Posts Tagged ‘“negative stereotypes”’
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By vJoe 25th July 12
We popped down to Oxford Circus recently to ask young people how they feel the media treats them. Here’s what they had to say…
This is how you can change this…
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By MattH 14th February 12
#presschange4youth is campaigning for more balanced portrayals of young people
Last week vInspired was one of 60 charities that supported the Youth Media Agency’s submission to the Leveson Inquiry, calling for more balanced reporting of children and young people as part of their #presschange4youth campaign.
And it’s about time. All other forms of discrimination are highlighted and stopped, so why not discrimination against young people?
The Youth Media Agency has called for welcome changes such as age being included as a classification of discrimination into the Editors Code and that ‘journalists should exercise a duty of care and avoid negative generalisations about children and young people’.
The submission also points to a range of evidence that confirms young people are too often portrayed in a negative way. For instance, a 2009 survey by Children and Young People Now that found that 76% of press coverage about young people is negative; and a Youth Media Agency Pilot Survey, November 2011, finding that 79% of children and young people feel that adults see them in a negative light.
With newspaper headlines such as, Riots were like ‘a rave’ and a chance for young people to get ‘free stuff, is it any wonder that so many young people feel this way? This constant negative media portrayal has deep and lasting effects.
Last week, vInspired decided to try and get its own sense of young people’s current opinions of their portrayal in the media. They went out and about and recorded the views of young people and asked people on Facebook to finish the sentence: “The media portrays young people as…”. You might have already guessed what kind of responses they received…
This focus on the negative things a minority of young people do overshadows the great things that plenty of others contribute. Take a look through some of the inspirational work of our vInspired National awards finalists as evidence of the amazing contribution that young people are making to society. But a 2008 vInspired Survey found that 39% of adults are unaware of the good things young people do.
Hopefully the Youth Media Agency’s recommendations will be taken into consideration and spell the start of a fairer portrayal of young people. Because one thing is for sure: young peoples’ current treatment is unfair and needs to change, which is why I, like many others, am adding my voice of support.
By Hannah 15th June 11
At a time of record levels of youth unemployment, v has been working with some clever folk at the think-tank Demos to investigate what can be done to help the growing numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training (who are often referred to as “NEETs”).Experience Required argues that successive governments have totally misunderstood these young people. Traditionally they have often regarded NEETs as one hard-to-reach group – a ‘stubborn underclass’ who are socially excluded. In fact, the vast majority of NEETs are simply normal young people moving in and out of education and employment, who would benefit from a chance to prove what they can do.
As part of this work, the team went round the country to meet some young people who were NEET but have achieved more than they or anyone else thought possible through long-term volunteering. People like Nazma, a young Muslim girl, who took on a placement in the male-dominated area of construction, and shrugged it off as “a bit of a challenge”. Or Alex, who returned to the school she got kicked out of (where the teachers “probably didn’t really like me”) to volunteer her time as a learning support assistant. I certainly didn’t have guts to face up to situations like that when I was 17. Did you?
If you think you know “NEETs”, this video might just make you think again. v and DEMOS are now calling for a full-time volunteering programme at national level to help young people get the experience they need to succeed in the jobs market. Watch the video and let us know if you agree – especially if you are, or were, a “NEET”.
By Jon v20 18th May 10
The Anatomy of Youth report left me feeling pretty overwhelemed, which is quite appropriate, because that seems to be one of the key findings from the report! Young people, aged 16-25, have as many issues facing them as any other generation, probably more, and don’t always have the opportunity or resources to tackle these issues. We are stymied by our age, our education, our money, and by the fact that we’re young, we don’t always want to tackle these issues. If we can’t have fun now, when can we?Theres an old phrase – societies benefit most when a man plants a tree that he’ll never sit under. How true. The most teeling phrase I found in the introduction was a phrase from the Labour Party’s statement, The Younger Generation (1959) which stated that its not young people who are the authors of their own future, but the current generation. They are the ones writing the story, that we are going to have to live. If we fail to tackle climate change today, for example, its us who are going to have to find the substitute for oil – not an easy task. So if the education system fails us, you’ve beaten us twice. The lack of longterm thinking, for the short term profit and benefit, is having the most effect on us. To steal a quote from the Simpsons, “Won’t somebody please think of the children?!” Why should it be our job to sort out your mess?
