cover

ISSUE6

IO Radio

The MarasGang Violence in Central America

The Meaning of Fashion

The Sorry Project

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Contents03 How to Function without Money

13 Recipe: Picante de Camarones

04 Leaping Through the Lens

14 Sorry...

06 Best British Album Ever?

16 The Maras

08 Meaning of Fashion

19 Poem: Colourful!

10 Poem: Clichés

11 Review: “Whole”

Thank You!

VxM promotes media education,

wisdom, participation, production

and dissemination initiatives tar-

geted at 16 to 25 year olds, focusing

particularly on cultural identity.

Issue 6

ISSUE6

IO Radio

The MarasGang Violence in Central America

The Meaning of Fashion

The Sorry Project

On the Cover

ContributorsDarren Mann, VXM Project Coordinator

Claudia Parrino, Project Officer

Tonia Wilson, Youth Engagement

Shannon Noy, Page Designer

Jade Edge, Writer / Illustrator

Eva Avrillon, Writer

Basia Jakubowska, Writer

Monika Tomaszewska, Writer

Alicia Flewit, Writer Elise J , Writer

Cherelle Picort, Writer Ashley Rose, Writer

Ben Driver, Writer

Connor Horner, Writer

Our writer, Eva Avrillon covers the circumstances

of how street gangs become a security and social

issue in Central America.

20 Unite For Equality

22 Review: Django Unchained

25 IO Radio

26 As School Comes to an End

28 Entering the Big World

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It’s funny how us, humans,

as a group feel we can not live or function without money.

When you think about it, realistically, you can’t live in England without a decent

amount of money, which is basically paying just to be alive. It’s horrible to think that unless

you have a very well paid job, it’s not so easy to get by every month especially if you’re trying to bring up

a family. Prices are constantly rising and it’s got to a point where you can’t even enjoy a nice day out without worrying about how much it is going to cost. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have unlimited amounts of money? We’re liv-ing in an imprisonment to money and work and now that you think about it, money is the most insane idea ever. People work so hard to earn the money that they deserve and when it’s finally payday it’s then time to pay the bills and the rent and so on, and when you try to think posi-tive and think next month will be better, you realise that actually it’s just one big vicious cycle. To think that I’m only 17 and realising how cruel this world can be, it’s quite worrying and I’m sure I am not the only teen-ager that sits there and sometimes panics about the future. So as much as we hate to admit it,

the world is just one big trap and the ma-jority of us are just little mice playing

the game.

- Jade Edge

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4Ben Driver

Casually checking my emails to see what wonders life could bring, I stumbled across these words: “Do you like to dance? Want to be in a film? 18+?”. My head was nodding; I seemed to fit the bill. And after my cautious “yes, I do love to boogie but am by no means a trained dancer” reply was accepted and I had signed up to be in a dance film. Fast forward a week and I was on my way to the first workshop. There I met the driving force behind the film and learnt a bit more about the project.

The production is directed by Penny Iles, Charlotte Friend, Jodie Worton, and Amy Hewitt, four students taking the BA (Hons) Dance in the Community course at UCS. As part of their Community Project module they decided to create a film appealing to people from Ipswich and the surrounding areas. Though there was just me and one other volunteer (Ollie Tibble), the team simply stretched their roles as directors/choreographers to be dancers in their own film. As well as going towards their degree, ‘Derelict Beauty – An Ipswich Journey’ was shown at the Ipswich

Leaping Through the Lens:

Derelict Beauty – An Ipswich Journey

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Film Theatre in conjunction with the Access All Arts event on Sunday 17th March.

The film is made up of four main sections constructed via two workshops, with each of the

students directing their own sequence. Each routine worked from a different inspiration and tackled the choreography in a different way. From learning and adapting phrases, to creating movement from scratch, by the end of the two main rehearsals the four routines came together nicely. Their influences were all taken from around Ipswich: the skate park, Christchurch Mansion, graffiti, derelict buildings. These locations were then built upon by associated images and words, the music used in rehearsals, intentional contrast, and the clothes worn for the filming.

After a day to check out the filming locations, the time had come to put dance to film. Filming over two days we relished in wonderful sunshine with the camera operators Kaz Plant and Jake Blowers and the UCS students (we were so fortunate that the weather stayed on our

side for both filming days). Because we had access to two cameras we

experimented a lot with angles and honed in on particular sequences which

in turn would give greater freedom in the editing process. Of course filming in

public spaces had its difficulties; waiting for buggies and other vehicles to pass, hiding

slightly from dogs, availability of batteries. But then there were just as many positives: talking to

a graffiti artist whilst dancing beside graffiti, filming in Christchurch Mansion, dancing/filming with some

brilliant people.

