Page 2:reviews 1 06/07/2008 11:41 Page 1

Off The Walls ISSUE FOUR

Michael GrimesI’m 15 and I do hog cheap instruments in

Smiths, especially because they sound so

bad. I do like the way Heroes is back on. I

like the bass of the 4 string variety. Sains-

bury’s are doing a good offer on Dairy milk

these days. Im bessie’s with the hot dog

man in Waterloo Place.

SunitaHey, I’m Sunita. I am incredibly addicted to

the programme ‘Heroes.’ Like, seriously

obsessed. I go to Oakgrove Integrated Col-

lege, my favourite colour is orange and I

have a cat called Miu.

Niall KearneyI am hoping to become a chef. I have bro-

ken too many bones in my life so far. I

lived in Belgium for many years. For hard

hitting news on hard hitting subjects...you

should wear padding. I'm yer wan for bad

jokes!

Kieran PradeepMy name’s Kieran. I’m 17 I think the 9

months spent in the womb should be

added on to your age, then I’d be 18 and a

whole lotta legal. I like doing radio journal-

ism and for me every day is a lazy day. I’ll

see you around, like the creep that am

*cheeky wink*.

NathanHi I’m Nayfen!! (Nathan) sup? I suppose I

should talk about me, so some hard facts!

16, male, goes to Oakgrove, likes all music

and my favourite colour is green. So aye

that’d be me!!

ThomasHi I’m Thomas. I’m 16 and I’m a triplet. My

favourite colour is red, my favourite band

is My Chemical Romance. My star sign is

Virgo. I wear finger tipless gloves 24/7.

AmandaMy name is Amanda Catherine chambers,

I’m seventeen. I attend St Cecilia’s College.

I’m a foster sister. I’m obsessed with Kings

of Leon, also obsessed with Kiefer Suther-

land! My star sign is Libra. I study GCE

media and Communication at the Verbal

Arts Centre.

PHOTOGRAPHER:Conor O’Kane

Conor is a Grade 7 on the old

ivory teeth, and his Da built

Belfast with his bare hands. He

is an actor and has played Al-

gernon in The Importance of

Being Earnest. He does what

Topman and ASOS tells him to.

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTSPage 4 – Headliners only triplets speak exclu-

sively about life as ‘The Trips’

Page 5 – Sectarianism on our buses must

stop

Page 9, 10 – We try to digest the growing

problem of eating disorders in Derry

Page 12 – Volunteer Yvonne talks travel, lots

of sense and a wee bit of welcome nonsense

Page 13, 14 – Donegal Residential has a

calming effect on conflict

Page 15, 16 – Be inspired get tangled up in

the world wide web of creativity

Page 18 – We give voice to frustrated and ig-

nored young people from Caw

Editorial by

Mark McClintock

Hey. Well we’ve done it

again! Let’s hear it

for....Off the Walls 4.

Yes (Dictator) Audrey has been overthrown and the

crazy kids at Headliners have been let loose on the

magazine. Issue 4 has been produced under multi-

editorship with yours truly (Mark McClintock) doing

my fair-share of whip-cracking.For those of you who

aren’t familiar with the magazine…SHAME ON YOU!

Well basically it’s a written by young people, de-

signed by young people for young people. Our maga-

zine could not run without the volunteers and I would

like to thank them for their contribution to this issue.In

this edition we introduce our newest volunteer. Also

in this issue we bring you the latest on the ongoing

outreach Caw 2000 project which is helping six

young men from the Waterside area speak out about

the state of their estate. Hard-hitting articles include

one by Aoife O’ Connell and Paul Gillen on eating

disorders. We hear a personal account from a

women who’s 20s were eaten up by the illness. Niall

Bradley also talks about sectarianism on buses.

Aside from the hard news stories there are fun light

hearted articles aplenty such as an exclusive inter-

view with Headliners only set of triplets. To quote

Toni the Tiger, “It’s Grrrrrreatt!” and to quote me:

“It’s hard to believe Off The Walls 4 is FREE!”

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Three’s a crowd.Exclusive Interview with Headliners Only Set of Triplets

Foyle triplets point out there ISan ‘i’ in triplets. Jack Thomp-

son, Thomas Thompson and

Robert Thompson are 16 years

old and have been members of

Headliners for just over a

year.

I asked:

So what is the best thing about

being a triplet?

Jack: You are never alone!

Robert: You always have someone

to speak to.

Thomas: No one ever forgets your birthday

because there are three of us!!!

Who was born first, do you think that af-

fects how you are today?

Jack: Robert. He is the bossy one and he is

always trying to make decisions for us, but

that’s Robert.

Any commercial success?

Jack: Well we’ve been in the paper a couple

of times from when we were born to our first

time in school.

Do you tend to do everything together?

Jack: I think that we don’t, we have our own

individuality but it doesn’t mean we don’t

hang about.

Robert: No.

Thomas: No, because we are not one per-

son.

Who found out about Headliners?

Jack: Marty (previous leader) introduced it to

us but Robert was the first to go.

Did you all join together?

Jack: Robert joined first and then Thomas

and I followed.

What’s it like if one of you isn’t around?

Jack: There is no real difference to be hon-

est.

Thomas: It’s a tad better.

Robert: It’s the same but when two aren’t

there then there is a difference.

Did you ever dress identically?

Jack: Aye our mother made us dress iden-

tically when we were younger. She must

have thought it was cute

Robert: Aye when we were one.

Thomas: Aye when we were wee babies.

Do you finish each others sentences?

Jack: Never. I don’t...

Thomas: think so.

Do you argue and fall out much?

Jack: As much as the next brother and sis-

ter.

Thomas: Like any other family.

Robert: No we don’t.

So what do you do in your spare

time?

Jack: I like to draw and listen to

music.

Robert: Hang about with friends.

Thomas: Listen to My Chemical Romance

and drink coke.

What is each of your

favourite subjects in

school?

Jack: The sciences.

Thomas: Art.

Robert: History.

Do you all go to the same school? Is that

good?

Jack: Yes it’s good because then we can

help each other during revision.

Thomas: Yes it’s handy because when I for-

get the homework I can ask the others.

Robert: No because when you’re sick you

get homework sent home to you.

How long have you been in the same

class?

Since Primary One.

How does it feel to be the only triplets

that go to Headliners?

Jack: Not different from other places be-

cause we’re always the only triplets every-

where and you get used to it.

Thomas: It feels unique and special.

Robert: The same as Jack.

What has been each of your highlights in

your time at Headliners?

Jack: The residential.

Thomas: When the Belfast

bureau comes to the Foyle bureau.

Robert: When I went to London for

a Headliners conference.

Has Headliners helped you de-

velop your individual interests?

Jack: Yes it has helped me learn

people skills and how to communi-

cate better.

Thomas: Yes because I got to

meet new people.

Robert: Yes.

What do you want to do when

you’re older?

Robert: It’s too far off to decide

now.

Thomas: I’ll do something with

law.

Jack: Something along the lines

of medicine.

Would you ever consider some

sort of celebrity triplet show?

Jack: I don’t know. It would be interesting.

Robert: Noooooooooooooo!

Thomas: It depends, if I got paid I would.

“No one

ever forgets

your birth-

day”

“We’re always the

only triplets every-

where and you get

used to it.”

“We’re always the

only triplets every-

where and you get

used to it.”

Interviewby MichaelGrimes

“No one

ever forgets

your birth-

day”

00Threes a Crowd DONE (smaller text):Headliners Quark Page Template 06/07/2008 15:48 Page 1

It’s time sectarianism took a back seat onour city’s buses says Niall BradleyMost of us have fond memories of travelling to Belfast Zoo or the Giant’s Causeway

singing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ at the top of our voices after countless packets of

Sherbet Dip and a bottle of Football Special.

