The #1 newspaper for young people, by young people in Somerset

@SomersetYPNews Somerset Young Peoples Newspaper

October 2012

After English exams failure, Gove remains set to replace GCSEs with tougher exam
Make Your Mark on what your representatives debate in the House of Commons.
On the 23rd of November 2012, Members of Youth Parliament will debate in Parliament on issues affecting young people, and you can have your say on whats debated there. Page 11.

SYPN is now recruiting.

Education Sec Michael Gove says new EBC will bolster Britains international credibility

If you are interested in media, journalism, design or photography then this is for you. Page 3.

By Jake Pitt, Editor [email protected]

The Education Minister, Michael Gove, has announced plans to replace the current GCSE exam system with a more difficult English Baccalaureate Certificate in an attempt to create greater transparency in education. The new system will not allow for re -sits. with a greater focus on the exam and less focus on coursework. It is expected that girls will fair worse from the changes as they traditionally do better in coursework.

The plans will mean that all 16year olds will take compulsory exams in English, Maths, Science in addition to one humanities subject and a language. However, if Labour win a majority in the 2015 general election the proposals - which are due to be introduce in 2017 - could quickly be dropped. Stephen Twigg, the shado w edu cat i on m inist er attacked the plans, labelling them as a cover up for the GCSE English fiasco. T o t ak e p ar t i n O f st e d s consultation on reforms to the G C S E, vi s i t t h e ir we b s i t e www.ofsted.gov.uk.

Youth Activist Adam Fouracre speaks to SYPN about his antiviolence campaign.
Adam founded the Taunton based campaign Stand Against Violence after his brother was attacked and killed by a gang after a party in 2005. In an interview with SYPN, he talks about what inspired him to take action. Page 6.

PM to consider housing benefit cuts to under-25s for 2015

By Scott Kilday, News Editor [email protected]

Editors foreword
Welcome to the second (ever) edition of Somerset Young Peoples Newspaper which is, of course, the only newspaper for young people and by young people in Somerset. Theres really nothing like it. It was nearly a year ago when me and a group of fellow Members of Youth Parliament came up with the idea of creating a newspaper solely for young people. We felt that young people are too often misrepresented in the media, and we wanted to provide a voice for young people in Somerset. And it really is important to tackle the way young people are portrayed, in both local and national newspapers. When the youth are given a bad name, this causes social tension, and with tension comes conflict in our communities; like we saw last summer when so many young people felt disengaged they actually took to the streets. As well as this, we wanted to create an outlet for young people to shape their own portrayal - and also a way of accessing news, and views, about issues that affect young people. Were shaped by you, so if you want to get involved in SYPN please do get in touch.

getting them into work or training. However, looming over everything is the pledge made by the Chancellor in the last budget that another 10bn will have to be saved from the welfare bill in the next parliament. He also said that the young peoples immediate priority was to stop them from being "blighted by long periods of unemployment" just like in the 80s. Later in the week, David Cameron will set out even more proposals aimed at cutting the UKs overall welfare bill which could lead to unemployed people being forced to do community work. Chancellor George Osborne indicated in his March Budget that the welfare bill should be cut by another 10bn between 2015 - the expected year of the next election and 2017. That is on top of the 18bn of cuts during the current parliament. Labours, shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne called it a "very hazy and half-baked plan from the prime minister, when what we really need is a serious back-to-work programme". "You have to remember that housing benefit is available to a lot of people who are in work and perhaps on low incomes, so for a lot of young families with their first feet on the career ladder this plan could actually knock them off the career ladder," he told the BBC.
Nick Clegg describes youth unemployment as a human tragedy and promises swift action. Page 4.

The prime minister has recently suggested a cut as part of the welfare bill for people under the age of 25 meaning thousands of young people will lose the right to the housing benefit. Ministers argue scrapping the benefit for 18-25 year olds will free up around 2bn of government spending each year. However, a senior Liberal Democrat has concerns for the proposal; he feels that their priority should be to get young people into work, training or education to deter us from "repeating the mistakes of the 1980s". Mr Cameron said in a newspaper article, which comes ahead of an expected speech, said that the current system is sending out strange signals to the youth about housing, work and family. He called for a wider debate on issues which includes the cost of benefits. Vicki Young, a BBC political correspondent, said that the plan was an obvious appeal to core Conservative voters and also MPs who have criticised the Prime minister for failing his attempt to promote Conservative values whilst in coalition with the Lib Dems. But the coalition government had already brought in radical welfare reform and "the right thing to do" was to let them "bed in before we take further decisions". The Labour Party says that this is a bad move, and that the governments focus should be

Jake Pitt Editor, Somerset Young Peoples Newspaper

We need you.
Somerset Young Peoples Newspaper is recruiting for young people aged 13-18 to become part of a bigger team of a young journalists from across the county that produce SYPN.