In the chapter on belonging to changing communites (chapter 6), research demonstrates that young people feel most disconnected from their local neighbourhoods and communities, less so than their online communities. I feel this is indicative of the selfish culture that was alloed to develop in the 1980s and has been advanced ever since. The interenet is a great tool, allowing its users (mostly young people) to flourish, but largely as individuals, or in a connected but deeply impersonal way. One example of this would be introducing yourself to people. Online, everyone has a list of likes and dislikes, their hobbies, and the events that they’ll be attending in the next month, that you can peruse before striking up a conversation. As Zygmunt Bauman points out, young people are losing the ability to ‘critically analyse’ others in social settings because people already have their souls laid out in front of them. I believe this is making young people less personal, and less willing or able to interact in social situations.
Our disconnect from each other is a huge threat to young people. What’s the point, emotionally, of being able to talk to five people in China, if you don’t know the names of the people next door? Page 112 of the report shows very clearly that if we don’t tackle our community disconnect, participation, volunteering, apathy, and involvement will be in decline.
Ironically, Bauman says that blogs are the embodiement of our competitive, desperate for attention, celebrity obsessed, living the private in public culture. Blogs exist to get noticed, and get attention, he says. Therefore, I’ll keep the rest of my thoughts to myself.
Unless you ask me.
In person.
By Jemima Jordan 28th October 09
Seja obtained a vcashpoint grant to fund her Cosmetic Hives project, designed to deliver make-up application workshops to young people interested in gaining the skills and experience necessary to enter the fashion and media industry. Seja has been a committed volunteer for many years, and in 2007 visited Iraq where she delivered humanitarian aid.
‘Volunteering is character-building, and you learn how determined you are as a person. People respect you. It’s a great way to learn who you are. Ultimately it’s about getting to know yourself and other people. I’m proud to be part of v’s Good For Nothing campaign and hope to show that there’s more to young people than meets the eye.’
Seja’s Story
Seja had her first taste of volunteering at the age of sixteen when she was elected as student governor of the City of Westminster College. Attending training events, exhibitions and performances were part of the role, as well as contributing to meetings. Seja’s volunteering continued when she was elected to join the law society at Brunel University where she was a law undergraduate.‘The year I spent working with lecturers and other prominent members of the law society gave me great experience, and made me passionate about volunteering and getting involved in all kinds of issues’.
Seja started the Cosmetic Hives project in order to help young people gain the skills and experience needed to get into the fashion industry.
‘There are a lot of young people who want to get into fashion and media – it can be a lucrative business – but they may not have the skills to do so. In our sessions we teach them how to apply make-up on professional models, a professional photographer takes shots, and a production company records the workshops, so at the end the participants have a portfolio they can show to prospective employers’.
Each student attends three workshops, which were held in a studio in Fulham.
‘I wanted to give them an idea of a proper working environment for this type of work, rather than holding sessions in a community centre without any atmosphere’, says Seja. ‘This way they could get an authentic feeling, a proper vibe of what it’s like, with lights, mirrors, cameras, and so on, which will help them when they go to interviews. As well as the portfolio, at the end they will have a little experience and a taster of working within the industry’.
• Seja’s thoughts on the good work young people are doing in their communities
“Young people have a lot of imagination, creativity and energy – something which communities really benefit from. It really gives you a sense of pride to know that your fellow peers are making a difference in their community and empowering themselves. Because of their good work they’re challenging the sterotype and adding a heart to the community which may not be there. All they need is a little bit of funding and support from their community to unleash their talents.”
Copy written by Caroline Pearce
By Jemima Jordan 28th October 09
Rui created a stand-up comedy club, Grab Your Mike, to provide young people with an opportunity to take part in workshops to develop their confidence and performance skills. His aim is ‘to educate and inspire young people to reach their full potential and to develop their self-confidence and communications skills’, using an innovative and creative method. Rui was able to run this project through funding from vcashpoint.
“Once you get involved, doors open. If you sit around waiting, nothing will happen. Get yourself active and out there. Develop your skills now. Show people you do Good For Nothing.”
Rui’s Story:
Rui decided to get involved in volunteering while at Brunel University. Until then, his focus was on developing his academic skills, improving his grades, and working on his CV. But when he started going to interviews, he found something lacking.
‘I had good communications skills, but nothing tangible to back it up with. Other people had more experience, so I needed to develop my ‘soft skills’ to feel I was capable, and to give me more confidence’. He joined the university’s entrepreneur society, to develop these skills.
‘When I started making speeches I was scared and shaking, and I’d be satisfied just to get through it. But over time it became good, it became easy for me. The more I did it, the more I overcame my early fears’.