It’s sad to think that ‘The Wheels

on the Bus’ has been replaced

with the expletive version of‘The

Fields of Athenrae’ and Foot ball

Special replaced with a cheap

bottle of cider.

Sectarianism has taken over

public transport. Not long ago,

Rangers fans were res-

cued from sectarian as-

sault onboard a flight

returning from an ‘Old

Firm’ Game. Even

at a local level; certain

buses are virtual ‘no-go’

areas for members of the

public that belong to, or

associate with, certain commu-

nities.

I get the bus all the time and it

has become ‘normal’ to see

some kind of sectarianism,

racism or even sexism in the

twenty minutes that it takes me

to get from A to B. Twenty MIN-

UTES?

I couldn’t read the paper in that

space of time. I want to know

why this happens and why it is

allowed to happen.

A government com-

missioned report has

revealed that ‘165

extra school bus runs

take place daily be-

cause it is not consid-

ered prudent to mix

Protestant and

Catholic schoolchild-

ren’. That is a colossal waste of

public spending and let’s not

mention how damaging all this

is on the environment.

But it is the damage being done

to students, OAP’s and any

member of the public who is af-

fected by meaningless bullying

that concerns me.

In 2007, a 15

year old made

the headlines

when he was

attacked with a

snooker cue

because of

where his bus

was going. I fail

to understand

the ‘logic’ be-

hind the crime!

Where does all

this hate come

from? Although,

nobody can say

for certain why

this overwhelm-

ing hatred for

‘the other side’

began and why it escalated to

such an extent; I do feel, how-

ever, that there exists a bitter

and unrepentant older genera-

tion whose sole objective is to

indoctrinate hate into a young,

easily influenced, son or daugh-

ter; nephew or niece and even

grandchildren.

Doris Lessing, an author and

activist, believes that young

people; “are being molded and

patterned to fit into the narrow

and particular needs of this soci-

ety.” She was referring to the sit-

uation in South Africa over 20

years ago; however, what she

said has universal relevance. In

Iran, America, China and possi-

bly even in your street people

are being taught to hate.

I have witnessed friends who re-

fuse to get on buses that go

through areas deemed ‘unac-

ceptable’ by their parents. I

would understand if the area

deemed unfit for their children

was full of crack houses, pe-

dophiles or other dangers that

actually face young people

today. However, this is not the

case!

I have one last question – How

can we stop sectarianism get-

ting onboard whatever futuristic

vehicle that takes our children to

school? In essence, how do we

end a hatred that is older than

some of the socks under my

bed? I’ll let you decide, but I will

leave you with a quote that has

inspired me … “A university is

not a political party, and an edu-

cation is not an indoctrination”

“How can

we stop

sectarianism

getting

onboard?”

The Wheels On The Bus...

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Headliners three-year projectcomes to an end

Global EyeClosesHeadliners are particularly looking

forward to this event as the organi-

sation have decided to showcase

some of the work produced over the

three years of the project on the

night.

The amazing series of photographic

images entitled ‘One Truth One Lie’

from the second year of the project

will be on display.

These photos explored issues

around HIV / AIDS & malaria to

poverty both globally to locally.

In the images a Headliners member

wears a T-shirt with a truth and a lie

about these serious issues printed on

them. As the same person appears in

the same image these are very effec-

tive at challenging the spectator on

where they stand on these issues,

what truths they know or what lies they

help to keep alive.

They get a very seriousmessage across in a verysimple way.

Headliner’s most recent Global Eye

project, an educational resource publi-

cation of Headliners members’ pieces

of poetry and satirical artwork will be

the main focus of the night. These im-

ages which were inspired by the

HEADLINERS members,staff, family and friendsare set to celebrate instyle as their unique three-year Global Eye Projectcomes to an impressiveend.

In August a special launch of Headlin-

ers latest Global Eye project will take

place in the Void Gallery, Derry.

Millennium Development Goals will be

displayed on a large scale in the gallery

on the night of the launch.This launch

promises to be a visual feast of thought-

provoking and creative material which

will not fail to inspire, motivate and in-

form all those in attendance.

The launch will take place in the Void

Gallery on Wednesday August 27th,

2008 at 6pm. If you would like to attend

this event please contact Malachy Kyle,

Headliners Project Coordinator, Foyle

Bureau on 028 71272514 or e-mail

malachy.kyle@headliners.org. You can

also contact: Journalist/Volunteer Co-or-

dinator, Audrey Martin email:

audrey.martin@headliners.org

One Truth...

....One Lie

Page five globalDONE:Layout 1 06/07/2008 15:54 Page 1

Name :Yvonne Lyttle; Aliases:

Gips, The Ginger Warrior, Lyttle

Red, IBONS

Age : 27

What did you study at University?

Celtic Studies, and how to social-

ize…

Before volunteering in Headliners

have you ever volunteered any-

where else? : I worked for a year

and a half in Bolivia, South Amer-

ica, with street children with drug

abuse problems.

What made you want to volunteer

with us? : I thought that I could

learn a thing or two from the well i-

informed and intelligent teenagers

ruling the ‘Headliners’ nest…

What is your favourite thing about

Headliners? : The fact that every-

one seems so comfortable and

content, the

rapport be-

tween every-

one and the

fresh, new

ideas that are

constantly

kicking about.

Have you ever

worked with

young people

before? : When I was in Bolivia,

and then Argentina-I also come

from a family of 49 cousins on one

What would your ideal job be? :

Working as a translator for an in-

ternational music

magazine, where I would be re-

quired for international events, jet

setting where possible, getting

paid and trying every different type

of international food.

How would you describe yourself?

Ginger, techno enthusiast, cycling

fiend, eating and cooking fanatic,

avid arts and crafts-er.

Who is your idol? : My family (a bit

gammy, I know, but true!)

What’s your favourite colour : A tie

between red, brown, orange and

green. (but I think I have more of

red than any other colour of

clothes.)

side and 42 on the other, so young

people have been an inevitable

part of my upbringing…..

What are you involved with in

Headliners? : I work with the Caw

2000 group at

present, and can forsee, hopefully

a bigger part in future times. (if

they`ll have me….)

If you had one wish, what would it

be? : An end to world poverty.

Vanilla or chocolate ice cream? :

Vanilla (with a rich dark chocolate

sauce…)

If you could live and work

anywhere in the world where

would it be and what would you

do? : In Berlin, as an translator for

an international music magazine.

What has been the highlight of vol-

unteering in Headliners so far? :

Meeting all the lovely people that

work here, and the good work

being done by the young people.

As a volunteer what skills do you

hope to pass on? : A ‘lyttle’ bit of

the experience that I have picked

up along my global way, whether it

be languages or how to spot

someone who is about to mug you

in a foreign street corner..

Would you encourage people to

volunteer with Headliners? Why? :

Absolutely. There is such a good

atmosphere in the place, and it is

so nice to see so many young peo-

ple coming together and doing

something positive.

What are you learning from the

members and staff at Headliners?:

Media skills, what young people

think about certain issues, and

how to incorporate ‘powerful’ ca-

sually into daily speech.

A ‘Lyttle’ goes along way!

A ‘Lyttle’ goes along way!

“I saw the

Headliners’

magazine

and I was

sold!”

Iinterview by:Sharmin Rahman

-------------

“There is such a

good atmosphere

in the place”

Yvonne......Our newest volunteer

yvonne page 11DONE:Layout 1 06/07/2008 19:26 Page 1

Let’s face it most young

people enter the wacky

world of work for the

money but for some the ex-

perience is payment

enough.

Hurray for volunteering!

Whether doing voluntary or paid

work there are highs and lows to

hard graft. Personally, I am starting

my second part-time job, and it

may sound corny but I can’t wait.