Interested?
If youre thinking about getting involved, there are a variety of opportunities available to you. Were currently recruiting:

Journalists & reporters Graphics designers Photographers

To apply visit www.sypn.org/apply or email [email protected]

Yeovil MP David Laws announces plans to raise the pupil premium

The new Schools Minister, and Somerset MP, David Laws has announced plans by the government to increase the premium given to schools for disadvantaged students from 600 to 900 per year. The news follows fears expressed by the head of the education watchdog Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw, that the Pupil Premium was being used to plug holes elsewhere in schools budgets rather than being spent on the most disadvantaged pupils. The premium is available for all students eligible for free school meals or living in care, covering around a quarter of all young people in schools and colleges. The move is part of a Liberal Democrat initiative to promote social

Laws defiant that he will hold schools to account over spending of the premium

mobility and give all young people equal opportunities. Created in 2010 to replace EMA, it originally gave 488 to schools to be directed towards poorer pupils. The announcement also saw the introduction of a 500 catch-up premium for 11 year olds who

did not attain expected grades in their SATS, which could potentially fund 14 hours of one -to-one tuition. This is set to affect around 6,600 young people in the South West and an extra 5 million for Somerset schools.

Whatever happened to civility?

Jaysen Sharpe is the Member of Youth Parliament for Taunton Deane & West Somerset. In this article, Jaysen argues that as a society we shouldnt simply accept the issue of online trolling of those in the public eye. Youth Parliament, in which I champion young people and make sure that they are listened to. I encourage legitimate criticism and often find it beneficial yet a large number of people feel it appropriate to launch personal attacks and use exceptionally distressing language and these people have no issue with abusing myself a sixteen year old boy. What ever happened to civility? Online trolls are increasingly targeting young people, with a large amount of their abuse at memorial pages, which honor the memory of young people who lost their lives. This behavior known as RIP trolling involves people posting extremely upsetting pictures and messages mocking the deceased young people causing unimaginable pain to friends and family. Where is the morality of these people, do they feel no shame for their actions which cause such pain amongst so many, why do they do it and when will we see a return to the traditional value of common courtesy.

tion, the CBI. The Liberal Democrat leader is due to declare that the government's youth contract scheme will be speeded up in these areas, cutting the time a person of 18-24 has to be unemployed to qualify for guidance in obtaining a job from six to nine months. Employers will then get more than 2,000 to help pay their wages for six months, although the company still has to contribute at least as much again. The national 1bn scheme to help 160,000 young unemployed was announced in April, so it is too soon to assess its success in helping people get permanent jobs. A spokesman for Mr Clegg said: "Hopefully, they see this person has been productive, they have spent a lot of time training them and they'll give them a job." "The sensible thing, if it works, is to extend it out the next 20 or 40 [areas], rather than say it should be the same nationally across the board," said Clegg's spokesman. Clegg will claim the recovery of the economy will create more jobs, but this alone will not be enough to tackle the "long-term, structural" problem of youth unemployment, which has been increasing since 2004. The government needs to provide "targeted support to the youngsters who struggle to break into the workplace",

As an elected representative you expect to have a fair share of critics, and rightly so, it helps to keep us in touch and often serves to remind us of public opinion on pressing matters. What you dont expect is to receive a barrage of constant abuse; unfortunately this behavior is on the increase. The issue of online abuse is becoming more prevalent in society with individuals posting exceptionally hateful messages on online social networking sites, often concealing their identities to avoid any responsibility. We are aware of a number of high profile cases such as the recent jailing of Liam Stacey for his racist comments about Fabrice Muamba. Conservative MP Louise Mensch is also no stranger to online abuse, who regularly receives online hate mail even including death threats to her children. These so called online trolls do not just target high profile individuals; I unfortunately count my self among those who have suffered abuse. I regularly receive a large amount of hateful online posts from anonymous trolls of a very distressing nature. Most of it is due to my involvement in the UK

