are getting access toeverything you need to work and grow intoan adult. These are everyday things!

What are the big human rights problemsthat young people face in London? There are lots of problems to do with howyoung people are perceived, for example:getting the respect that you deserve andaccess is a big issue, too. For example,disabled people have problems getting

access to youth clubs. Bullying is a bighuman rights issue – young people havethe right to a happy life free from thesetypes of stresses.

Why is the Impetus project important? It’s really important that young people knowthat they have human rights, Lots of thetime people focus on the negative with

young people like – “you can do that, don’tdo that, stop it and change” when whatyoung people should be feeling is that theyare empowered and they have the right tochoose things in their life. Impetus projectsare aimed at helping young people torealise that they have rights like: care froma member of the family or carer to lookafter them and that they should have thingslike the right to pray and participate in theirculture and religion. All these things arevery important.

If you would like to start your own humanrights project or would like moreinformation on the award scheme contactLorna on 020 7405 5709 or [email protected]

local award accreditation [email protected]

“Human rights are about when you are talking to yourfriends and whether they are respecting you, ”

Rhasan “I would build more football stadiums”

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Performers at the Impetus Awards ceremony

Contrast 07

"You get to know people and the books are really good." Rosie,14

Hackney’s Teen Reads Book Club is celebrating its two-yearanniversary this month.

The group meets at the beginning of every month at Mare StreetLibrary. The group members turn up with suggestions for books toread the following month and, of course, their reviews and

comments on the previous month’s book.

I’ve been a member of the book club since the very beginning.Initially I wasn’t too keen on the idea but my mum, who works forHackney Libraries, practically forced me into it. Little did I knowthat I’d soon be finding myself looking forward to these meetings!

Every month the regular old faces turn up (along with a few newones) and here are some reasons why:

"Reading a book and coming together as a group is a good way toshare how you feel about a book." – Angela, 15

"I like it because you can trust that the books will be good." –Alecia, 13

"It’s interesting and lively." – Omolabake, 14

"Everyone expresses their different points of view, so I find outwhat they think about the book." – Elizabeth, 15

"It's nice to be part of a group." – Lisa, 15

"It's different from school." – Clarisse, 14

My main reason for turning up is simply that I love reading and it’snice to spend time with other people who share my hobby!

We don’t just read books; we often go on group trips together aswell. Over the summer holidays we went to see a show called TheFamily at the Hackney Empire and we’ll be going there again soonto see Noughts & Crosses - an adaptation of a book by MalorieBlackman we have read at Teen Reads. All in all, joining a bookclub has really been different to what I expected. I certainly didn’tsee myself ever belonging to one but now that I do I hope to bepart of Teen Reads for a very long time!

Hackney Teen Reading Group meets on the first Wednesday ofevery month from 6pm until 7.30pm at Hackney Central Library.

Tobi Meadows writes about Hackney Teen Reads

Read all about it

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When we eventually reached ourcheckpoint for lunch I was close to tearsbecause of the agony I was in. We’d beenhiking through the countryside on the wayto earning a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is avoluntary, non-competitive and flexibleprogramme of cultural and adventurousactivities for all young people, whatevertheir background or ability.

I cannot lie; doing the Award has certainlynot been all fun and games!

I initially joined the scheme because Iwanted to get the accreditation to use forcollege and university applications - it iswidely recognised by employers universities- but doing the Award has really helped meto develop my self-reliance and leadershipabilities, whilst I also discovered a newskills.

The most challenging part for me was theexpedition. It was the most difficult bit butalso the most character-building! I am verylazy so the idea of a 16-mile hike wasterrifying! Not only was I worried about howI was going to look even remotely decentbut worse than this was the idea ofcamping!

I’m very girly; I only own one pair oftracksuit bottoms and as for trainers, wellthey’re completely out of the question! So Iturned up wearing my favourite skinnyjeans, a tank top with a little cardigan andsome really cute pumps… big mistake!

Although many people appreciate thecountryside, I’ve always tended todisagree. To start off with the walk waspretty easy but it got harder and harderwith steeper slopes and more annoyinggates to climb over. By the time westopped for lunch it was a major relief to

be able to sit on the hill and admire theview. However, I was soon jolted back toreality with the announcement that wewere to continue on to the next checkpoint.On our way we met lots of friendly peoplewho’d smile and ask us what we weredoing and I felt proud to tell them about theDuke of Edinburgh’s Award and the looksof admiration we got back renewed ourdetermination to keep on hiking!!

