Beka is a performer and puppeteer and runs her own street theatre company, Frolicked. She works part time as a Project Officer for a music education charity to support her theatre company. Our contributor Katie Scott interviewed her.
Don’t Judge Me – Written By You
Okaaay then I’m just, you know, gonna be talkin’ about JUDGING PEOPLE!!!!!
I’m writing about this because I get judged a lot, and I think that it is important that people stop with the labels. *cough* PERSONALITIES *cough* Anycow, these are some of the main labels which le moi will be talking about
Label No.1 “Nerd”
People that get called nerds are generally people that wear glasses and are very smart (AKA your future world leaders.) I think this is just a stupid label because we all know that nerd is used by people who are just trying to cover up the fact that they don’t feel clever around this particular person. “Nerds” also people who play Pokémon (respect my fellow Pokémon players) and watch anime.
Label No.2 “Emo”
This is a name that I get called a lot. So called “emos” are people that generally wear a lot of black and listen to music such as Motionless in White, Black Veil Brides and Asking Alexandria. The stupid thing about this label is that as we all know “Emo” is just short for emotional and, let’s get one thing straight, last time I checked “emotional” was a state of mind not a fashion trend. “Emos” also get mistaken for “scene kids” and “Goths”.
Label No.3 “Scene”
WOW! Yet another label I get called! Anycow “scene Kids” are generally people that are obsessed with Pokémon, Hello Kitty and Rainbows and Unicorns and all that Jazz. So called “Scene Kids” listen to music such as Jeffree Star, Blood on the Dance Floor and Matthew Lush. They say stuff like “ZOMG!” And “K’BAI!” They are normally loud and random.
Label No.4 “Goth”
Often mistaken for “emos,” people that are generally called “Goths” also wear a lot of black and listen to music such as Nine Inch Nails, Sisters of Mercy and The Cure. Goths were originally a Germanic tribe who invaded the Roman Empire. SERIOUSLY PEOPLE!!!!!! Also, while I’m on the topic, I have just found the most epic definition of a “Goth” on Urban Dictionary:
“Goth
Just another person in this world… Lives, breathes, dies.
THE END
Random person 1: Yo dude look at the Goth chick!
Random person2: Why?
Random person 2: Eh…”
So anycow that’s it and don’t judge!!!! All together now: Don’t matter what you look like don’t matter what you wear. (Words from the amazing Mama Odi from The Princess and The Frog. GREAT FILM GUYS!!!!!)
(PS no hate to the bands/labels mentioned.)
Elisabeth is 13 years old and this topic is very important to her. What do you think?
Ailsa – Our ContiReporter at Women’s U17 EUROS – Day Two
Tuesday 26th of November
Today was match day! England v Italy.
The match was at Telford Stadium so we had a 50 mile journey from St. Georges Park to get there.
It was a rather cold day to be outside but it wasn’t shown by any of the excited school children that flooded the ground, ready to watch the game. Before the match began outside the stadium, Continental Tyres were running a Conti Fan Zone. A variety of football activities were being run for the energetic children.
I had a go at measuring the speed of my kick. On my first go I fluffed it and didn’t even hit the target (that’s why I play in goal!) but on my second go I managed to get 29mph which was quite good.
I had to do a piece to camera about what went on before the match and interviewed two Birmingham City Ladies who were taking part in the activities.
Me and my cameraman David positioned ourselves by the team dugouts, ready and waiting for kick off. When the game finally kicked off it was a fast, exciting game.
Both teams were equal and no team was particularly dominant. The England captain, defender Leah Williamson was a stand out player as she was clearly comfortable on the ball and lead the team with ease.
At half time it was 0-0. For the second half me and David retreated to the press box, due to the days coldness, where Simon and Dad had been watching the game and famous footballer spotting.
I had to do some reporting to the camera at half time about how I thought the match was going. The second half was just as gripping and as nail-biting as the first. Unfortunately England conceded an untimely goal off a deflection. England continued to battle throughout the second half and continuously tried to win themselves back a goal, they came staggeringly close to scoring again but unluckily when the final whistle blew, Italy won 1-0.
The score didn’t reflect the game, a draw would have connoted the game more suitably. After the game, I got the chance to ask Lois Fidler a question at the after game press conference.
Following the press conference I then got the opportunity to interview the current England Ladies Manager, Brent Hills, who was lovely and chatty, I still can’t believe I got the chance to interview him.
I was also fortunate enough to be able to interview Alex Scott, England international, Dave Sampson, Bristol Academy Ladies Manager and four of the Under 17 girls, Leah Williamson, Keira Walsh, Chloe Kelly and Molly Rouse.
I was overwhelmed by the people I got the chance to talk to about the game. As the day came to a close it was time for us to go back to St. Georges Park after a long, jam-packed, thrilling day.
Connection Infection – Poetry by Kids
News scrolling on a bright screen
Eyes scanning down a magazine
Locked up in a daydream
Obsessed by the latest Instagram post I’ve seen
I’m infected with a virus
That I can’t get out of my head
It’s got me going crazy
At least; that’s what the comments said
Hairstyles and creations
‘Urgent’ messages from relations
The latest trends and how to cook
Living life by an electronic book
I’m infected with a bug
That’s connected to my hands
That’s left me solitary
Unware of and blind to the past
We used to talk face to face
Of politics, clothes and space
But then you were replaced
By a cruel-minded interface
My alarm’s a notification
I’m dictated by cold metal parts
My day scheduled on reaching the leader boards
The social media bug has infected my heart
Good Relationships – Healthy Relationships – Tips for Kids
Relationships are hard at any age. Remember that we don’t just talk about relationships when we mean a boyfriend or a girlfriend – it’s about how you get on with your parents, your friends and other people important to you.
There are certain basic ideas that are important to developing good relationships; you master these and life suddenly becomes a lot less stressful! Alice Hoyle has some ideas that may help you have better relationships with the people in your life.
Communication
Image by Robert Collins on Unsplash
Communication is the most important aspect of any relationship. Sharing things with people in your life is important. We do this mostly by speaking and listening. It is important to share how you feel about things and to listen and try to understand how others feel about things (this is called empathy).
How good are you at both talking AND listening? If you favour doing only one of them in a relationship then this isn’t as balanced as it could be- you probably need to work on doing both and so should the other person.
Also sometimes people might say something but their body language (how someone uses their body or their facial expression) maybe saying something different. Take some time to consider what is your body language saying when you talk? What is their body language saying? Do you make eye contact when you talk?
A key to successful communication is to use “I” statements instead of “you” statements- eg. “I feel sad when you call me silly” is better than “You calling me silly makes me sad” because the second one can put the person on the defensive straight away and the conversation can go badly after that.