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6Conner Green Edwards Twitter; @the_cge

My first piece for VXM Magazine will be on a topic I have been racking my brains with trying to find the answer. What is the best British album ever? I am talk-ing of the post Britpop era, the early 2000’s. Bringing Britpop into the equation would throw up far too many albums, such as Morning Glory and Definitely Maybe by Oasis and Park Life by Blur to name just a few. I am talking post millennia for my music because as much as many people our age would like to say they remember the 90’s, other than the harrowing chill of the opening credits of ‘Goosebumps’, there is honestly not a lot I remember from the 90’s.

For me my two favourite albums from the 2000’s or the ‘Noughties’ as they have become commonly known are the masterpieces that are ‘Boy In Da Corner’ (BINDC) by Dizzee Rascal and ‘Original Pirate Material’ (OPM) by the incredibly talented Mike Skinner (a personal favourite pioneer of British music, due to a follow on Twitter he gratefully gave me). Even though the albums were re-leased in 2002 (OPM) and 2003 (BINDC) I still find my-self listening to the two of them regularly and find them on most playlist’s for any large/enjoyable gathering.

These albums came at a time when superstars such as Eminem, Pink and Westlife were dominating the charts with their smash hits. They still managed to become a staple in British music history.

For me, these albums are the epitome of British cre-ativity at the time, both albums came from men who did not have a much in a way of being born with a helpful upbringing, many references in the album can be linked with what it was like to grow up in working class Britain at the time. Dealing with the problems of promiscuous women, drugs, violence and fighting for local pride.

BIDC has a much grittier vibe, which for me is because

the album is commonly known as the album that made Grime; the album was often imitated but never bet-tered. It has a much grittier vibe with incredibly hard yet simple synths and Dizzee spitting off some amazing bars, even the flow of his voice causing any person to have a permanent screw face throughout the whole album, even in public, which has happened to me on more than one occasion. I will run you through a few of my favourite songs on the album.

Stop Dat:

This song has about a 27 second intro- building expec-tation, which does not disappoint. When the bass line comes in I dare you try not head bang as hard as you can. The opening hook offers a quick insight into what life is like for Dizzee. Lines such as “He’s got a Nokia, take that, wah!” the fact he’s talking about a Nokia phone, a far cry from the IPhone’s, Ipad’s and HTC’s that are about nowadays, also it shows how real the al-bum is, a far cry from the songs from American hip hop stars who were and always will be about the money. The next line “Rude mouth, Loud mouth girl, watch dat wah!” Telling all the kids out there to avoid ‘mouthy’ and possibly more promiscuous variety of females that are around in England’s slums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsW031v_l4Q

Round We Go:

Round we go, for me is an incredibly underrated song on the album. It genuinely deals with actual teenager problems, in a way I have never seen another song do it. Not from a preachy point of view, but it tells the story of a group of teenagers and how uncomfortable relationships can get for people at a young age. So for me this is why it is one of my favourites.

OPM, if it wasn’t for this album, I don’t know if half the genres that are about today would be here. What I love about OPM, is even though it is in a way genre-

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7less, there are so many influences from the garage scene, jungle. I think it’s best de-fined as pre grime/post garage. The whole album is pretty much a day in the life of the won-derfully talented Mike Skinner. It stretches from wanting to call a girl straight away after a night out, a problem we have all come across, to having the time of your life in Amsterdam. I will once again show you my favourite tracks from the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItGIdUYQNMo

Don’t Mug Yourself:

When this song first came around, I remember it being played on Top Of The Pops, and my mum telling me that there was a song called ‘Don’t Mug Yourself’ on the TV. In my naivety of youth, I assumed it meant don’t let yourself get mugged. But it has a whole other meaning to it. It’s something we can all relate to, not know-ing whether we should call a person or not. Also the fact the conversation takes place in a “Greasy spoon cafeteria”, once again coming back to that beautiful yet British stereotype we can all adhere to. Even Mike’s voice in the song, that strong Brummy accent, just riding with the beat so well, is for me why it is one of my favourite tracks from the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veAIHDGghP4

Stay Positive:

For me, this song is possibly one of the best songs ever written. If the world was going to end in an apoca-lyptic mess, this song would be top of my playlist. In fact it would be the only song on my playlist. It deals with the incredibly deep mind of Mike Skinner, he talks about his insecurities, how easy it could become to succumb to heavy drug addiction. The beat is simple, a few kicks and a solid drum. Mike is almost just talk-ing over the beat, no emotion but so much emotion at the same time. He almost breaks into singing for the hook, which is just the words “just try and stay positive” repeatedly. He talks about how everyman needs the love of a good woman, which is true, even if men don’t want to admit it. He finishes the album on this song, which for me is perfect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl3F0Xzku6U

The albums for me are so tight, incredibly tight in the race for best ever. I think Original Pirate Material just edges it for me, not only for the life lessons that can be learnt from listening to this, but also the amount of genres it has touched on, Jungle, Garage and UK grime. So in the Battle for best British album ever, I hand it to Mike Skinner.