Instead of lying around all summer

doing nothing I will be out working

and yes I will be earning money -

yipee! Also when I get paid I intend

saving some and getting it out of

the bank as I need it.

I love MONEY and earning it is a

brilliant way to avoid nagging your

parents for it.

Even if you aren’t earning

money just being out

of the house and

doing some

vo lun ta ry

w o r k

should cut down on the

nagging too! The good

thing about young peo-

ple getting jobs is that it

can help them wise up

in so many ways.

They will have to be in-

dependent and respon-

sible someday and I think it is

better for them to get started early

so they are used to it.

To everything there is a downside,

however. A job can take up most of

your time and then you might not

have much time to relax and hang

out with friends.

During exam-time es-

pecially the pressure

is on for young

people in

part-time

w o r k .

Let’s

s a y

y o u

h a v e

a job

that you go to after

school and on Satur-

days. If you go straight

from school to work

and work for a couple

of hours you are too

tired to concentrate on

homework or revision.

Then the next morning

you might do the same thing over

again. This can be mentally and

physically tiring.

Lately I went around Derry city and

asked some young people what

they thought.

Conor (18) said: I work in a night-

club. I hate my job because it’s late

at night and I have to serve rude

people drink and I don’t get paid a

while lot. I am probably treated dif-

ferently because of my age.

Michael (15): “I don’t have a job but

I am looking for one in the future. I

think it’s a good idea for young

people to get one because it gives

them something to do and can

help the economy.

Laura (16): “ I do have a job and I

like it. It’s great because I meet

new people and get paid. Yes, I

think more young people should

stop being lazy and get jobs.”

Catherine(16): “ I used to have a

job. It was a Christmas

job. I think it’s good for a

young person to have a

job because they have

their own independence,

a little bit of income and it

helps their parents and

they have a bit of money.

“But it can be hard too because

employers wont take on young

people because they are so young

and don’t have all the qualifications

yet.”

In Headliners two of our members

are volunteers. Yes it’s true they

work for free in Oxfam, The Dia-

mond, Derry.

As they clock up their hours

Fearghal and Jack will eventually

become CVS volunteers. Already

they are halfway there to being Mil-

lennium Volunteers which requires

200 hours work. Their involvement

in Headliners with also secure

them these hours.

I spoke to Fearghal and Jack:

Fearghal: “I’m 16 and am hoping to

get back in sixth year. I have been

working in Oxfam for four weeks,

every Saturday for fours hours. I

work with clothes putting them out

in the shop but I really like working

the till.

“In school I am part of the Pope

John Paul award and when you

are part of this you have to do

charity work so I decided to work

in Oxfam.

“I don’t get paid but I don’t mind,

because it is a good experience

and I meet new people. I feel more

responsible, confident and inde-

pendent.

“My social skills have improved. I

like working in a charity

shop because I am work-

ing for the greater good.”

When asked if he had

anything to add at

Fearghal smiled and

said: “Hello Mum!!”

Jack’s enthusiasm was just as in-

fectious. He said: “I’m 16 and have

been working in Oxfam for three

months. When I am working I

mostly like to work at the till. I’m

good at maths I like to

count things up in my

head.

“Since I started work-

ing in Oxfam I am

more aware of chari-

ties and customer

care. When you are

working in a charity

shop you also see a lot of interest-

ing things, the clothes in charity

shops are good quality and all

types of people shop in them, that

includes young people as well!

“The best thing about working in a

charity shop is that the hours I do

go towards my Millennium Volun-

teer and my Pope John Paul

award. Also when you go for inter-

views for a paid job it looks good

on your CV that you did unpaided

work. So I would encourage every-

one to do volunteer work in some

point in their life.”

And Jack’s last words?...“I’d like to

say hello to my mother and to Ann

who works in Oxfam.”

One thing Fearghal and Jack have

certainly earned is the respect of

their Manager, Ann. Calling them

‘superb’ she adds: “ I couldn’t fault

any of the young people that have

worked here. The fact that they get

out of their beds to come and work

shows that they are not lazy and

that they care about developing

countries and their own commu-

nity.

“When they are here you can tell

that they love it. They gain many

skills. They learn how to operate

the till, price stock and handle cash

donations. I treat them like work-

ers. I tell them this isn’t school or

your bedroom. If something is

lying on the floor they know they

are expected to pick it

up.

“They enjoy working

as part of a team and

get a really rounded

experience.”

So to work or

not to work? -

to get paid

or not to get paid?

These are the questions.

The decision is yours!

Be warned though

there is one type of

work that no other

work should get in

the way of and

that’s

HOMEWORK!

To Work or Not To Work?By Marie-Therese Doherty

Money talks...volunteering rocks!£$£$£$£ £$£$£$££$£$£$££$£$£$£

£$£$£$££$£$£$

Ann, Manager of Oxfam , with two of her ‘superb’ volunteers, Jack and Fearghal

Yes, I think

more young

people should

stop being

lazy and get

jobs.”

I would encour-

age everyone to

do volunteer

work in some

point in their

life.”

“My social

skills have

improved.”

Page 7 & 8 Jobs:Layout 1 06/07/2008 15:56 Page 1

C YYoouunngg ppeeooppllee ff rroomm IInncchh IIss llaanndd iinn BBuunnccrraannaa,, BBeell ffaasstt

aanndd DDeerrrryy ssppeenndd ttwwoo ddaayyss aatt aann oouuttddoooorr ffaaccii ll ii ttyy eexx--

pplloorr iinngg tthhee iissssuuee ooff ccoonnff ll iicctt ..

TThhiiss wwaass eexxpplloorreedd tthhrroouugghh rraaff tt --bbuuii llddiinngg,, ggaammeess,,

ddiissccuussssiioonnss,, rroollee--ppllaayy aanndd tt rruusstt eexxeerrcciisseess..

onflict is all around us. It

confines us. It can capture

our minds. It can divide me. It can

divide you. It can divide us.

Self-conflict is something we all

have in common and yet we buy

into this ‘us and them’ attitude.

The Gartan residential was or-

ganized by the Inch Island Com-

munity Association. Five young

people from Inch Island and five

young people from the Headliners

in Belfast and Derry took part.

By the end of the two days these

young people with very different

life experiences, dreams and in-

terests succeeded in a common

goal, to work together as a team

and to learn from and respect

each other.

As Inch Island is a small rural

community, this residential gave

young people from Inch the op-

portunity to interact with people

their own age from outside their

community. And the members of

Headliners got to meet people

from a rural area across the bor-

der.

The Gartan Outdoor Centre pro-

vided a safe and fun environment

for the young people to face chal-

lenges as a group and to explore

conflict between each other and

with themselves. It allowed them

to see their differences and ap-

preciate the similarities.

Meeting someone for the first

time To

begin with

the first few

lines of a

conversation

are often

brusque,

awkward and

difficult to

say. Imagine

also being

sat down for

dinner, shar-

ing rooms, being blindfolded to-

gether and having buckets of

freezing water thrown down your

unsuspecting back and needless

to say you get to know each other

pretty quickly.

The residential officially began

with the Night-line, which most of

the residents had been dreading,

not because we knew we would

be walking blindly through a for-

est, holding on to each other for

safety, getting whacked by trees,

getting a free cold shower from

buckets, being screamed at by

leaders of the group and having a

disappearing and shaking rope

for a lifeline. No, we were afraid

because we knew NOTHING!

However,

after a

shower, a

quick

change, and

a very much

needed cup

of tea, the

residents

grouped to-

gether and

discussed

how the

Nightline had changed the group.