Nick Clegg pledges further support for youth unemployment

By Tyler Miller, Deputy Editor [email protected]

The Cabinet Office and the Department for Work and Pensions have calculated the 20 worst areas for youth unemployment in the country, all of them in the north of England, Scotland and South Wales, all of these areas benefit from a precipitate introduction of youth contract. Hartlepool is one of the very first out of the 20 areas to prosper from the reduction within the youth contract

qualification juncture. Unemployed young people within areas where it is becoming increasingly unlikely to find work are to prosper from extra government help under plans which shall be announced on Wednesday by the deputy prime minister, that being Nick Clegg. Clegg will declare that the complication of youth unemployment is a human tragedy of which defines who we are as a civilisation when he announces the additional help in a speech to the employers organisa-

Feminism is dead.
Okay, I'm going to start this article by making the shocking admission that I am, in fact, a boy. The reason I am writing about this topic in particular despite my gender, is that I believe a society in which men and women respect each other, a society in which people can be who they are instead of silly sex objects. So, what the hell did happen to feminism? Well, maybe it's partially a self destructing philosophy, in that the feminists of the past sought sexual freedom through contraception which was of course at the time and it still is I should hasten to add, a liberating factor in so many women's lives. The pill gives women the chance to pursue a career before settling down to have children, which is great, it's lead to a culture of casual sex, which is also okay in moderation. However a culture in which casual sex reigns over strong and sustained relationships is one in which people are more likely to become the pawns in a game of sexual desire rather than part of a loving relationship, but also it's lead to a culture where women are not taken as seriously. Not in the archaic way that we associate with the suffragettes, but in a more subversive way, for example Hilary Clinton refused to appear in Vogue during the 2008 presidential campaign because she did not wish too appear too feminine. So basically modern society dictates, that yes, women can be taken seriously but only if they act like men. The pill is however just a catalyst in the current state our modern culture, it is the media that perpetuates the negative aspects in society today. Madonna. I actually quite respect Madonna, her open attitude about sex is really inspiring and what she lacks in musical talent she makes up for in the quality of her plagiarism. Like it or not Madonna taking her clothes off set a precedent which later female musicians have had to follow, look at the number one women before Madonna came along and you see women like Kate Bush, Sade, Debbie Harry and Siouxsie Sioux, women who took the charts by storm and were treated with the respect they deserved for their own work. After Madonna we get female musicians in the charts like Britney, Kylie and the Spice Girls, all of whom were forced to use their sexuality to sell records. Popular culture is the greatest barrier to women being taken seriously and having the right not to be judged by appearance, but taking this attitude to women in the media could also be to the benefit of men, because men are also sexualised by the modern media, just in a totally different way. Men in the public eye now have to live up to their female counterparts by constantly jabbering on about girlfriends and their wild sex lives for example, Harry Styles. Harry is just 17, but yet he is forced at almost every interview he engages in, to tell us that he isn't a virgin and which type of girl he likes.

Why is that relevant? Men are sexualised by the media, but instead of being the object of sexual fantasy they are forced to tell us about theirs and I've got to be honest I don't really care if Harry likes blondes or brunettes, I'd rather hear about his plans for his next album. You may think what I've written is a complete load of nonsense, and to be honest the paragraph about Madonna whilst weighted in my own opinion and at least some factual was also a subtle dig at my least favourite pop star- Caitlin Moran puts the pivotal point in the sexualisation of women in the media as the emergence of the Spice Girls. You can't deny though, it's pretty shocking that only five members of the cabinet are women. In fact I think the fall of feminism has lead to a decline in aspiration all around; in the seventies the Sex Pistols had actual political beliefs, but in the sterile sexualised world of today we have Coldplay and Adele, and although neither of them are the stereotypical sexy pop stars have either them written a song that doesn't involve something about romance. Gone are the days when pop stars like Jimmy Somerville would write songs about the age of consent, no, now the charts are dominated as they were in the sixties and early seventies by soppy, insipid, songs about being in love and the best TV shows aren't about a Communist takeover of Britain, they're about a school in Rochdale that moves to Scotland. What did happen to feminism? Perhaps that's not what I've been asking by writing this article, what I'm really asking is what has happened to youth culture? Why have popular music and TV shows become so horribly fatuous and unnecessarily sexual? I think the people who are really responsible for this decline are the fat cats of commercialism, it was them who made popular music so overtly sexual, it was them who made fashion magazines more concerned with women losing weight than the artistry of the clothing, it was them who cheapened femininity and made it shameful to behave like a woman. So what can be done? Change could be just behind the corner, but it has to come from us; the young people who are sick of watching poor Britney cavort herself in skimpy underwear and Hilary Clinton being forced to act like a man. We need a culture where no woman has to hide her femininity to get ahead in academic professions, and equally no female musician needs to wear bikini on stage for the purposes of her career.

