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| Been there, got the £126,000 T-shirt | Been there, got the £126,000 T-shirt |
| (1 day later) | |
| By Carla Pickering BBC News Youngsters came from 11 areas href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6960000/newsid_6962700?redirect=6962778.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&asb=1" onClick="javascript:newsi.utils.av.launch({el:this});return false;">The voice of youth It's money for children, so who should decide how it's spent? They should, says the Children's Commissioner for England, who gave 115 young people the power to do just that. | |
| Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. But what if the T-shirt is worth £126,000, money that will be spent on an issue that is important in your life? | Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. But what if the T-shirt is worth £126,000, money that will be spent on an issue that is important in your life? |
| That's the reality for the young people who determined how the Children's Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, would spend half his budget. | That's the reality for the young people who determined how the Children's Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, would spend half his budget. |
| The idea is simple - the money is for youngsters so let them have a say. Young people have little experience of expressing their opinions, according to research carried out by the organisation 11 Million, which is headed by Sir Aynsley-Green. | The idea is simple - the money is for youngsters so let them have a say. Young people have little experience of expressing their opinions, according to research carried out by the organisation 11 Million, which is headed by Sir Aynsley-Green. |
| Respect | Respect |
| So youngsters - aged between eight and 18 - from 11 areas across England, representing 11 million children in the country, were invited to share their insights and experiences at the three-day event in Aylesbury. | So youngsters - aged between eight and 18 - from 11 areas across England, representing 11 million children in the country, were invited to share their insights and experiences at the three-day event in Aylesbury. |
| Through workshops, including T-shirt printing, they discussed issues in their lives and voted on which one the money should be spent. | Through workshops, including T-shirt printing, they discussed issues in their lives and voted on which one the money should be spent. |
| The issues - determined by the youngsters - included family and friends, respect, money, education, civil liberties and antisocial behaviour. | The issues - determined by the youngsters - included family and friends, respect, money, education, civil liberties and antisocial behaviour. |
| The issues were voted on But it was the issue of violence, abuse and bullying that won the vote. On a day when the headlines are dominated by the story of an 11-year-old boy shot dead in Liverpool, the choice could not be more significant. | The issues were voted on But it was the issue of violence, abuse and bullying that won the vote. On a day when the headlines are dominated by the story of an 11-year-old boy shot dead in Liverpool, the choice could not be more significant. |
| The money will now be spent on implementing a concrete action plan to improve children's lives when it comes to violence. | The money will now be spent on implementing a concrete action plan to improve children's lives when it comes to violence. |
| The Magazine followed two young people through the workshops to find out what they were wanted to say. | The Magazine followed two young people through the workshops to find out what they were wanted to say. |
| DRAMA | DRAMA |
| Thoryn is 15 years old and from County Durham | Thoryn is 15 years old and from County Durham |
| Morgan is 12 years old and from London | Morgan is 12 years old and from London |
| Thoryn played the role of a drunk youth who mugged and robbed a passer-by. While condemning his character's actions, he empathised with his predicament. He said: "Alcohol allows some young people to escape from identity and their problems. It makes them feel comfortable. Other people take part in antisocial behaviour because of peer pressure." Morgan explained that the theme of the piece had been democratically decided by the group. Like Thoryn, she was keen for the causes of antisocial behaviour to be understood. She said: "Young people might have problems at home or mental health issues. One of the characters in our group's play talked about her mum and the fact that she had just come out of prison." | Thoryn played the role of a drunk youth who mugged and robbed a passer-by. While condemning his character's actions, he empathised with his predicament. He said: "Alcohol allows some young people to escape from identity and their problems. It makes them feel comfortable. Other people take part in antisocial behaviour because of peer pressure." Morgan explained that the theme of the piece had been democratically decided by the group. Like Thoryn, she was keen for the causes of antisocial behaviour to be understood. She said: "Young people might have problems at home or mental health issues. One of the characters in our group's play talked about her mum and the fact that she had just come out of prison." |
| DESIGN | DESIGN |
| Using magazine images, Thoryn designed a face from smaller images of figures, entitled "One People". He said: "The message I want to get across is even though we look different it doesn't mean we are. I've been lucky, but friends of mine have encountered discrimination; some shrugged it off and some have been greatly affected. They've stopped going to areas because their life was being made difficult because of their colour." Morgan's original motif included a ballet dancer and the message: "You don't have to look like this". She said: "If I had my own magazine, I would use all kinds of models: thin models, big models, healthy models, and on a number of pages I would place a message saying: 'Be unique, be the way you are'." She later altered her design to that of a road sign pointing the way to happiness, which she felt would make a bolder statement on a T-shirt. | Using magazine images, Thoryn designed a face from smaller images of figures, entitled "One People". He said: "The message I want to get across is even though we look different it doesn't mean we are. I've been lucky, but friends of mine have encountered discrimination; some shrugged it off and some have been greatly affected. They've stopped going to areas because their life was being made difficult because of their colour." Morgan's original motif included a ballet dancer and the message: "You don't have to look like this". She said: "If I had my own magazine, I would use all kinds of models: thin models, big models, healthy models, and on a number of pages I would place a message saying: 'Be unique, be the way you are'." She later altered her design to that of a road sign pointing the way to happiness, which she felt would make a bolder statement on a T-shirt. |
| ART | ART |
| Thoryn worked on a segment of the artwork depicting a merry-go-round. He said: "Everyone has the right to play. It's not all about work. You only have one chance at a childhood. If you are deprived of it, it can have a severe affect on your life. Having somewhere to play can also affects what young people get up to. Without it, they might get involved in criminal activities." Morgan helped paint a section of the mural depicting a huddled figure outside a locked door, and under a rubber stamp marked "Homeless". She said: "He is being branded by the whole of society and locked out of the world. Young people who run away from home are often sent back without asking them why they left. People should listen to them before making decisions." | Thoryn worked on a segment of the artwork depicting a merry-go-round. He said: "Everyone has the right to play. It's not all about work. You only have one chance at a childhood. If you are deprived of it, it can have a severe affect on your life. Having somewhere to play can also affects what young people get up to. Without it, they might get involved in criminal activities." Morgan helped paint a section of the mural depicting a huddled figure outside a locked door, and under a rubber stamp marked "Homeless". She said: "He is being branded by the whole of society and locked out of the world. Young people who run away from home are often sent back without asking them why they left. People should listen to them before making decisions." |