In the evening we reached our campsiteand set up our tents. Surprisingly the boys

cooked dinner for us, which I must admitwas very tasty despite being cooked on amini-stove. I had a really great sleep andwoke up with a smile on my face; perhapsthe feel-good feeling of the countryside isinfectious!

The second day of hiking was similarlyhard work and on the last stretch of ourwalk my legs were wobbling, however myvigour was renewed this time by thepromise of ice cream if we completed thelast little bit!

After walking 16 miles we all slept on thejourney back. Even though it was hardwork, I don’t think I’d ever trade thatexperience! One of the girls in the groupwas someone I hadn’t spoken to muchbefore and now we are extremely closeand perhaps it also made me like thecountryside a little bit too… but you’ll stillnever catch me in trainers!

For more info on the Duke of Edinburgh’sAward scheme go to www.theaward.org

A breath of fresh airTobi Meadows goes hiking with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme

“Not only was I worried about how I was going tomanage to look even remotely decent; worse than thiswas the idea of camping!”

Karess “I would speed up the time that the London Eye takes to spin round... 30 minutes is too long”

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marks the spot Want to know how to vote in May’s elections for London’s Mayor, Cheryl

O’Garro ticks all the boxes

1) Ask older students about the exam tosee if they can give you some tips.

2) Do past papers under thorough examconditions as often as possible tofamiliarise yourself with the format and thepressure.

3) Plan your time to include study, revisionand social commitments. Taking breaks isvery important as your brain cannotremember a load of information at oncebut make sure you put your plansomewhere visible. Go to this website andprint out your very own timetable and startplanning: http://www.risingstars--uk.com/uploads/publications/140.pdf

4) Find a way to revise that will suit youbest so that you will learn and memorisenotes better.

5) Test what you know about each topicwith a spidergram. Write a topic name inthe middle of a sheet of blank paper andbuild a spidergram aroundit by adding ideas as

they come to you.

6) Have a good meal before the exam.

7) Make sure you are fully equipped withstationery for the exam.

8) Find a quiet place to study and makesure you are sitting comfortably. Avoidstudying in an area where there will bedistractions.

9) Stick bright notes around your houseto read every time you walk past.

10) After your exam don’t stress aboutit. Concentrate on the next one that

is coming up.

Stressed? Read this….Although exams can be stressful, there are ways to cope, Karess and Bana give you some tips:

10 Contrast

Question:Today's youth are tomorrow'sfuture or so we are told but how can weas young adults living in Hackney makesure that we help shape the future sothat we, and society, can be the best theycan possibly be?

Answer: By voting in local andgeneral elections. Yes, you canhave the same voice as yournext-door neighbour, the guyacross the road, or the couplewho work in your local chipshop. Registering andvoting is not as hard as

many people think it is and to prove it,here’s some simple steps for you to followhelp make your voice heard.

Step 1: Find out whether you are eligible tovote:Are you aged 18 years or over?

Are you a British, Commonwealth,Irish or other European Union

citizen*? If you can answer yes toboth these questions, you areeligible to vote.

Step 2: So you're eligible tovote. Great! But don't forget,

you have to be registered.But how do you do that?

Well, the council oftensends letters to people

encouraging or if amember of yourfamily is

registeredalready, they can

add your name tothe electoral register

on your behalf.

The other way to get registered is to go tohttp://www.hackney.gov.uk/elections-voting.htm. This website provides you witha registration form which you can fill in andpost to get yourself on the register.

When you’ve registered to vote, you will besent a vote form that tells you where to goto vote or how to vote by post if you’re toobusy to go to the polling station.

Why is voting so important?The London Mayoral elections are on May1st and all the candidates will be talkingabout changing things that affect YOUR life.So why not take the opportunity to makesure that you help make that decision.Nobody will know who you vote for andeveryone gets a say, so what are youwaiting for?

*Citizens of other European Union countriescan vote in local and European electionsbut can only vote in General Elections intheir home country.

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12 Contrast

Contrast: What do you do as a councillor? I would say my main role is looking afterand promoting the interests of theresidents in Brownswood Ward ward - thearea of Hackney that I represent. I sit oncommittees which look at the decision-making and the performance of servicesthe Council provides and makerecommendations on how to improvethings. I serve on a regulatory committee,the licensing committee, which makesdecision on whether a pub, club, restaurantetc can serve alcohol or open late. I am aschool governor and also sit on the boardof Hackney Homes (the organisationresponsible for council housing inHackney).