Sam Foulder-Hughes

The future of a dying art religion. Page 13

Adam Fouracre the Campaign for Lloyd and the fight to reduce the level of violence in our communities

In September 2005 my brother Lloyd Fouracre was beaten to death in Taunton just one day before his 18th birthday. It was a mindless attack by three drunken young men who were tanked up on alcohol. Lloyd was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a result of Lloyds death I wanted to do something positive to prevent further incidences like this occurring again.
I am under no delusions, I know violence can never be eradicated; its a part of human nature and always will be. What I want to reduce is the mindless attacks that seem to be increasing on the streets of the UK. These random and unprovoked attacks, which generally seem to focus around the victims head (punching, kicking and stamping), which is most vulnerable, can be so severe that the risk of brain injury and death is frighteningly high. I started a petition to ask the Government for an increase in police on the streets of Taunton at high risk times. I called this campaign simply 'Campaign for Lloyd'. Myself and friends stood out on the streets of Taunton every day for one week over the Christmas period and collected 26,000 signatures from the Taunton residents. I travelled up to Downing street to hand these petitions in and then met with the then Home Office minister, Paul Goggins, to discuss violence prevention. Sadly this was a waste of time as they clearly had no intentions of listening or working with me to make a difference. After a short while I was asked to give some presentations to schools in the local area. I had never spoken in front of people before and had a rather negative experience when I was in school so dreaded the thought of going back in to that environment. However this was a golden opportunity to reach out to those who would be forming the future of our society. These school pupils hold in their hands the key to reducing violence in our communities. They are the ones that need to hear Lloyds story. So that's what I did, I produced a rolling PowerPoint encouraging people to think about the impact that Lloyds death had on more than just the victim. I spoke to them about my experience and summed up by explaining why I was stood talking to them and how they are the ones that can stop this from happening again by simply setting a positive example and passing the story on to others. Over time and as the talks grew the campaign adopted the name of its first website 'Stand Against Violence'. Lloyd was still the key focus but as momentum grew I could see this may expand beyond Somerset where Lloyds story would not have been heard of and therefore 'Campaign for Lloyd' would have no meaning. The PowerPoint presentation was very powerful and effective but to me it didn't get across the real story or who Lloyd was as a person. So for this reason I started exploring the use of moving image and home video footage. I met a young film maker and together we reconstructed Lloyds murder based on forensic evidence and what I had heard in court. We mixed the reconstruction with news footage, interviews from friends and family and home video footage. The resulting film has proven to be more effective and powerful that we could have thought. Even today - 2 years after making it - I am still amazed at the power of the film and that no matter where you are or who the audience is the effect seems to be the same.

since the pilot sessions from SAV 4 months ago, our repeat young offenders have not reoffended. These young people are the ones that are committing crimes every other week and circulate the system time and time again.
(Youth Offending Team worker).

In May 2005 Stand Against Violence (SAV) became a registered charity. To date we have sold 300 copies of the DVD worldwide and deliver talks in schools, colleges, prisons and on youth offending programs around the South West. The charity now has 3 part time staff, 20 volunteers and 7 trustees. Our main work focuses on educational work and our objective is simply to reduce violence through education and awareness raising. We receive lots of regular positive feedback from across the board.