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08

A Glimpse into the Meaning of FashionBen Driver

Fashion exists within every lev-el of society, even among those who appear to be outside soci-

etal boundaries. From expres-sion to business,

stereotypes and status, it is ex-perienced by all and it can be

used to f r a m e a par-ticu-

l a r

a n d individual view

of the world.

Clothes are our main a s s o -c iat ion w i t h fashion a n d a r e one of m a n y

starting points for a cultural idea. Designers use clothes as a way to express ideas in a con-stantly developing society; a reaction to society. And like a designer using models to show-case their work down a catwalk, when you walk down your street you are doing the same. You showcase ideas and snippets of your own identity and cultural affiliations. At the same time you are also digesting the influ-ence fashion has had on others. What you see in those footsteps can build up to a specific view of the world: the events that hap-pen around you, the people you meet or those you walk past. If you have spent your whole life in one area then that world no doubt will have changed and all from what you see, from the fashions that exist around you. Designers have a more signifi-cant role though. Their social interpretations lead to devel-opments and fashion can de-termine the direction in which a society moves. An example being the development of suits for women, reacting to calls for equality in the workforce, es-pecially high profile jobs which historically were deemed ap-propriate only for men.

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Though, a large part of fashion designers’ work is not readily accessible to the wider public and is centred more on the idea of an art form and expres-sion. The ability to create a genuinely original piece of clothing whether or not that should/can be translated into something anyone can wear re-quires a lot of imagination and the ability to manipulate that vi-sion into a fabric related reality. But take parts of those creations from a bundle of designers and you start to build up a portfolio of motifs. This is where the idea of trends come into place. Tak-ing for example, a pattern or a cut of fabric noticeable across a range of collections and trans-forming those into a clothes line ideal for mass production and so for the high street.

However fashion extends be-yond the reach of clothes and here the concept of trends is ex-tended. Think of it in terms of what is fashionable. This opens up the doors into the whole of the cultural sphere, to every one of the arts. It is with music, film, literature, etc. that clothes combine to build up solid forms of trends. Put another way fash-ion takes attributes from many if not all aspects of the arts and glues them together to form bundles of cultural ideas. Give these ideas names and a context

and we have di f ferent trends and movements e.g. punks, mods, indie-kids to pick a few more d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e groups.

So what about making your own fashion? People don’t always just follow trends. They mix and match to get the exact style they want or to cre-ate a specific impression on someone. This, on one hand complicates what fashion is, but on the other hand makes it all the more interesting. And does it not mean that we become our own designers of fashion? After all we are all our own people, walking in a world of individu-als with separate identities. So as well as fashion being the re-action to and creation of cul-tural ideas, fashion becomes a means to recycle the world in which we experience for our own purposes.

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Clichés Good things come to those who wait. Love is blind, you said Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and life is what you make of it. Life’s a bitch and then you marry one, you made your bed and lie in it. I always told you curiosity killed the cat, now the cat’s got your tongue. Don’t get your knickers in a twist, if you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.

Like father, like son, blood is thicker than water, you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family. I said keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Honesty’s the best policy, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, they say never say never, but where there’s a will there’s a way.

There is no ‘I’ in team, you are what you are. If you can’t do the time then don’t do the crime don’t play with fire you might get burnt. Smile and the world smile with you, love makes the world go round but don’t push your luck, beggars can‘t be choosers I mean you win some and you lose some. Whatever will be will be, there‘s no place like home.

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Django Unchained

Review by Cherelle Picort

Django Unchained, an action packed film with slavery, genres and subjects that really don’t complement each other, but surely this is acceptable because it’s a Quen-tin Tarantino film, right? I think not. However, the mes-sages in the film are positive.

We are shown that some people in the world such as the bounty hunter (Dr. Schultz) do not see colour and that there are black men out there willing to do any-thing to protect their wives. The film brings something different to the U.K. screens, unlike the usual typical portrait of the black man having numerous amounts of girlfriends or baby mothers while spending money on clothes and drugs instead of supporting his mother or his wife and kids, non-naive people know it is not entirely true. The film shows Django (Jamie foxx), a slave whose freedom was brought by the bounty hunt-er Dr. Schultz, played by Christoph Waltz, in return for his help to catch felons. Later he returns the favour by helping Django find his wife at the famous ‘candy’ plantation. The film has comedy, action and drama, but misses the seriousness of this era (slavery). I feel this to be quite offensive because the two shouldn’t cross paths- you wouldn’t see this type of thing in a film about the ‘Jews’. Especially done by a man who thinks it’s ok to have a picture taken like this after tell-ing a story in this era, which obviously has been done as a stunt. I believe that actors such as Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, all known and celebrated actors, have in some way insulted each other. Overall the acting was brilliant but I was foolish to think that it would be an epic film that would make black history.