Marie-Therese Doherty and

Conor O’Kane, members of the

Headliners Foyle bureau recog-

nized how beneficial the exercise

was:

Marie-Therese: “It was scary at

CC

times because you left your fate

to the hands of others, but in the

end it really brought the group to-

gether, and I must say it was bril-

liant.”

Conor: “It really helped build up a

bond between us as strangers,

and by the end of it we all had a

great sense of familiarity. We had

achieved something as a team.”

The Nightline was followed by a

raft buildingexercise and a race,

wall climbing and other discus-

sion exercises with journalistic

and social angles, all of which

were enjoyed by all and which

provoked new thoughts for the

residents.

The Gartan residential had

changed the attitudes of the

young people who were present.

Gavin Moran and Aoife O’Connell

were ardent on their Gartan expe-

rience and how it had opened

their minds.

Aoife: “I found it to be a great in-

sight into more beneficial ways of

dealing with conflict. We received

advice on constructive ways to

avoid and prevent conflict with

others.

“There were issues around trust

of new people raised and we

learned to be more open and wel-

coming to others and how they

can help us.

“On a more personal level I

learned to be more open about

the conflicts I face myself and to

be available for others who may

need help with their personal bat-

tles.”

Gavin: “The raft building com-

bined listening and leadership

skills. The rock climbing helped

me learn that you can push your-

self to new heights and limits

where problems are most caused

through the head as opposed to

your body not being able to rise to

the challenge.

“All of these combined led to a

great time and a learning experi-

ence where we eachdiscovered

something different about our-

selves and how we should view

problems and conflict in our

lives.”

The exercises and games had

helped all the residents realise

something important; when peo-

ple have a common inflicted

weakness and different usable

strengths, they will all join to-

gether to overcome it with a new

amalgamation of strength, no

matter what differences they

have.

If this is so, then why do we not

identify our common weaknesses

and strengths with strangers?

Why are we afraid to step out of

our own subcultures and into the

shoes of someone completely dif-

ferent? Does it not make us more

open-minded? Is open-minded-

ness ever deemed as a bad qual-

ity? The participants of the Gartan

residential don’t think so. Let’s

hope they can set the standard

for the future.

BByy CCoonnoorr OO’’KKaannee

O N F L I C T

Gartan Layout:Headliners Quark Page Template 06/07/2008 19:28 Page 1

Some people say less is more…

But does this also apply to body shapes?

At least 1.1 million people in the UK are currently af-

fected by an eating disorder and young people in the age-

group 14-25 are most at risk of developing this type of

illness. With shocking statistics such as these appearing

every day, serious questions need to be asked about the

help that is being given to sufferers. Is enough help being

given?

Bearing this in mind, we decided to delve further into the

matter and gain a better understanding of the illnesses in

question in order to raise awareness in the community.

The problem of eating dis-

orders is closer to home than we

care to think. On our doorstep in

Derry too many young people are

suffering in silence and yet were

they brave enough to seek help

they could wait years to see a

specialist psychologist. Add to

this that very few young peo-

ple can name a local or-

ganisation offering help

to anorexia and bulimia

sufferers and the stigma

attached to such ‘secret’

illnesses it is no surprise

that young people are

‘dying to be ‘thin’.

There is now a serious

problem here in the

North-West among male

and females.

This is due to the grow-

ing effects of peer pressure and

pressure from the media. Many

people feel a need to conform to

a specific body image. The fash-

ion industry aims to give inspira-

tion to the public as to how to

dress with style and flare but by

showing the perfect figure as

being stick thin and unhealthy,

this has subsequently spawned

an epidemic of weight and body-

conscious young people.

Do you feel pressured to

look a certain way? Unfortunately

we’ve found that young people in

Derry are affected by the media

representation of the ‘perfect fig-

ure’. A young, local girl has kindly

agreed to share her experiences

of her battle with anorexia while in

her 20s. Her name has been

changed for per-

sonal reasons.

‘Alison’ went

through anorexia

three years ago

and came out the

other end of it as a

stronger, more

confident person.

She has described

some of the prob-

lems that she

faced and some of the facts we

were presented with were nothing

short of horrifying.

Alison’s anorexia was brought on

by serious amounts of stress.

Eating disorders can be triggered

by very minor things, such as a

comment made by someone else

or a picture in a magazine, it de-

pends completely on the person

and their experience.

OTW: ‘Alison’, thanks for agree-

ing to talk to us today.

‘Alison’: I’m more than happy to

talk, it makes me feel a wee bit

like a celebrity!

OTW: When did your whole expe-

rience begin and what events be-

forehand caused you to lose so

much weight?

‘Alison’: It all started on the 12th

or 13th of November 2005. I had

just broken up with my boyfriend

who I had been seeing for two

years. We were really close and

the break-up took a lot out of me.

Things didn’t get any better, as

soon after that I lost my dad. It

was hard for me, as it was for all

our family, however, I could slowly

feel myself becoming lower and

lower.

OTW: What was it like to stop

eating for so long?

‘Alison’: To be hon-

est I hated every

minute of it! I know

it sounds funny, but

looking back now I

can’t even remember

why I did it! The stress

of everything piling up

on top of me made me

unable to think straight,

I just wasn’t myself.

When it came to food, I

didn’t want to tell my

mum I wasn’t eating.

I was drinking nothing

but diluted orange juice for

about two weeks. That’s when

my mum noticed and she ap-

proached me about it,. She told

me that I was a terrible colour

and that she knew I hadn’t

eaten in a while. She called my

aunt and we all sat down to-

gether and talked about it.

I didn’t really speak at first, but

the more they asked about it,

the more open I became and it

felt good to be letting people

know how I felt. I used to always

keep things bottled up, but now

I speak my mind with confi-

dence which is something I had-

n’t done before. Without the

help from my family I truthfully

don’t know how much longer I

would have continued.

OTW: Do you still feel pres-

sured into having a certain type

of body image?

‘Alison’: No way! I love my

body the way it is. After I lost all

that weight I looked terribly thin,

but now I love my body more

than ever.

OTW: That’s great! Do you

know anyone else with an eat-

ing disorder?

‘Alison’: There was one boy I

knew when I was at university

who was bulimic. He was about

23. He would eat but then make

himself sick straight

away! I cringe at

the thought of how

someone can do

that to

themselves.

OTW: Where do

you stand with

the size zero de-

bate?

‘Alison’: It’s such a

shame. I look at

those poor girls and

even some of the

men who work for those agencies

and designers. They are very thin

and it is extremely bad for their

health. Two young girls have al-

ready died on the catwalk. It’s dis-

graceful.

OTW: Do you believe an eating

disorder is an illness?

‘Alison’: Yes, I would definitely

consider an eating disorder to be

an illness. It is not like the cold or

a bug it is very much in your head

and sometimes it can take a lot to

get rid of it.

OTW: Are you aware of any local

organisations that can support

I was

drinking

nothing but

dilute

orange

juice.

It is not

like the

cold or a

bug it is

very much

in your

head.

people with eating disorders?

‘Alison’: None in particular for

eating disorders but I know that

Derry Well Woman is a great

place to go for loads of problems,

I’m sure helping people who suf-

fer from eating disorders are a

part of their work.

OTW: ‘Alison’ thank you so much

for talking today, you’ve been

great.

‘Alison’: If anyone who reads this

article knows someone with an

eating disorder,please give them

a hand and have a chat with them

about it. That’s all it took with me

and it made all the difference.

From ‘Alison’s’ experience we can

learn that talking to someone can

make all the difference. It’s a

small step to make a big change.

Derry Well Woman is a local or-

ganisation available to help

women cope, however as ‘Ali-

son’s’ story proved just talking to

a friend or family member can be

the crucial first step in recovery.