Contrast: What have you learnt frombeing a councillor?Where do I start! One big thing I've learntis that no matter how hard you try, youcan't please everyone but you still try!

Contrast: What do you enjoy about it?I guess seeing that the work I do makes adifference to people's lives, even if it's onlya small difference and being be able toplay a part in shaping Hackney. I've lived inHackney for 19 years, went to school hereand love living here.

Contrast: What difficulties do you faceand how do you overcome them?My big difficulty is that I have a full-timejob, as well as my councillor role. Being acouncillor takes up a lot of my eveningsand sometimes there are daytime meetingstoo. This can get very tiring and I also endup using my annual leave from work to domy daytime meetings! I've been very luckywith my job in that I have changed mywork hours and now get a lot more time offduring the day so with a bit of goodplanning and time management I canconcentrate on my normal job as well asmaking it to my meetings.

Contrast: Do you think young people areinterested in politics?There are many young people in Hackneywho are engaged in democratic life inHackney, like the youth parliament, but I dofind that young people often feeldisengaged from democratic life.

Contrast: How could you get teenagersmore interested?I believe in getting young people involved indemocratic processes from a young age.Groups like the youth parliament andschool councils can give young people aninterest in politics but also young people

should have the opportunity to have aninfluence on the big decisions that affecttheir lives and communities. I think weshould have a young person sitting onevery important decision-makingcommittee.

Feryat Demirci is the Labour Councillor forBrownswood Ward. If you want to contactyour local councillor, you can find theircontact details at www.hackney.gov.uk

We’re Hyped, are you?

We are a group of young people from NorthEast Hackney who come together to talkabout what we like and dislike about ourarea and what needs changing. We act asa voice for young people. There are fourarea youth forums in Hackney – NorthEast, Homerton, Shoreditch and StokeNewington.

We run election campaigns for members tobe part of the Hackney Youth Parliamentand work with young people to find outtheir views and make sure young peopleare aware of their rights. We also meetlocal councillors to make sure they knowwhat young people are thinking.

We take part in training sessions, go onresidential trips and go to conferences. Wetravel to young people’s events all aroundthe country, helping to challenge thenegative stereotypes surrounding youngpeople.

Here is what some of the members think ofthe experience of being involved:“This has given me the opportunity tospeak out confidently” – Ifra

“It has motivated me to think more aboutissues surrounding us young people”– Alfred

“It has given me the opportunity to expressmyself and the freedom to talk aboutissues and to speak up for the rest of theyoung people” – Bona

“It has enabled me to make new friends”– Alfred

“We learn about different issuessurrounding youth” – Alecia

If you would like to get involved pleasecontact Hackney’s Youth Participation Teamon 020 8986 0285 or check out thewebsite www.thehype.info

Young Hackney Councillor Feryat Demirci tells Lara Akinnawo what it’s like in the political world

The North East Neighbourhood Area Youth Forum tell us what they’re all about

Horton Hears A Who

The film is geared towards childrenof all ages. It includes references toother films such as Pokémon.Bruce Almighty co-stars Jim Carreyand Steve Carell bring goodchemistry to the film as Horton andthe Mayor of Whoville. We enjoyedit when they ripped off Pokémonand Jim Carrey's singing, as wellas when the animals laid traps forHorton. It was great to see that thefilm's dialogue remained faithful tothe original Dr Seuss' book. I wouldrecommend this film to familieswho want an afternoon out or to spend some quality timetogether.

Cheryl and Stephan O’Garro

Lets be positive 4

This is an album written, sung andproduced by young people inHaringey. I loved this album somuch! The tracks were passionate,emotional and inspirational. Theytransported me to a very happyplace. The artists have got amazingvoices and talent. The track 'Youand Me' has catchy R’n’B beatsand romantic lyrics. The track "Hold your head up high" has avery inspirational message and the voices are strong. When Iheard these amazing, romantic tracks I wanted to play themagain and again. I recommend this CD to anyone who likes rap,soulful beats and meaningful lyrics. For information on how toget a copy of Let’s Be Positive 4 [email protected]

Rhasan Brunner

Split by a kissLusia Plaja The story is about a girl who movesto the US with her mum. A kisssplits Josie’s personality into twoparts; one being Josie the cool girlwho is in the popular gang who isgoing out with the coolest, buffestboy in the school & Josie the“geek” who hangs around with aGoth “loser” group. Split by a kiss isa very interesting story, which Ireally enjoyed. I think it will doreally well in the teenage book world. My favouriteaspect of the plot is the way it is split into two, tellingboth sides of the story.