100m Talent Match scheme to combat youth unemployment

National Lottery pledges support for youth unemployment and training
By Scott Kilday, News Editor [email protected]

A 100 million scheme has recently been launched by the Big Lottery Fund to help young people who have been hit hard by the economic downturn. Their aim is to help people from the yo u ng er g e ne r at i o ns b e com e employable. 21 target areas are to be funded to start their training; they hope to also get people into employment. The Talent Match initiative, built by a team of young people, has intentions to support those between the ages of 18 and 24 to access these local jobs and training courses. The overall scheme should see partnerships with councils, charities, employers and colleges. They will work hard to decide how

to effectively spend the money to suit the skills and talents of the local young people affected by the economic crisis. The 21 hotspots for the scheme are of those places in the country that have been the worst effected and find it hardest to get jobs these areas include places like Cornwall, Coventry and Warwickshire, Greater Manchester, London and Sheffield.

charity has ever undertaken. He also said that it could have a huge impact on the wide scale problem of unemployed youth. I am positive that Talent Match, and what we will learn from it, will provide the evidence the country needs to help many more young people more effectively in the future.

The launch of the scheme is in Nat Solane, the Chair of the Big sense a response to last years Lottery Fund, has said the Talent commission on unemployed youth. Match scheme is one of the most T h e c om m i ss i o n e st i m at e d a ambitious programmes that the 10.7b loss to t he countr y in productivity in 2012. David Miliband, who chaired the c o m m i s s i o n o n b e ha l f of t h e Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, supported the Talent Match scheme.

Urgent action needed on youth unemployement

Maths should be compulsory until 18, says MP

The future of the subject Maths in the UK seems to be a lot more important than most school students may think. Elizabeth Truss says that maths should be made compulsory up until the age of 18 and taught separately from the normal exam system. This is what the MPs latest report says. In the most recent survey it has been found that the UK is ranked 28th place across the globe, making it the countries weakest subject. She claimed that social mobility is being hampered students who attend private schools are more likely to opt for maths at A-level, which isnt the case for public state schools. She said "current failings are hampering social mobility and the UK's long term competitiveness." To keep our maths skills internationally competitive s he has propos ed that the subjec t is m ade compulsory up until the age of 18. It will also be made parallel with academic and vocational exams. Truss seems to have everyones best interests in mind but should it not be up to the student what they study past the age of 16? Making maths compulsory is sure to be supported and criticised by a number of different people but all we all be watching the outcome of this proposal.

The foreign business that can get you a uni place for 2000
By Tyler Miller, Deputy Editor [email protected]

The official agent in Beijing for universities in the elite Russell Group, name Golden Arrows Consulting, claimed that it could secure oversubscribed places at UK universities for a Chinese student purporting to have scored three C grades in their A -levels - when British students are required to have at least AAB. Universities were accused of profiteering by rejecting tens of thousands of British teenagers, who have finished A-levels, so they can fill places with more profitable foreign students. Undercover reporters were also told to tell the UK authorities that the student would be returning home immediately after graduation - even if that was not their intention in order to secure a visa. Universities say that even the new 9,000-a-year tuition fees for British and European Union students do not cover their costs, and they need to turn to foreign students who are charged 50 per cent more, the reason why theyre charged more is simply because they are overseas and are using the UK facilities in order to gain an advantage in their education. Headmasters at some leading private schools have even stated that some of their foreign pupils were being offered places with lower entry requirements than their British counterparts. Cardiff University is investigating allegations about places being offered to foreign students with lower grades than UK counterparts who pay higher fees, which would be viewed upon as unfair as the foreign students tend to come from wealthier families that are able to provide the greater funds for them to be taught at that University. On the other hand, people who arent as successful and dont come from a rich background may suffer due to the fact that they wont be able to go on in further education.
Truth, Unity and Harmony - Cardiff seems to have lost the value of their own motto

A university statement said it "takes very seriously the issues raised". It said the alleged practices by an agency misrepresent the "university and C ar d if f ' s r o bus t ad m i ss i on procedures". As a result, Cardiff University is investigating the allegations," said the statement. The university aims to recruit the most able students that can benefit from and successfully undertake the university's courses. Agents do not make admissions decisions.

They said that all decisions on eligibility for courses at Cardiff University are taken by the university itself. Since 2006, the number of foreign students has risen by a third to almost 300,000, with teenagers from China representing the highest proportion of overseas students. At the same time the number of British students missing out on a university place reached a record high last year of 180,000.

Students warned to watch their finances at university

The Student Loans Company (SLC) has warned students starting university to be especially vigilant with their personal finances when starting university. Research by the SLC has shown that two thirds of South West students will invite most new people they meet to be Facebook friends and a third will give out their phone number to most other students. This could lead to problems such as phishing loan companies trying to scam students out of money, with men traditionally at higher risk than women. Many young people will be managing their finances on their own for the first time. Andy Shenton, of the SLC, said that young people ar e most vulnerable online. "We monitor student loan 'phishing' very closely and such close phishing sites down.