Dying to be

Aoife

O’Connell

Paul Gillen

Project1 final anorexia:Headliners Quark Page Template 06/07/2008 16:00 Page 1

The web, t’internet, the interweb, yon interweeb, the net, The World Wide Web, The Super Information

Highway, whatever you want to call it, over half of all teenagers use the internet at least once a day.

Shocked? I thought not.

Suzanna Mc Cracken, aka Suzie aka A Face For Radio is

seventeen years old and lives in Belfast. She is a wordsmith

and thoroughly creative in every sense of the word. “I got the

BloggingBug last year and for a while I had a little journal of

my thoughts and purchases,” she says. “I'd been looking at

some awesome sites like www.hel-looks.com, www.face-

hunter.com and www.thecobrasnake.com for a while and I no-

ticed that there's an equivalent fashion blog for every city

apart from Belfast.” Of course, Suzie felt that the masses of

stylish people in Belfast simply couldn’t be left unnoticed and

decided to start her own fashion blog, My New Muse. “I

spend all my time in Belfast at gigs and generally dandering

around. You'll always find me whispering "Oh My Good

Grandaddy, she looks fantastic," to my friends as some gor-

geous fashionista walks past, so I thought documenting my

obsession seemed like a fun idea.” An unashamed fan of all

things t’internet, Suzie is living proof of how the net can be

productive as well as fun, “The internet helps with any project

from start to finish. From researching something you like, to

realising your ideas, to making sure it's advertised and in peo-

ple's faces. There's freedom on the internet like nowhere else

in the world. People can be quite cynical about CyberLand,

when realistically you've got nothing to fear apart from some-

one disagreeing with you.”

http://mynewmusebelfast.blogspot.com

You don’t have to look very far on the internet to find a young pho-

tography enthusiast posting their best photographs and sharing

them with friends and fellow photographers. The internet provides

the opportunity for young artists to generally soak up and revel in

creativity and common interest. Pursuing something you love

definitely isn’t a waste of time! Living proof comes in the form of

Paul Smith, an 18 year old from Derry. When he was fifteen, his

parents bought him a digital camera and this, he says, was when

his interest in photography began. A regular gig-goer, Paul decided

to take his new camera with him to an Ash gig at the Nerve Centre

and he came home with hundreds of photographs. "It wasn’t until I

printed some of these shots out to show my friends that I began to

think more seriously about photography,” he says. “The feedback I

got was so encouraging that one year later (after winning an Energy

Saving Trust photo competition which financed my digital SLR) I

was photographing the likes of Snow Patrol and The Kaiser Chiefs

at Tennents Vital from the photo pit.” Paul is a firm believer that the

internet is invaluable for photographers, “With the help of my mate

Ryan, I was able to get a website up and running to display my pic-

tures to the world on the net. In terms of photography you can reach

such a wider audience by promoting your work online. I can’t imag-

ine being a music photographer without the internet, especially

when it comes to requesting photo passes, researching gigs and

displaying my results.”

www.paulsmithphotos.co.uk

Adam Doherty is a seventeen year old and also hails from

Derry. “Music makes the hairs on the back of my neck

stand on end, it’s the only thing that will take me out of a

mood. It’s just powerful to me.” Adam is the lead singer and

bassist in Hybrid Elemental, a band which he formed with

his friends Jack and Nogs. Their music has been com-

pared to Bloc Party but Adam finds his inspiration in many

different places, naming his current favourite bands as Les

Savy Fav, Biffy Clyro and Feeder. As is a given for any

young band, Hybrid Elemental find that the key to every-

thing comes from the world wide web. Adam says, “Like

just about every band nowadays we have a Myspace page.

It is brilliant. We can throw our songs up there and get

them distributed, everyone can listen to our tracks. It’s also

brilliant for getting in contact with promotion folk from

around the city and beyond and for getting yourself on the

bill for gigs. We had the chance to enter the Bodog Bands

competition down in Dublin, they got in contact with us

through our Myspace profile.” As if that wasn’t proof

enough of the advantages of the internet, Adam continues,

“We played in another battle of the bands in the Nerve

Centre and won it! We got to go into the studio for free,

which was huge because booking studio time takes a lot of

money that we wouldn’t have had ordinarily. We wouldn’t

be where we are if it wasn’t for Myspace.”

www.myspace.com/hybridelemental

The world of Youtube.com is a vast one, full of millions upon

billions of young directors, actors and absolute madthings.

One of the most shining examples of the former is

Whataboutadam, a seventeen year old who comes from Norn

Iron itself. Having only set up an account on Youtube less

than two years ago, Adam is one of the most widely regarded

and loved personalities on the site and can boast subscribers

and fans of all ages from every corner of the earth. “I thought

it was a cool way to meet new people, to express myself and

to experiment with editing,” he says of why he decided to give

blogging a go. Adam is an inspiration to anyone who thinks

they have something to say and may be wondering how to

say it. After setting up his account and making videos from his

bedroom, he’s had no shortage of media attention and has

appeared in several newspaper articles, been featured on

various websites, spoken to Annie Mac on Radio1, done

some TV presenting for the BBC and worked with Channel 4-

all as a result of people watching his videos online.

Adam’s most well-known video is perhaps his contribu-

tion to the “Dear Body..” Youtube phenomenon of writing a let-

ter to your body, mentioning your hates and loves. More

recently, he has treated viewers to his series of videos entitled

‘Ask Adam’ and ‘Challenge Adam’ in which he has pondered

the meaning of life and offered Free Hugs in Belfast City Cen-

tre.

When I asked Adam what he thought of the internet being re-

garded as a mere waste of time, he was quick to reply in the

defence of Youtube, and rightly so, “Not only has it improved

my confidence in speaking, it's also given me an interesting

hobby and has let me experiment with video editing. With the

increase in video blogs, written blogs and photo blogs, there

are now more media outlets and more excellent ways of ex-

pressing yourself creatively than ever before.” Word to that.

www.youtube.com/user/whataboutadam

Teenagers nowadays have unlimited access to the greatest educational, social and entertainment tool of all time. The in-

ternet allows you to do pretty much anything you want. Shopping, selling, making friends, finding music, art, films, researching, get-

ting advice, news, reviews, laughs, graphs, pet giraffes. You name it, the internet most certainly has it. Considering this, why do so

many adults still disregard teenagers’ use of the net as ‘timewasting’ and ‘dangerous’? With the growing popularity of sites such as

Bebo and MySpace, it’s too easy to see why many people think that teenagers spend all their internet time chatting aimlessly to

friends and not really achieving anything significant. What these passive observers have failed to notice is what is perhaps the most

prevelant internet trend in recent years; creativity.

The internet is a very important part of being a teenager today. At the time in our lives when we are trying to figure out

who we are, social networking sites offer the unique opportunity for young people to express themselves, have an identity and

make their mark. Despite all the negative press that social networking sites receive, they ultimately allow for positive social interac-

tion and for young people to feel that they are a part of a movement. In a time when isolation is all too common, young people need

the internet to interact with their peers and those who have similar interests. Determined to prove my point, I looked to my peers

and friends, fellow internet-users and some of today’s most creative young sparks to tell their online to offline success stories.

www.myspace.com

www.last.fm

www.stereogum.com

www.flickr.com

www.deviantart.com

www.fffound.com

www.blogspot.com

www.livejournal.com

http://postsecret.blogspot.com

www.zefrank.com

www.muxtape.com

Lovely Linkage

Eabha

By

Eabha Doherty

EABHA- OTW4 PAGES:Layout 1 06/07/2008 20:30 Page 1

Headliners unravel the rich texture of old and new architecture

Design through timeBy Robert and Thomas Thompson

Which is best? Modern architecture,or is it a case of the older the better? We decided to find out by asking ex-pert architects from each side of thedivide in the Northwest. Frank Harkinspecialises in modern architectureand has won prizes for his new buildsawarded by the Royal Institute of theArchitects of Ireland. From therestoration side we spoke to BillHouston who works alongside histwin brother in Gemini Architects.They specialise in restoring old build-ings. We asked:

Why are you so interested in mod-ern/historic architecture?Frank: Well it’s not a question of beinginterested in modern architecture. It’s aquestion of being interested in architecture and it comes in all shapes andsizes both old and modern buildings. Iwould be interested in all of them.