4 stars out of 5

I believe that actors such as Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, all known and celebrated actors, have in

some way insulted each other.

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‘Whole’Review by Cherelle Picort

‘Whole’ is moving play performed by four very talented young actors from London. The show highlights some of the experiences these four teenagers go through in secondary school through the medium of friendship. Emphasising on religion to sexuality, bulling to discrimination, using song, spoken word and rap to tell the story based mainly around the lead character ‘Natalie’, a young girl wanting to fill the hole in her life with the supposed help of friends. They do not shy away from life themes which some of us have been trailed and tested or been pressured in at one stage of our lives, focusing on the teenage years. ‘Whole’ is a very relatable story, it produces stories within making it relevant and effective to anyone, be it by bringing up old memories or even learning something as simple as looking after each other and not letting superficial things get in the way of friendship, something which should come as second nature but something that few people know how to do. ‘Whole’ is a must see, it will have you laugh-ing, nodding, crying and leave you thinking. It has a surprising twist which makes it fresh and different from other plays, it’s chilling that it is so much like real life.

4 out of 5 stars

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VxM and Culture Cook are

We will cook dinner for you and 5 of your mates.

You bring the friends, an empty stomach and the willingness to learn.

We’ll bring the chef, the food and the equipment.

While we cook, we teach!Every week a new

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- For 16 to 25 year olds. -

For more information please contact:Claudia at cparrino@csv.org.uk

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PICANTE DE CAMARONESSpicy Shrimp with Ají Sauce

Ingredients : • 3 lb 5 oz(1 ½ k) shrimp shelled and deveined (keep heads and shells to prepare stock)

• Yellow hot chili peppers paste

• 3 slices of bread, soaked in milk (leche evaporada)

• Pechuga de pollo

• 2 red onions, finely chopped

• 1 lb (1/2 k) cooked potatoes, peeled and halved

• 3 boiled eggs, cut into wedges

• Cumin

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup olive oil

• Salt

• Pepper, cilantro to garnish

Preperation :

Bring a cup of salted water to a boil, add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until they turn pink. Remove from pan, drain and set aside.

Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and sauté until soft and transparent. Add the ají paste, season with salt and pepper, mix well then bring to a boil steadily for 5 minutes. Aside, blend the soaked bread to make a creamy texture, and add it to the sautéed onions then add the shrimps and cook for 3-4 minutes un-til heated through. Use as much water (from the cup of water you used to boil the shrimps) to achieve the desired consistency. Serve with rice or pasta. Sprinkle Parme-san cheese as desired.

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16Ashley Rose

Everyone is capable of saying sorry and apologise for something! Whether you’re white, black, Chi-nese, Indian, old, young, male, female, a teacher, a mentor, a parent, a child, an apprentice, an ac-countant or even the prime minister… (I would carry on but I could fill this page).

There are many reasons people don’t say sorry. Perhaps you were embarrassed, too proud, scared

or maybe you didn’t even notice you had hurt that persons feelings. It doesn’t matter how big or small, if you can give an apology why shouldn’t you? It doesn’t cost anything, it doesn’t hurt any-body, and it creates a more positive atmosphere and feel-good vibe for you.

Apologizing re-establishes dignity for those you hurt and allows others to feel safe knowing you agree that hurtful behaviour isn’t okay. It allows other people to know that it was your fault, not

Sorry…

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17theirs. It helps them feel better and helps them save face. Apologising helps repair relationships by getting people talking and making them feel comfortable with each other again. A sincere apology allows you to let people know you’re not proud of what you did and that you won’t be repeating that behaviour.

That feel good ‘off your chest’ feeling when you share a problem is a positive effect of apologis-ing. So, why don’t you give it a try?

Five step apology

1. Take responsibility. Realising that someone is upset with you, it is likely for a good reason. Take the time to reflect on what you might have done to upset them. If you haven’t done any-thing wrong, then don’t apologise.

2. Apologise. If you have done something inappropriate, don’t try to justify your posi-tion in your mind. Let the other person know that you didn’t mean to upset them. Ideally, doing this face-to-face is most powerful or

by phone. Although doing it in an email or through Facebook is less personal it is also a re-opening to be able to apologise again in person at a later date.

3. Acknowledge they are upset. Be clear on what you are sorry about. Acknowledge how your lack of awareness has upset them. If you need to ex-plain yourself, only do it to show that you didn’t mean to upset them. Do not try to bring out the pity card, make yourself feel better or to wiggle yourself out of making the apology.