Support for youth in poorest cities

By Tyler Miller, Deputy Editor [email protected]

prime minister, that being Nick Clegg. Clegg will declare that the complication with the issue of youth unemployment is a human tragedy of which defines who we are as a civilisation when he announces the additional help in a speech to the employers organisation, the CBI. "How we help these young men and wom en sa ys som et hing , says everything, about who we are," says an advance copy of the speech. "These are our children and they are in their hour of need." The Liberal Democrat leader is due to declare that the government's youth contract scheme will be speeded up in these areas, cutting the time a person of 18-24 has to b e un em p l o yed t o q u a l if y f or guidance in obtaining a job from six to nine months. Employers will then get more than 2,000 to help pay their wages for six months, although

the company still has to contribute at least as much again. The national 1bn scheme to help at least 160,000 young unemployed was announced in April, so it is too soon to assess its success in helping people get permanent jobs. However, a spokesman for Clegg said: "Hopefully, they see this person has been productive, they have spent a lot of time training them and they'll give them a job." Clegg will claim the recovery of the economy will create more jobs, but this alone will not be enough to tackle the "long-term, structural" problem of youth unemployment, which has been increasing since 2004. The government needs to provide "targeted support to the youngsters who struggle to

The Cabinet Office and the Department for Work and Pensions have calculated the 20 worst areas for youth unemployment in the country, all of them in the north of Eng land, Scot land and Sout h Wales, all of these areas benefit from a precipitate introduction of youth contract. Hartlepool is one of the very first out of the 20 areas to prosper from the reduction within the youth contract qualification juncture. Unemployed young people within areas where it is becoming increasingly unlikely to find work are to prosper from extra government help under plans which shall be announced by the deputy

Our GCSE system needs real reform, not a new name

Yes, it is certainly true that the current GCSE It is certainly fair to say that this bizarre system is a system is not exactly perfect. Its exams are money making exercise, but it is a money making vulnerable and open to exercise at the expense of the tax interpretation and, Im afraid, all too payer. Money taken from schools by much depends on whether the the exam boards could be far better examiner was having a good day. spent on actual education; and But to me, one of the key problems improving teaching or resources is that it is privatised. The education available for students. Feeling confused, Michael? profiteers of AQA, Edexcel, OCR This is a rhetoric often emphasised by head and whoever else can produce different exams that teachers who spend excessive amounts of money all have varied requirements in terms of to the pockets of private shareholders, and don't coursework and examinations. This means that buy the argument that it gives schools a choice. universities and employers are comparing students The new EBC barely touches on this issue, and and potential workers who have the same grading instead focuses on trying to make it more difficult but took different exams. This isn't right. however, we need real reform not a new name.

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Vince Cable launches Unistats website at Strode College

News service to give young people the opportunity to compare their university choices
By Jake Pitt, Editor [email protected]

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, travelled to Strode College in Street last Thursday for the launch of a new universities comparison website, Unistats. The website provides information about over 31,000 university courses across the country. The website allows visitors to compare a wide variety of factors, including accommodation, financial support, graduate prospects as well as student satisfaction rating. Dr Cable said that it was in apology for recent fee changes. "It is a misconception that students from rural areas like Somerset cannot afford to go to

university in a City, the system of fees allows anyone from any background to study where they choose. "The fact that this is a rural area should not deter any students from applying to any university He was accompanied by Wells MP, Tessa Munt, the Private Parliamentary Secretary (PPS)

to the Business Secretary, who recommended Strode to him. James Staniforth, Strode College Principal, said that the website gives a lot more information than a university prospectus would. To visit the Unistats website go to www.unistats.direct.gov.uk

Vince Cable, with Tessa Munt and Principal James Staniforth launching Unistats.