Bill: I spend the first 18 years of my lifeworking in England for a major contrac-tor. One of the projects I was involved inwhile I worked for them was convertingthe old Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cam-bridge to an institute of managementstudies I suppose this fired my interest inrestoring old buildings.

What attracts you to you tomodern/historic architecture?Frank: I think that if we build today thenwe should be building with the techniques and technology and the influ-ences of our time. We should not bebuilding a building today that harks backto an age gone by.We should use the technology of our

time. That’s why I think when we buildtoday we should build modern build-ings.

Bill: Well I think there is a place forboth. I think every town should have amixture of old and new.

Are there any buildings or architec-ture that you particularly admire? Frank: Some of the real iconic buildingsaround the world come to mind some-thing like the Sydney Opera House is atremendous building. Norman Foster inEngland and Richard Rodgers, they dotremendous work. Anything from theItalian Renaissance, peculiarly old build-ings which have good distinct featuresare old buildings to be admired.

Bill: Churches, not even very wellknown churches, like St. Patrick’s inBallymena and the architecture in someof those buildings, it’s quite breathtaking.The sort of things they did in those dayswhen they were building those buildings,the effort that must have went in toachieving it is just mind blowing.Nowadays we struggle to build some-thing like that.

What is your favourite building inyour area and why?Frank: I don’t think I could tell you agood example of modern architecture.There are lots of good old buildings likeSt. Columb’s Hall, St. Columb’s Cathe-dral, the Guildhall. Bill: Portrush Town Hall. I think they’vedone a remarkable job on that becauseit stood the test of time.

So, we have spoken to the expertsand got their views. In a way we havecome to believe that modern architec-ture is important because they will bethe historic of our the future in thesame way today’s historic buildingswere the modern of their day. So, in the same way, we should buildmodern buildings so that we canleave our mark in history just like thehistoric buildings of today have lefttheir mark on us.

William1) The Guildhall2) Historic architecture 3) The White House

Ryan 1) All of Foyleside2) Modern architecture 3) The Sydney Opera House

Kirin1) I like the Millennium Forum2) Probably modern architecture3) Sydney Opera House

Eamon1) Millennium Forum 2) I like modern buildings more so modernarchitecture 3) Any good gun shop

Q1) What is your favourite buildingin Derry?

Q2) what do you prefer modern orhistoric architecture?

Q3) if you had any building in theworld what would it be?

Shane1) The Primark building2) I prefer historic buildings 3) Foyleside car park because it hascars.

The Questions:

Guildhall Derry/Londonderry

Portrush Town Hall

Foyleside shopping centremidst the older buildings ofDerry

Apprentice Boys HallDerry/Londonderry

We ask YOU...Old or New?

The Caw 2000 group came to

Headliners to put together a multimedia

package to try and help promote their area

and highlight the lack of facilities, represen-

tation and the feeling of being excluded

from the wider community.

At Headliners we are about get-

ting young peoples voices and opinions

heard through mainstream media. Not

only were we were able to find out

what the problems were for

these young men from Caw

but we also set up interviews

with MLA’s and politicians in

order to get the ball rolling

on improving life in the

Caw/Nelson Drive estate.

Involved in the project

were; Mark, Johnny, Aran, David,

Ian and Gareth.

From listening to the concerns of the

group, possible interviewees for the topics

chosen soon became clear. We decided to

speak to the former Mayor, Drew Thomp-

son and our new Mayor, Gerard Diver. We

also spoke to Lynn Fleming, a local com-

munity worker and member of Sinn Fein

and Brenda Stevenson, SDLP member and

Rural Development Officer.

What all these interviewees had in com-

mon is that not only are they all currently

residing in the Waterside area of the city

but that all could help bring about change

in the Caw/Nelson Drive estate.

At the start of this project our expectations

weren’t the highest, to be honest but it be-

came clear after working with the guys for

a couple of weeks that they were really

keen to do this project and to make change

for the better in their area. Ten weeks into

the project and he group has progressed

extremely well from the shy encounter of

the first week to the confident and opinion-

ated guys we have now. Our hope now is

that it doesn’t stop here. The guys have

such strong feelings about their area and

are particularly worried that the generation

under them won’t have play facilities just

like they didn’t.

Conscious that developments were being

made in other areas of the city we were de-

termined to find out just what, if anything, is

in the pipeline for Caw/Nelson Drive?

At this stage the guys have been told

countless numbers of times that they will

get the representation and the facilities that

they seek, but to no avail. It’s no wonder

that they came to us disheartened about

ever getting their area improved.

They have talked with politicians and told

them of their long journeys from square

one and back again. It’s only now with the

understanding and backing from these

people that the guys faith is slowly being

restored.

Mark talks to Gerard Diver:”People say

yeah we’ll do this, we’ll do that and then

you never hear from them again”

During her interview Brenda Stevenson ex-

plained that she needs young people to tell

her their issues so that she’s informed:

“Engage with us. If we don’t hear from you

what the issues are then we don’t know

them.”

We also interviewed the guys and asked

various questions about how they thought

young people were portrayed in the media,

what they thought of the estate, what their

dream jobs would be and if they had a mil-

lion pounds what they would do with it in

Caw? The answers will form part of a radio

package currently being worked on by the

group.

Following are just some of their answers:

Johnny said young people were shown as

“louts, hoods and ungrateful people” in the

media.

When asked: What do you think of Caw

Nelson Drive estate? Mark said: “It’s a

good estate but it is being run down by too

many people, young people vandalising

things and terrorizing old people”. With his

millions David would develop a new youth

club for the younger people, a drop-in cen-

tre and get the football pitch redone.

He added: “The bonfire field could be flat-

tened and made into somewhere for peo-

ple with scramblers and quads”.

Gareth was asked: Do you feel like

your opinion matters and that peo-

ple listen to you? He replied: “No

because we were told we were get-

ting all these new things for our es-

tate and nothing ever happened”.

Aran said the highlight of the Headlin-

ers project was: “Getting out of the es-

tate, meeting new people”.Also Ian said: “I

think the project will definitely improve the

situation in Caw for the future generations”

Our first impressions of Caw/Nelson Drive

were quite negative. It didn’t really seem to

be an area of peace and harmony, or one

that was particularly young people friendly.

For this reason and for the generations

coming after them we think that the guys

should plough on and get what they want

for Caw/Nelson Drive.

This project highlighted for us how pas-

sionate the guys from Caw/Nelson Drive

are about their area. It makes you realise

how lucky you may be in our own area that

you don’t have to fight for the simple things

such as a park for kids to play in or a pitch

to have a game of kick-about in.

I think Headliners has given the Caw 2000

group the tools and the skills that they

need to move forward as a motivated force

to be reckoned with in the future.

They know they have a voice

and a right to shout their

opinions out loud!

Playing the waiting game.Playing the waiting game.

“If only there were more

groups like yourselves out

there” –

Gerard Diver, Mayor

“Help us; don’tjust say you will helpus,give effort.” Mark

by volunteersAoife andLorraine

After 13 long years a group of

frustrated and bored young

people look set to score a

goal for their community.

After 13 long years a group of

frustrated and bored young

people look set to score a

goal for their community.