After developing his own skills, Rui felt he wanted to bring them back to his community. Rui’s idea was to give young people an opportunity to take part in a training course where they would learn performance and comedy skills in order to gain the confidence needed to perform in front of an audience. Rui said:
“I decided to go through the stand-up comedy route because I thought it would provide a fun way to learn these new skills’.
The project proved to be really useful for the volunteers Rui recruited.
‘I’m pretty well-connected in the area, and I spread the word using facebook, word of mouth, and text messages to ask if people were interested in taking part. I had a team of volunteers, with various roles, for example, we had a filming crew, a photography student taking photos, and a journalism student writing a report on the whole project, so they got a chance to utilise their skills too’.
Having recently graduated, Rui is searching for paid employment and hoping to secure a place on a graduate scheme. He wants to continue working as a volunteer, as well as developing his own motivational speaking skills.
‘A lot of people have visions, but they don’t realise you need certain skills and attributes. You have to start learning’, he says, ‘make mistakes now rather than waiting until later. I wish I’d started volunteering earlier. The transformation in a year is amazing! I’ve learned so many skills, like how to manage money, and have boosted my CV as well as meeting new people and making great contacts. Once you get involved, doors open. If you sit around waiting, nothing will happen. Get yourself active and out there. Develop your skills now.’
Rui was able to run this project through funding from vcashpoint.
• Rui’s view of how young people are regarded by the general public“The general public is influenced by the representations shown in the media, therefore we normally associate young people with anti-social behaviour. More effort must be put into supporting the majority of young people who are striving to better themselves and inspiring others to do the same.”
Copy written by Caroline Pearce
By Jemima Jordan 28th October 09
Rosie Kilburn set up her volunteering project, ‘The Knock On Effect’, following a cancer diagnosis in February 2008 Rosie decided to raise money to help support those affected indirectly by cancer. She put on a successful art auction, raising over £9,000 to fund a business designing and selling t-shirts, the proceeds of which are donated to cancer charities.
‘The messages [on our t-shirts] are designed to be positive, and I know they are also controversial. I didn’t want to shy away from telling people about cancer. Volunteering is a great way to help your community and I wanted to be part of Good For Nothing to send out a positive message about young people. I’m fed up of all the negative press we get.’
Rosie’s Story:
Rosie considers herself to be an unremarkable girl, with an unremarkable life. She is a seventeen-year-old sixth form student studying for A levels. Her family consists of her parents, Jo and Chris, her brother Callum and her sister Sylvie. Rosie says her parents and her boyfriend, Toby, are ‘amazing people, who really keep my days entertained’. Rosie has a part-time job at Tesco, and volunteers at her local Red Cross shop.Rosie’s diagnosis of a rare liver cancer, prompted her to start a campaign, the ‘Knock On Effect’, to raise money to help and support those affected indirectly by cancer.
After her diagnosis, Rosie began to think about those closest to cancer sufferers, or as she prefers to think of them, survivors:‘There’s plenty of support for patients, but there’s not nearly as much for the people around them, who have to take care of them’, Rosie says. ‘Also, I heard so much that was negative and depressing and I was fed up with people saying (even with the best of intentions) “sorry to hear about your illness and your life”.
So I decided to put those two things together by starting my own business selling t-shirts with positive messages about cancer to raise money for the families and friends of survivors’.
Slogans on Rosie’s eye-catching t-shirts include The C Word, All Cancer Is Not Created Equal, Survivors Not Sufferers, and Cancer Survivor.
‘The messages are designed to be positive, and I know they are also controversial, but I didn’t want to shy away from telling people about cancer and wanted to get past the taboo’.
Rosie has acquired additional skills while managing her campaign.
‘I learned about money, and budgeting. I’ve also learned about branding and public relations. Many people understand the brand we’ve created for the business, ‘The Knock On Effect’, because so many people are affected by cancer’.
Rosie plans to print out a thousand limited edition t-shirts, another part of her marketing strategy. She is realistic about the reaction to her art auction.
‘I had a strong background story. Without the cancer, the advertising and the blog, there wouldn’t have been such a good response. The messages on the t-shirts are an easy way to reflect and project my feelings’. Rosie believes the messages can also help survivors. ‘Positive thinking is so important to survivors. It has such a positive impact on your well-being’.
Rosie remains positive when considering her future career.
‘I have no idea where I want to be in five or ten years’ time. I’m considering a mixture of career choices, ranging from owning a theme park to being a wedding planner’. She adds: ‘Think big!’
• Rosie’s perception of how young people are portrayed in the media
“Young people generally only really get bad press and I don’t like how it is always focused on the negative. It’s a small minority of us who cause trouble; why not look at the good things?”
Copy written by Caroline Pearce
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