4. Ask for forgiveness. When you ask for forgive-ness, let them know that you will not do it again. If they do accept your apology, say thank you and move on.

5. Forgive yourself. If they don’t accept your apology, then there is nothing more you can do. Whether they do or don’t accept your apology, you must let it go. Guilt is only going to harm you internally, so forgive yourself.

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The MarasWhen street gangs become a security

and social issue in Central AmericaEva Avrillon

Maybe you already have heard of the maras, or seen some pictures of the mareros (members of the maras). They probably inspired some arche-types of the “South American” crimi-nal in American drama series: guys with shaved head, stunning tattoos all over the body and the face and a very specific sense of honour, based on the using of violence to be respected. The maras, youth and street gangs, are now developed enough to be consid-ered an important social and security risk in Central America (Mexico, Be-lize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salva-dor, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Panama) and even in North America. The gangs – more than 900 in Central America – are active in several countries, and involved in territory control, activities as kidnapping, rapes, murders or drug and human trafficking.

Central American gangs founded in the United States

Most famous maras were founded in the United States, among Central American migrant communities. The “18th Street Gang” was created in Los Angeles in 1959, and took the name of the place its members were active. Most of them were Mexican or from Mexican origins, but the gang evolved in time to accept people from other Central American countries, some White and Asian people, and a few Af-rican and Native Americans.

M-18’s most famous rival in all countries they’re simultaneously active is the Mara Salvatrucha – or MS-13, founded in Los Angeles by Salvadorian migrants at the end of the 1980’s. In 1980, a civil war broke out in El Salvador and a mas-sive flow of Salvadorian refugees fled to the United States, especially in California. They had difficulties to be integrated in the Hispanic com-munity and became victims of Mex-

ican and African-American gangs which dominated in California. As some of the Salvadorian migrants were former members of paramili-tary groups or gangs in their coun-try of origin, they used their skill in arms’ using to protect themselves, creating the MS-13. Salvatrucha may be a combination of the words Salvadoran and trucha, a Salvador-ian argotic word for “being alert”. The number 13 is the sign of the connexions with the Mexican Mafia – la Eme in Spanish; M is the thir-teenth letter of the alphabet. Al-though most of its members were Salvadorian at the beginning, the gang is more open to other Central American countries.

These maras have both specific rites and codes, but in both cases the ini-tiation of new members is extremely violent – boys are beaten for 13 sec-onds in the MS-13 and for 18 seconds in M-18, as girls have to suffer a collec-tive rape by six mareros in the MS-13. Sometimes, they have to kill some-one they don’t know in the street, to prove their reliability and their respect toward the leaders. New members can sometimes be initiated very young, especially if they already begin to do the mara favours as they’re still in primary school. In both cases the appearance of the gang-members is very important: even if it is evolving for several reasons, members has to show their belonging to the group through their tattoos. They can reflect the creativity of the boy or of the girl as long as the name of the mara appears – often in a sophisticated calligraphy, us-ing abbreviations. It is im-portant because it is a way to show you don’t belong to a rival mara. In some cases the marero can even show off tattoos on their face.

The development of the maras in Central America

In the 1990’s two important events took place: the riots in Los Angeles in 1992, in which different gangs were involved, and the peace in Central America in 1996, after years of civil and frontier conflict in the region. After the peace agreement, the US administration be-gun to send back some gang members or migrants with a police record to their countries of origin. Between 2000 and 2004, about 20,000 criminals and of-fenders arrived in Central America, as countries of the region were changing after years of dictatorship and war to democratised entity. But the transition was difficult; the countries remained poor, the power remained weak in some places like the huge slums of Central Ameri-can big cities of

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Honduras, El Salvador or Guatemala. Nowadays a large part of the popu-lation in Central American big cities works in “informal sector”: that means that they try everything, especially as they don’t have an access to education or to job opportunities, to earn some money and survive. It can be self-em-ployment and the offering of services, micro-enterprises or illegal activities. Some families are totally dependant on the money some of their members who emigrated to Mexico or to the United States send to them. Very often family environment itself is violent – most of children witness or are victims of do-mestic abuse, most of girls have been raped at least once before they are 15 according to the statistics of 2007, one or both parents can be absent, boys and girls don’t receive enough care or affection. In addition, Central America represents a “bridge” for Colombian drug producers and traffickers to the Mexican and North American market: the region suffers since decades vio-lence linked to drug trafficking. So the environment is favourable to the devel-opment of the maras, whose youngest members provide some “staff” to drug

traffickers, and who have different cells locally implanted control-

ling some territories and fighting the other maras

a c t i v e i n

the region. State power remains quite weak and some slums are considered to be “non-law” zones and more dan-gerous than Brazilian favelas them-selves. The governments of the region, like Salvadorian one, tried several times to dismantle the maras by a bru-tal repression. They failed because po-lice forces are unprepared, and most of time corrupted and not particularly respected by people who rather pro-tect their mareros family members. Moreover the government themselves failed to find a response to the poverty, and don’t provide young people what they need in terms of education and opportunities. And the maras adapted themselves in time, by recruiting well-educated people from the middle-class, to use their skills and knowledge in technologies or justice, for instance. These young people are attracted by those offers, because it allows them better salaries than a normal job in the formal sector. Furthermore, in re-cent years, the mareros became more careful with their tattoos, avoiding tat-tooing their face because police forces were allowed to arrest someone sus-pect only because of the tattoos.