Page 17 Lorraine:Layout 1 06/07/2008 20:37 Page 1

2D festival organiser David Campbell

gets more than he bargained for!

Night-line team step into the unknown at the Gartan

residential

Looking sprightly during the

Gartan residential!

Roving reporter Sunita Singh-Hans

interviews face-painter extraordinaire Emmet Barr at

the One World Festival

Interviewing at the One

World Festival

Rufus Dayglo doing his

crazy thing at the

2D festival

Marie-Therese Doherty inter

viewing singer/songwriter

Victoria Geelan

Headliners members

take part in a musical

workshop with members of

the African community

Cultural

entertainment at

the One World

Festival

Mayor of Derry,

Alderman Drew

Thompson gets a

grilling!

HEADLINE PROJECTS:

OCN Peer Training

OCN Introduction to Journalism

OCN Award in Radio Journalism

Print JournalismWork

Caw 2000 Outreach

‘Global Eye’ resource launch

Residentials

Conferences

Consultation

When Cultures Meet’ II - Filmwork

Summer Programme 2008:

•Sexual Health - Bout Ye and Choices

•Music and media

•Activity days

•Journalism

•Child Protection Training

•Personal Development

•Volunteering workshops

•Off the record sessions

•Creative arts

PHOTO

PARADE

BY NATHAN DONNELL

Nathan pic double page:Headliners Quark Page Template 06/07/2008 21:10 Page 1

Fire Cadet Leader Crew Com-mander Ronnie Watson re-flects on his career with thefire service.

What’s your name and job title?

My name is Ronnie Watson and I’m

a Crew Commander at Crescent

Link fire station in Derry/London-

derry.

How long have you been serving

in the fire and rescue service?

I’ve been in the fire and rescue

service for 21 years.

What is your most memorable

experience as a fire fighter?

I’ve had many memorable experi-

ences but when I was six years into

my career I was involved in a pretty

fierce house fire where a young

lady was rescued by another fire

fighter.

What keeps you interested in

your work?

Basically, no two days are the

same. There is always something

interesting happening. You can

come into your day shift with the

whole day planned out and the

whole day changes due to fire calls

or road traffic collisions. Then again

you can come in the next day think-

ing you’re going to have an exciting

day and it’s just back to mundane

stuff that has to be done.

What was the most furious fire

you have ever fought?

The worst incident I have ever been

involved in was an incident where a

mother and two young children un-

fortunately lost there lives. Some-

thing like that never leaves you;

you know you could be thinking

about it nearly everyday if you let it.

But that has been the worst inci-

dent I’ve been involved in. From the

smallest fire to one were people

lose their lives every fire has an im-

pact on someone.

What can you do that other res-

cue services can’t?

If there is a fire people are usually

running away from it and we are

running towards it so thats what

makes us special. We also have

breathing apparatus and enter at-

mospheres that other people can’t.

Obviously there is a lot of training

involved and specialist equipment

to do this.

How does the death of a col-

league in a fire effect you and

your colleagues?

Well a lot of us in the fire rescue

service see it as a big family and

it’s like losing a member of your

own family if you can think of what

that feels like. I mean it could be

someone in Belfast but they are

maybe someone I have trained with

or done a course with. We do tend

to meet fire fighters all across the

province and most of us know each

other by sight or by name.

Nowadays are there still many

hoax calls? How does that affect

the service?

Hoax calls can be quite demoralis-

ing but the biggest risk is that if an

appliance is attending a hoax call it

is not available to attend if a real

call comes in. That has a big im-

pact on the fact that the longer it

takes us to get to an incident the

more chance there is of someone

getting seriously injured or even

killed. So I would try to get the mes-

sage out that it might be a bit of fun

to you but you may be impacting on

your neighbour or your granny or

your uncle or someone else. In the

city the fire service are there to

serve the community, not to be

messed about.

Have you ever attended a fire

emergency were a young person

has been trapped inside?

Most of us could say yes to that

and unfortunately on the darker

side most of us have attended inci-

dents were young people have

been trapped and lost there lives. I

have attended both types of inci-

dents.

Are there many attacks against

the fire and rescue service?

Well thankfully the number of at-

tacks that happened against us are

dropping but they are still happen-

ing too frequently and a lot of the

young people out there might see it

as a bit of craic but the fact is that if

were attacked by stones either we

could be injured or our appliances

could be put off the run. Again it’s

the same with the hoax call issue. If

an appliance isn’t available to at-

tend an incident it’s going to take

us longer to get there.

What was your worst call out

during the troubles?

During the troubles there were a lot

of fire incidents and the worst thing

that I attended probably would be

between the fire barracks on the

Strand Road and a fire on Waterloo

Street and Waterloo Place. There

were an awful lot of fires going on

that night.

A lifetime of

saving lives

Ronnie

reflects

Making News Saving LivesHeadliners tackles the burning issue of fire-fighting in Derry

In the time it takes to respond to just one

hoax fire call an entire family in Derry could

die in a house fire.

With 167 hoax calls made to the fire service

in Derry and five attacks on fire appliances

in 2006/2007 that puts too many innocent

people at risk because of someone’s sick

sense of humour.

Although the number of attacks and hoax

calls in Derry has decreased dramatically in

the past few years, with 222 hoax calls in

2005/2006 and four attacks, local firefight-

ers stress that one attack or hoax is one too

many.

I was also amazed to hear some of the ef-

fects a hoax call has. “There was an inci-

dent in England,” Dave Allen a fire-figher in

Derry told me when talking about he nega-

tive impact a hoax call has, “A TV camera

crew was with an appliance and were sent

to a false alarm and redirected to an actual

incident and if I remember correctly three

young children died in that fire.”

In 2004/5 there were 5,823 hoax calls, and

last year the numbers decreased to 4,412

but that is still such a big number and the

hoax calls should be decreasing even fur-

ther.

Talking to firefighters Dave Allen and Ron-

nie Watson, I was shocked to hear some of

the stories about the firemen having per-

sonal experience of being attacked when

they are trying to do their job.

“Once I was hit by a stone and quite a num-

ber of times we were attacked by stones

thrown at the appliance,” Dave told me,

“Recently there was an incident in the town

where an appliance’s windscreen was bro-

ken and that appliance couldn’t go to calls.

It was off the run until we got mechanics in

to replace the windscreen. These attacks

are mindless.”

However, I was relieved to hear that this

year the attacks on firemen have de-

creased, and hopefully it will stay that way.

These attacks and hoax calls obviously

come in the way when fire fighters are trying

to do their job, and once Dave Allen even

said he had to leave a scene on a number

of occasions when it got too dangerous.

This is ridiculous, as people who are in dan-

ger within a fire won’t be able to get any

help because of the attacks on the firemen

and even to the damage of appliances.

These problems are obviously a huge prob-

lem, and not only should we stop these at-

tacks and hoax calls immediately, but by

doing so, make sure we can make a differ-

ence to our community.

My name is Thomas Thompson and I’m a

second year in the fire cadets.

I first heard about fire cadets from another

cadet. He told me about all the things the

cadets did. He said that you do things from

hose running to going to the top of a four

storey tower.

Later on I heard about the cadets at school.

I was told that anyone who was in third or

fourth year could join. At the time I was a

third year. We were given application forms

and had the choice to fill in the form or not.

A few months later everyone who had

handed in the forms had to go to an inter-

view. Out of all the cadets who had filled out

the forms only 12 people go through to be-

coming cadets because of safety reasons.

After I had started fourth year in school I got

a phone call from Ronnie Watson, the

leader of the fire cadets, to say that I had

been successful.The place where the

cadets meet up is the Crescent Link fire sta-

tion every week.