Maths should be compulsory until 18, says MP

The future of the subject Maths in the UK seems to be a lot more important than most school students may think. Elizabeth Truss says that maths should be made compulsory up until the age of 18 and taught separately from the normal exam system. This is what the MPs latest report says. In the most recent survey it has been found that the UK is ranked 28th place across the globe, making it the countries weakest subject. She claimed that social mobility is being hampered students who attend private schools are more likely to opt for maths at A-level, which isnt the case for public state schools. She said "current failings are hampering social mobility and the UK's long term competitiveness." To keep our maths skills internationally competitive s he has propos ed that the subjec t is m ade compulsory up until the age of 18. It will also be made parallel with academic and vocational exams. Truss seems to have everyones best interests in mind but should it not be up to the student what they study past the age of 16? Making maths compulsory is sure to be supported and criticised by a number of different people but all we all be watching the outcome of this proposal.

Send your ballot to [email protected] Or vote online at www.mi-vote.com/mym

The future of a dying art religion

Organised religion is dying. Church numbers are ridiculously low, I recently went looking around a church near where I live in deeply conservative rural S om e rs e t o nl y t o f i n d t h a t s h oc k i ng l y t he congregation of the church consisted of only half a dozen regular church goers in their early sixties. You might say that this is indicative of how small the village is, and you're probably on to something there, but surely these small village parishes are where the Church of England thrives, surely at least these rural idylls still hold the traditional church going values of yesteryear. If the Church of England is flailing even in Somerset, what does that mean for the rest of the country? Well, the English Church census of 2006 showed that ,shockingly, only 6.3% of the whole population attend church regularly. Even so 72% of people in UK still identify as Christians. The disparity between these two figures is tremendous, but does the fact that these Christians are not regular church goers mean our moral values have declined? No, to me it says completely the opposite. It's so easy to rose tint the past and the more conservative values that were held by the God fearing people who lived then, but were our ancestors really all that great? I think you know the answer to that. The moral values of the UK are ,despite, what the Daily Mail may have you believe, much better than they were fifty years ago. Look at all those people who do ludicrous things for the sake of charity, that annoyingly lovely Christian virtue in particular is stronger than ever. Organisations like the British Youth Council show that while today's youth may not be especially concerned with religion, they do have a political conscience and TV shows like The Secret Millionaire show a wonderful undercurrent of kindness that the right wing media would have you believe died in the sixties.

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It strikes me that the nature of kindness in this country has become less selfish. People are not going out of their way to be charitable because a vicar told them they should, they are doing it from their own selflessness and goodness of heart. These brilliant volunteers are the most Christian people on Earth, they do good things of their own volition and like the many equally virtuous Christian groups like the Salvation Army they make a positive change to the society in which they live. So, yes, our country does have these altruistic modern day alms-givers. Most of us however, would rather worship at the font of Britney and Gaga wouldn't we? Yes, probably, I know I would, Britney's one my idols, but is that such a bad thing? The Christian, beneficent bankers of classical England may have been replaced with callous, inferior and fatuous modern day equivalents, but the one and only Miss Britney Spears is exemplary to all people in power. A little known fact is that the groin wielding, head shaving caricature of the press has made considerable donations to charity during her lifetime with $350,000 donated to victims of Hurricane Katrina and $1,000,000 to the families of the uniformed service hero victims of 9/11. The modern day faces of goodness are not just the many wonderful devout church goers. They're that girl at school who's dressing up as the Queen for Help for Heroes, celebrities like Britney Spears who put their money and influence to good use and the hundreds of young people who spend their Saturdays meeting with politicians trying to save our youth clubs. Religion and piety are important parts of our moral conscience, but we must never forget the atheists, agnostics and humanists who are so instrumental in contemporary charity.

Sam Foulder-Hughes

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National Citizenship Service promotes volunteering opportunities for young people in Somerset
Strode-based NCS group gave up their Summer holiday to do something positive for their community A group of 24 young people aged 15-17 have recently finished their National Citizenship Service, having redesigned a garden for the Heads Up charity in South Horrington, Wells. The National Citizenship Service is a government initiative designed to promote youth participation in volunteering as well as providing a positive outlet for young people who would otherwise have nothing to do during their summer holidays. Over 300 million of central government funding was put into the programme. The group, run by Strode College, took part in 4 weeks of activities including a weeks residential in Minehead before going to Cannington near Bridgwater to learn about communities and project management before planning one of their own. Speaking to SYPN editor Jake Pitt, Sammy Carter, 16, said that the initiative gave those participating 'an opportunity to do something really positive'. If I wasn't doing NCS I probably wouldn't be doing anything at all during the holidays. I enjoy doing something that is going to make a difference and has definitely helped me build my confidence. Bridget Harvey, manager of Heads Up, said: "Before this week the garden was just abandoned, left for many years to overgrow. I jumped at the opportunity when I heard from Strode College about their NCS programme. I could see this would give our garden a big step forward, not having the man power or time to do this ourselves." For more information visit www.strode-college.ac.uk.