Why do children and young teenagers join the maras?

There are several reasons: security, frustration and possibility of easy money. Joining a mara means secu-rity, the possibility of defending one-self against another gangs, and for children and teenagers lacking affec-tion and looking for a social status, it creates a sense of belonging, an alter-native to a community and a society

that doesn’t meet their needs. The reverse of the medal is the extreme violence of this way of life – mur-der, rape, trafficking, risks of being killed, war

against another gang for hegemony on a territory, strict code of honour, respect of the maras’ leaders. But leaving the mara is really difficult. Indeed, it equals betraying the mare-

ros and the traitor is sentenced to death: some young people who

tried to reinsert themselves in society through training centres created by reli-gious organisations can be assassinated by they former gang-fellows. If they achieve their years or training, they remain unemployable be-

cause people remember their crimes and fear reprisal from the gangs or because of their too visible tattoos.

Conclusion: does a truce mean a safer environment for the inhab-

itants of the region?

To conclude, I would like mention Sal-vadorian case more specifically. In last March, the maras Salvatrucha – MS-13 – and M-18 concluded a truce in El Salvador. In the following months, the rate or murder per day decreased dramatically from 15 to 5 people. But is it enough for people to feel safe in Salvadorian cities where murder rate was one of the highest in the world? According to certain newspapers and news websites, people remain cau-tious because the rate of people disap-pearing remain the same and because Salvadorian government, by negotiat-ing with mareros better jail conditions for imprisoned ones, gave them cred-ibility and a certain political power. For inhabitants, the break of the truce is only a matter of time and the gangs have gained a political weight they didn’t have before because now they have the power of influencing govern-ment’s decision-making by threaten-ing of an increase of violence. They think state is not able to maintain the peace by itself, and it has lost public confidence to success in it. Further-more, the repression of these last years shows that Salvadorian govern-ment only took into account the secu-rity issue, without paying attention to the social roots of the problem. It is not even sure that the State has politi-cal or financial means to deal with this problem… In spite of all that, there are some reasons to hope, because some people are aware of the situa-tion of these young people, and they are themselves, aware of what they did. As the truce was concluded, some former mareros asked for forgiveness, saying they’re getting tired of violence and bloodshed. Sure it will not bring back their victims to life, but it may be a step to reconciliation with the population. Furthermore some former mareros who left the gang quite early or who served prison sentence, cre-ated associations into helping them to reinsert into society. Off course, most of them have to stay anonymous to remain safe, but they have an advan-tage on other organisation working on reinsertion: they understand what young people have experienced.

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Colourful! by Elise J.

The sun glowing making my surface hot Half naked bodies stomping over meLoud beats vibrating as it passes by

I get trampled on, all these feet pass by

So many colours, I see the magicSome dressed so exotic shiny things attached

Different sounds of instruments Feet stump hurting my half broken surface.

Police try protect me from the rubbishHeavy rolling objects moving on me

When it is finished I feel dirty Then they all leave and I’m alone again.

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Unity For Equality

Alicia Flewit

Deep in the warm heart of Africa you will find a little known country called Malawi. Landlocked in between Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique, Malawi boast some of the most amazing natural and untouched beauty I have ever seen. But the true beauty comes within the people who live there. However, behind this beauty and the warm genuine smiles that greets you from the moment you step of the plane, a more darker side exist. Malawi is amongst the poorest and least developed countries in the world and it heavenly relies on foreign aid to survive.

I spent 5 amazing months in a rural village called Domasi where I experienced a real insight of the struggles that the average Malawian face. At the beginning of my journey most of my days were spent occupied by teaching basic English, but I soon became more interested and focused on the violations and discrimination against women. With help from other volunteers and two local charities called Tikondwe Youth Organisation and Yoneco, I was able to form a women’s group that consisted of 15 women. Initially, I wanted to get to know the women and find out their

stories and experiences. This was the most difficult part as I got to know that the women did not just fall victim to lack of education, high maternal deaths, disease and violence but also early and forced marriages, Female Genital Mutilation and wife inheritance. Wife Inheritance is where a widowed wife automatically becomes 'property' of her husband’s brother. There were also other traditional practices that I will not

go into detail which further violated women's human rights.