Jasmine O’garro

14 Contrast

Bog ChildSiobhan DowdIf you like mysterious, extraordinaryand dreamy novels, this book is foryou! As Fergus digs for peat withhis uncle in the mountains, hediscovers a curled up body deep inthe bog and his heart suddenlystops. After that, Fergus startshearing a little voice in his dreamsand the story behind the ‘BogChild’ slowly begins to unravel toreveal its secrets. At the beginningof the book, I found it a bit difficult to understand what wasgoing on because you need to know a bit about Irish history andthe chaos and conflict in the 1980s. Nevertheless, I loved thelooming mystery which hung around throughout the novel andthe fact that the plot is original and unique. Overall, it’s aninteresting read however it is not really my cup of tea because Ienjoy more realistic, less surreal novels.

Lisa Hamaz

Reviews

Read: Book review

Listen: Music review Watch: Film review

Contrast's agony aunts, Fatima and Selin and new agony, Rhasan join qualified psychotherapist and counsellor Niki D togive us advice from their different perspectives on two of our readers' problems

What’s your problem?

Contrast 15

A person who takes drugs isn't reallythinking about their own safety. Maybe ifyou chatted to her about drugs and theirdangers she may change her mind. Youcould also talk to her friends about it andsee if they can help her to stop.Rhasan

Firstly, do you know for sure that this girluses drugs, or could it just be gossip? Youare obviously clear that you will not getinvolved with someone who does use drugs,so before anything else happens you needto find out for sure. It also might be usefulfor you to contact a drug service like FRANKor SUB19 for advice as it is easy to judgepeople who use drugs withoutunderstanding much about drugs and drugusers. If this girl is using drugs and youwant to help her, then be sensitive in howyou go about this and suggest she checksout the youth drug services I’ve mentioned.Niki D

Well, does she like you the way you likeher? If you let her know as a friend thattaking drugs is not good for her healththen, if she likes you, she'll probably agreewith you and attempt to stop it. If sherefuses to change, there's not much youcan do but get friendly with another girlwho appreciates your care and thoughts.Selin

There's a girl at school who I really like but she takes drugs, what do I do as I'd reallylike to go out with her, but not when she's a druggie.Heartbroken, 15

Don’t worry about it. Your boyfriend isprobably just going through something anddoesn’t want to burden you with anythingor he probably doesn’t even realise that heis doing it. However this doesn’t justify hisbehaviour so it is important that youexpress your concern to him. If he stilldoesn’t respond to you, just give him somespace and go about your own business.Both of you shouldn’t have to suffer. If hedoes eventually approach you, make sureyou don’t make a fuss about whatever it isthat is going on because that will only pushhim away.Fatima

Rather than imagining worst case scenariosabout why your boyfriend has becomedistant, talk to him about it instead. Itseems like you have been avoiding thisconversation but situations can get worsethe longer things are left unspoken.Arrange to meet him somewhere private,don’t let him put you off either, tell him youneed to talk about your relationship andstick to it when you meet up. No matterhow much you love your boyfriend, stillbalance loving him with loving yourself,make sure that you don’t allow yourboyfriend to treat you badly ‘in the name oflove.’ Niki D

Personally, I think he’s trying to brush youoff. If he seems to be acting cold, ignoringyour calls, he’s either upset at somethingyou might have done without realising orhe’s trying to give the signal of ‘Leave mealone’. The best thing to do in this situationis to confront him face-to-face and ask himwhy he’s acting like he is. If he refuses totalk it through it’s best to move on and findsomeone who will treat you better ratherthan torturing yourself with “whys” all thetime.Selin

Me and my boyfriend have been together for two years now and I really love him butrecently he has been acting kind of cold and sometimes ignoring my calls. What shouldI do because I really love him?Worried, 16, Hackney

Bisi “I would fine people for breaching dress code violations, such as wearing shorts in the winter. Or, on amore serious note, I would make it so that community support officers were on watch nightly for thesupervision of people coming home during the night across areas in London.”

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FRANK: (National on-line drug advice for young people) Tel: 0800 776600 - www.talktofrank.comSUB19: (Hackney Young People’s Substance Misuse Service) Tel: 0800 0582860 - www.sub19.com