From the editor

A few weeks back I had to privilege to be invited to visit the South Horrington group to see what they were getting up to. As Im sure you know, NCS is a voluntary summer programme created by the government and is designed to give young people the opportunity to do volunteering work over four weeks in the holidays, when young people would otherwise have nothing to do. In the words of the Prime Minister its a sort of non-military national service. The group I visited had spent three weeks planning and preparing their project and I really admired their

determination, their skill and their team work. This group of young people had decided to give up their own time to help others and do something constructive for the benefit of another group of people. From speaking to the young people involved, they were happier to have the opportunity to participate and help others than any personal gain from it. It was an opportunity for young people who come from all backgrounds, some of whom have learning disabilities and even some who are living in care, to build their confidence and their CVs; a work experience that equips young

people with the skills they need for later life but would not learn otherwise. With the closure of youth groups across all of Somerset National Citizens Service certainly has a place and I believe next year more young people will want to do something inspiring. Though David Cameron ought to bear in mind the cost of running the programme. The government aims to extend its numbers to over 100,000 young people next at a cost of nearly 1,200 per head. The cost of running a youth centre? A mere 1.50 a week.

No Mr Clegg, were the ones that are sorry.

After Nick Clegg spoof Im Sorry video goes viral, are we laughing with him or at him?
By Catherine King

15

Schools, work places, at home. Everyone is viewing the newfangled Im Sorry spoof of Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister. The new catchy auto tune hit of Mr. Cleggs apology statement, mocks his and the Liberal Democrats u-turn on tuition fees. In 2010, this angered a lot of people; however, in some way this few minutes of ridiculous, embarrassing video makes up for it in some peoples eyes.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg u-turned on a pledge to the NUS to vote against any fee rise

Soon to be released as a single on iTunes, this track has fashioned a large amount interest, far more than would ever be expected. Nick is content about the video being subject to the nations laughs however, has made sure all profits go to the Sheffield Childrens NHS foundation Trust. Due to the huge success of these strange events, the Lib Dems have not hesitated in producing mass amounts of memorabilia. Most with the words Im Sorry scribed upon them. EBay also caught on to this, theres now opportunity for you to buy a t-shirt with the deputy PMs face on, and his new slogan written above him in a speech bubble (seriously, check it out). This video seems to have brought politics to a new stage, even if that stage is shared by pop stars and rappers of the twenty first century. What better way to engage the people of all ages in political matters with what is so popular; music.

Cleggs apology simply adds insult to injury

It was not for braking his promise that he was sorry for. It was for making it in the first place. Arguably, the Liberal Democrats strongest support was from the student population, disillusioned with Labour and not keen on Conservative plans to hike fees three-fold. But the Lib Dems promised to scrap fees altogether - and create 100,000 jobs in teaching, with more one-to-one tuition for struggling students. I think I can fairly say we were all inspired by this. When in power, this pledge was forgotten. Yes, it is a coalition you cant have your way but it is political suicide to drop a flagship policy. All of a sudden it is Tony Blairs old education, education, education campaign and the promise of cheaper fees as well as the return of EMA that is attracting students to the Labour party. So what should Nick do? He may have lost his charisma, but it is now time to build himself as a strong leader whose policies really are those of a party capable of governing. My party needs to reinvent itself, promoting fairer taxes but also starting to plan, and tell us, a set of 5 policies that the Liberal Democrats will insist on if there is another hung Parliament. And we do respect apologies; the problem for me, and all other activists, were particularly angry with what he apologised for. He said they shouldn't have made the pledge in the first place, and this seems halfbaked - not what you need in party conference season. He should have apologised profusely, or not at all. Joe blogs email your anonymous comment to [email protected]

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Quote of the Month

ridiculous that It is the brunt of theyoung people are baring economic problems; with tuition fees; scraping of EMA; abolition of housing benefit and potential changes to working tax credit [] and the irony is that it is not these young peoples carelessness who got us into the economic problems that we are facing in the first place.
BBC Question Time

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