The findings gave me an understanding of how deep the problems were and how this impacted on the

women lives that resulted in emotional barriers, low self esteem and self worth which further restricted their development. We worked on trying to build their self confidence by teaching them their rights but also sharing and learning new skills with each other such as

sewing and cooking. During the time that I spent with the women it was clear that this group was helping. It didn’t just offer support and advice but most crucially it gave the women a voice and a place to escape. However, for the women to truly feel liberated, more still needed to be done. Women in Malawi felt that they needed a man to survive and in a sad way, I found this to be true. Even with a female president, opportunities for poor Malawian women are few. They very often cannot bring themselves out of

property and with having children as young as 14, it often seems to be no support to help build a brighter and more independent live free from violence and discrimination. For many days I sat and thought about how I could try and help the women I met whom I felt had so much more potential - indeed themselves wanted more from life. When you go into any market in Malawi you are presented with so many undiscovered

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talents that they possess, with beautiful fabrics with every colour of the rainbow and unique handmade wooden carvings. I started to think that production maybe is the way to get the women out of poverty and into an existence where they can be self sufficient and live the life that they choose and not what is forced upon them from a young age.

Now I am back in the UK, I have started to raise funds for the women’s group in Malawi in order to get them the equipment they need to make this dream a reality. The vision is for the women to start producing unique handmade clothing, jewellery and ornaments to be sold to the volunteers that come to Tikondwe Youth Organisation. Also, we want to sell in the UK for the consumer who is looking to help with this cause but also who is

wanting to purchase products that are truly unique and not mass produced. The aim is not just to make this a 'quick fix' but a long term solution and a life line for the women. If the project generates a big enough income, then we want to start investing in individual women in order for them to start up their own business.

I really believe that if the women in the UK unite with the women in Malawi then we can change lives forever. If successful, this project will not only help the women that have been carefully selected but also the community as a whole. We want the women to eventually be in the position and have enough confidence where they can give talks and support other young women to help them not accept violence and spread awareness on the issue both in Malawi and in the

UK. Violence against women is the biggest violation against human rights, there is not a country that is

spared but I believe that together we can stand strong and send out the message that no matter what continent you are on, we will not accept being second class citizens based on our gender. I believe that when a world is divided that is when the problems intensify but when the world is united for one common belief, that is when change happens.

If you would like to help this project then please

help by donating via the website igniter.vinspired.com or if you would like to get hands on then please go out there and volunteer!!!

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Django Unchained

Review by Cherelle Picort

Django Unchained, an action packed film with slavery, genres and subjects that really don’t complement each other, but surely this is acceptable because it’s a Quen-tin Tarantino film, right? I think not. However, the mes-sages in the film are positive.

We are shown that some people in the world such as the bounty hunter (Dr. Schultz) do not see colour and that there are black men out there willing to do any-thing to protect their wives. The film brings something different to the U.K. screens, unlike the usual typical portrait of the black man having numerous amounts of girlfriends or baby mothers while spending money on clothes and drugs instead of supporting his mother or his wife and kids, non-naive people know it is not entirely true. The film shows Django (Jamie foxx), a slave whose freedom was brought by the bounty hunt-er Dr. Schultz, played by Christoph Waltz, in return for his help to catch felons. Later he returns the favour by helping Django find his wife at the famous ‘candy’ plantation. The film has comedy, action and drama, but misses the seriousness of this era (slavery). I feel this to be quite offensive because the two shouldn’t cross paths- you wouldn’t see this type of thing in a film about the ‘Jews’. Especially done by a man who thinks it’s ok to have a picture taken like this after tell-ing a story in this era, which obviously has been done as a stunt. I believe that actors such as Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, all known and celebrated actors, have in some way insulted each other. Overall the acting was brilliant but I was foolish to think that it would be an epic film that would make black history.

4 stars out of 5

I believe that actors such as Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, all known and celebrated actors, have in

some way insulted each other.

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23 Do you care for a relative,

partner or friend?

Help you fulfill your education and employment potential

For more information, contact Claudia Parrino on

01473 418034 cparrino@csv.org.uk

link up

We Can...

25IO Radio is a fresh and new Online Radio station based in the Ipswich area. With a brand new studio built for 21st Century radio, IO Radio will be sending out a mix of todays music and opinions with people aged 16-25 at its heart.

Do you want the chance to work in radio? Then grab the opportunity to become part of the most innovative ra-dio station in the region. We are looking for Presenters, DJs, Editors, Promoters, Admin staff and much more. Previous experience not necessary, just enthusiasm and the right attitude. Find us at Facebook.com/IORadioUK, Tweet @IORadioUK or email us on info@ioradio.co.uk and get involved.