So far in cadets I have learnt a lot of skills

and used a lot of the same equipment that

fire fighters use and had to deal with many

situations that they face. During our ses-

sions we do a range of things from yard-

work, dealing with a burst hose or going into

a smoke filled room with breathing appara-

tus to finding stuffed bodies and putting out

a fire on the second floor of a building.

There are also nights were we may be in a

lecture room either discussing upcoming

cadet events such as residentials, ( just re-

cently we came back from “Todd’s Leap”) or

we may have a quiz night were both cadets

and fire-fighters join in. I suppose in a way

fire cadets is full of both work and play.

The cadets basically learn a lot of the ways

to tackle a fire. The fire cadets is about

bringing people from different communities

together and involves a lot of team-work ac-

tivities.

My experience of fire cadets over the time

I’ve been there is very positive. I would rec-

ommend anyone who is of age to join the

cadets. Even if you’re not picked you still get

the experience of an interview which for me

was my first one. You learn many things and

do a lot of fun things. It really gives you a

good insight of what fire-fighters do and

what it’s like.

Thomas Tells All

Call A Halt On Hoaxes

Sunita Singh Hans

ThomasThompson

fire:Layout 1 06/07/2008 21:17 Page 1

through that I got new skills which hasbenefited me in many ways.Now, outside of Headliners I can take the position of leader and I am more as-sertive around new people. What is really great is that skills gained

though volunteering last a lifetime. Another way in which volunteering withHeadliners has helped me is that I haveimproved my personal profile for em-ployers and universities.By gaining an accreditation for spendinghours of your own personal time helping

Headliners is actively in-volving volunteers follow-ing its award of fundingthrough the CommunityVolunteering SchemeGrants Programme.

LEFT: David Fitzsimons, from the Volunteer Development Agency, working with a focus group

of young volunteers from Headliners who have been working with the Agency to develop new

16-25 young volunteers pages on the www.volunteernow.co.uk website, funded by the Youth

Council Northern Ireland.

I joined Headliners abouta year and a half ago, andfrom that became a volunteer.

I recently completed 200 hours as aMillenium Volunteer with Headliners. I am now a CVS volunteer and a largepart of my role is supporting and men-toring others.

Volunteering has many benefits.Firstly my personal skills have in-creased, I am a better journalist andgenerally a better people person.Being a volunteer has meant workingwith loads of new and exciting people. When I joined to be a volunteer Ithought there would be a lot more workinvolved but instead it’s just taking anactive lead in something you are al-ready passionate about.

I was trained as a peer facilitator, and

out in an environment similar to yourprofession of choice or hobby shows de-termination to succeed in your future ca-reer. It proves that your course of studyor career of choice has not been the re-sult of a mere whim.

Through Headliners I can now present aportfolio of tasks and projects that I havecompleted, from BBC Newsline broad-casts to producing my own 15 min radioshow.

From numerous newspaper articles tohelping to edit this in-house magazine,the circulation of which continues to in-crease.Volunteering at Headliners I get to pur-sue a passion and meet new similar-minded friends, get accredited and docourses on things I never knew I woulddo.Although volunteering doesn’t pay, youearn a wealth of experience that youwouldn’t trade for any sum of money. It’s priceless!

The 2006 - 2009 Community VolunteeringScheme (CVS) is a grant programme

funded by the Voluntary and CommunityUnit (VCU) in the Department for SocialDevelopment (DSD) and administered bythe Volunteer Development Agency.

David Fitzsimons, from the Volunteer De-velopment Agency said:

“It’s great to see the innovativeand creative work that the team atHeadliners is undertaking withyoung people in the Foyle area. “Through funding from the Com-munity Volunteering Scheme Pro-gramme they are engaging more

young people in volunteering andequipping them with the skills andconfidence to make the voices andopinions of young people heard.”

£2.2 million has been awarded to twenty eight successful grant projects - six re-gional grant projects and twenty two localgrant projects - from a total of one hun-dred and thirty five applications in thisthree year programme.

The objective of the Community Volun-teering Scheme is to encourage and sup-port volunteering, create and enhanceopportunities for volunteers that will en-courage learning and good practice, andpromote a positive image of volunteeringand community participation.

CVS..... volunteering at its best

Volunteeringis ‘priceless’by Gavin Moran

3 Boys, 3 Guitars, 1 Macand more than a pinch of talent are

the ingredients for this 5-track treat

from Bangor’s latest wunderkinds.

Complete with swirling guitars, delicious

melodies and honey vocals, the debut

EP from Two Door Cinema Club and

their beloved friend technology is

nothing short of astonishing. When

reviewing a young band it’s all too easy

to refer to their musical influences and

inspirations to give an idea of what you

should expect to hear a copy-cat act of,

but with these boys it would be an insult

to staple their unique sound to that of

another band. Their music is refreshing,

exciting and sure to get you dancing.

”Undercover Martyn” is definitely the

stand-out track. Boasting a frenzy of

guitars, the band deliver a slap across

the face in the choruses whilst the

verses interject with soothing, heavenly

melodies. Signature beats, thumping

rhythms and smile-inducing tunes are

present throughout the whole record.

When your head has to stop nodding

along at the end, you’ll want to press

play again immediately. Self-recorded,

promoted and managed, Two Door are

the crowning glory of what it means to

be a DIY band today. Why bother getting

the services of someone older when you

can do it yourself ten times better? N.I’s

bright young things’ offering is the

tastiest treat available for your aural

pleasure and is well worth getting a copy

of to enjoy this summer. “Four Words To

Stand On” is certainly one record you

can rely on.

Two DoorCinema Club

By Eabha Doherty

“Four Words ToStand On”

Earlier this year I made a

promise to myself that I

would go and see Paramore

and Colbie Caillat if they

where playing anywhere in

Ireland.

Unfortunately for me Colbie Caillat is still

only touring in the USA and Canada. So

when I found out that Paramore were

playing in Dublin I almost wet myself

with excitement. My best friend then

decided that as an early birthday present

she would get me a Paramore ticket. I

was absolutely ecstatic and excited for

months before the concert and

Paramore was constantly blasting in my

room. Two weeks before the concert my

friend who was suppose to go along with

me to the concert told me she couldn’t

go. I almost cried when I thought that I

wouldn’t be able to go.Luckily I got

someone else to go.

I was finally close to seeing one of my

favourite bands of all time. Then as we

moved closer to the front we were

issued with purple wristbands, little did I

know that they were “pit passes” which

allowed me into an area incredibly close

to the stage even though the passes

were given to 500 other people it was

still amazing and made me more excited

than I was before, if that’s possible!

There were two support bands that

played before Paramore and finally the

black curtain at the back of the stage

dropped and revealed the lettering

“PARAMORE.” I screeched with

excitement. It was finally here the

concert I’d been waiting on for months. I

remember thinking, “ this is going to live

up to my expectations!”

And so it began, people pushed, people

shoved, people screamed, people sang,

everyone perspired as the heat was

immense and the crowd was huge. We

made our way even closer to the front,

and positioned ourselves dead centre

with Hayley Williams right in front of us.

Her vocals were amazing and her

enthusiasm was outstanding. Paramore

played a great set that night with a

mixture of their old and new songs. I

thoroughly enjoyed it and from the

reaction of the crowd’s they also enjoyed

it. They finished off with a song “My

Heart” which is my favourite song. I

screamed and screeched incredibly

loudly when the first riff of the song was

played. When the band left the stage

again the crowd when crazy and wanted

more, and as the band are so amazing,

they gave more! They returned to the

stage for one final song, “Misery

Business” which also proved to be a

crowd favourite.

After the concert I left the hall feeling

incredibly satisfied. It had definitely lived

up to, if not broke through, my

expectations!

ROLLICKING REVIEWSROLLICKING REVIEWSParamore

RDS Dublin

By SharminRahman

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