IO Radio25

26As school

comes to an end, we explore the feelings of young people and

their plans for their future.

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Basia Jakubowska

I am a 16 year old young woman who comes from Poland. I have recently finished high school and I have now been left with a lot of revision for my exams which it’s not easy- there is a lot to revise for in such a short amount of time. Up to the date of the 16th of May, which is the date that I have left school, I have had teachers helping me to get the best grades I possi-bly could in my exams. I am re-ally thankful to all of my teach-ers for helping me during the five years in Westbourne. Leav-ing school made me feel more grown up but also upset. I had to say goodbye to people who I have known for a long time and will possibly not see again. When summer starts my mum

will probably want me to look after my sister while she goes to work. Nevertheless, I hope to go to Poland and visit my family and my old friends who I have not seen in a long time.

I have made the decision to take up further education at Suffolk New College attending a Uniformed Public Services course, which will last between 2 and 3 years. I have 3 wish-es for my summer that I hope will happen. These are: to get the best results for my exams, have a great summer but also help my mum with my sister and to get into college where I can pass my course leaving me with qualifications for any fur-ther education or getting a job.

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Friday 17th May:

This week we had loads to do as we left school on Thursday and everyone is anxious about passing all the exams, about 3 or 4 of them. I know some people choose not to prepare for them, but I do as I want to go to college. On the last day of school, we went to a leaver’s assembly and the teachers surprised us with a presentation that had photos of us from year 7 to year 11. Everyone around me and I were crying. It was a bittersweet day, sad because you leave your friends but happy because you go to college or sixth form and get to meet more people and continue to be in touch with old mates.

Friday 17th May:

This week we had loads to do as we left school on Thursday and everyone is anxious about passing all the exams, about 3 or 4 of them. I know some people choose not to prepare for them, but I do as I want to go to college. On the last day of school, we went to a leaver’s assembly and the teachers surprised us with a presentation that had photos of us from year 7 to year 11. Everyone around me and I were crying. It was a bittersweet day, sad because you leave your friends but happy because you go to college or sixth form and get to meet more people and continue to be in touch with old mates.

During my free time, when I am not studying, I meet friends and have fun with them. A great place to chill is Bramford River – you can swim in there and do whatever you want but remember not to do things that you will regret, as unfortunately ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ does not apply to it.

During my free time, when I am not studying, I meet friends and have fun with them. A great place to chill is Bramford River – you can swim in there and do whatever you want but remember not to do things that you will regret, as unfortunately ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ does not apply to it.

YEAR 11:LEAVING SCHOOL

TO GO IN TO THE BIG WORLD!!

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Week of Monday 17th June:

This week is just amusing- I finished all of my exams, I don’t have to get up early in the morning, I can stay up late in the evenings and as the days are longer, I can party for longer! Planning is essential as otherwise it can be boring- some of my friends are still at school.

Week of Monday 17th June:

This week is just amusing- I finished all of my exams, I don’t have to get up early in the morning, I can stay up late in the evenings and as the days are longer, I can party for longer! Planning is essential as otherwise it can be boring- some of my friends are still at school.

Okay now let’s talk about my future- my biggest dream is to be a professional singer and, fingers crossed, it will come true. If you love singing as much as I do, get in touch with CSV Media. In this building all your dreams may become true. I am not a famous singer now but I will be someday and this place is helping me getting there. If you don’t try you will never know how much you can achieve, so leave all your demons behind.

Okay now let’s talk about my future- my biggest dream is to be a professional singer and, fingers crossed, it will come true. If you love singing as much as I do, get in touch with CSV Media. In this building all your dreams may become true. I am not a famous singer now but I will be someday and this place is helping me getting there. If you don’t try you will never know how much you can achieve, so leave all your demons behind.

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By the time I am waking up, some of my friends are finishing school so we meet and go to the river to have some fun.

By the time I am waking up, some of my friends are finishing school so we meet and go to the river to have some fun.

On the Sunday 7th July:

I have music on the park  I fell really nervous about it because I will sing on the stage in front of a big crowd of people but in the same time I feel really happy because it has been always my dream to be a singer.

On the Sunday 7th July:

I have music on the park  I fell really nervous about it because I will sing on the stage in front of a big crowd of people but in the same time I feel really happy because it has been always my dream to be a singer.

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My advice to you is to follow your dreams and never give up. Everything is worth trying.

My advice to you is to follow your dreams and never give up. Everything is worth trying.

Article written by: Monika Maria Magdalena Tomaszewska

If you are thinking about applying for college do it as fast as you can - places get taken really quickly. Also, keep in mind to choose subjects in the areas you see yourself in the future.

If you are thinking about applying for college do it as fast as you can - places get taken really quickly. Also, keep in mind to choose subjects in the areas you see yourself in the future.

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