Lauren's Journalism Blog

It is not unusual for teens over the age of 16 to have a part time job. By today’s standards, over 39% of teens work an 18 hour week. This is an awful lot of work for students who are in full time education, as balancing coursework, revision and also a job is very stressful for the majority of teens. So what can be done about this issue? Do we stop working and never gain any independence, or do we continue juggling everything and allow our education to suffer?

In the long run, this could cause an even more concerning issue. The higher the number of hours that a student in education does at a part time work place, the less likely they are to go to university and further their prospects. So what’s the answer? I think that it should be a law that students under the age of 18 cannot be contracted to more than 10 hours per week, and then any over time they do after this is down to theirs and their parents discretion. 

So I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I have recently found myself addicted to new reality TV show, Jersey Shore. As shameful as it is, I find the personalities, rash behaviour and social inadequacies hilarious. The behaviour of one girl in particular, Angelina, is appauling beyond belief. Her language and mannerisms cause her to alienated in the Jersey Shore apartment, and yet she chooses to outstay her welcome, despite being disliked so much in the house. 4 ft 9 Snooki causes unlimited hilarity in the show, with her outrageous amounts of fake tan, drunken behaviour and endearing catch phrases.

It’s safe to say that Jersey Shore is my guilty pleasure, despite its negative reviews in the press. It’s so outrageous that you couldn’t make it up - the first reality show that I have watched in a long time that does not seem constantly staged and unrealistic.

Last year, D & G released their Winter 2011 collection which was full of gorgeous Ski Wear and glamourous winter woolies. Now that the skiing season is here, I felt it appropriate to post the D & G collection online to show how skiing is no longer saloppettes and a hideous lime green jacket that is three sizes too big.

It is no secret that car insurance prices have rocketed recently due to the number of un-insured drivers having accidents on the road, the majority of whom are under the age of 25. This has caused insurance companies to tar all teen drivers with the same brush, and therefore have pushed premiums up by up to 12%, meaning that many  cannot afford the new extortionate fees necessary to keep their cars on ther road. What with this and the rise of tuition fees, the outlook for students across the country is looking progressively more and more grim.

For some young drivers, even if they have a years no claims, there is no bonus awaiting them at the end of a years careful driving, but instead, a £1000 rise in their insurance costs. The fact that there are so many un-insured drivers means that a vicious cycle is being created - teens can no longer afford insurance, so they drive without an insurance policy. This means that the costs of insurance goes up when un-insured drivers cannot pay repairs in an accident, causing policy holders to have to claim extreme amounts from their insurers.

Finally the date of the concert has arrived! The atmosphere is incredible and Tim Westwood just did a half an hour set, creating a universal buzz that is filling the room as Drake fans anticipate his arrival. This, being Drake’s first UK tour, has caused such excitement across the country, and the arena is completely full to the brim - literally a full house.

Drake is the ultimate crowd pleaser -the screams say it all, the Canadian rapper is really hitting the big time. Being Lil’ Wayne’s protege has it’s benefits, and tonight is a prime example of what fame is supposed to be like. Coming from a background like Young Money essentially means that a glamorous lifestyle is on the cards, and tonight is no exception to that rule. With on-stage fireworks and pyrotechnics, a famous supporting act and well renowned DJ, Drake has really pushed the boat out with this performance.

School is out again for tomorrow, and I assume this picture of my street explains why. As pretty as the snow is, I need to get out of the house and do something active. I hate being stuck at home!

The government’s decision to raise the cap on university fees has meant that Britain’s students have decided to protest against such changes. Walkouts, sit-ins and street protests were put into place by the NUS and other student organisations to show a vast distaste in the behaviour of the politicians that try to convince us to trust them and their decisions. The public were well aware that if we had a Conservative government, it was likely that we would see a rise in university fees. However, due to the hung parliament, the expectation was that Nick Clegg’s influence would over-power the Conservative vow to raise the cap, or at least influence it. Quite the opposite has happened; Nick Clegg is now siding with the Conservative pledge to raise the cap, meaning that there is no longer a youth voice. Where students believed that the Lib Dems had supported their cause, they now feel betrayed, hence why there are protests across the country.

In Bristol, over 2,000 students and supporters of students congregated outside the Bristol University Senate house and marched to Wills Memorial Building, where police were waiting to curb the protest and block off roads. Is it right for the police to keep these students under ‘controlled conditions’ to ensure that no violence ensues, or is it more to stop students having their say? The more the protests are controlled, the more likely violence will be attempted to overpower the police. The government have a difficult task on their hands - whether to keep the protests very much under control, therefore eliminating the whole use of a protest and eliminating the student’s freedom, or allow the students to run riot. As of yet, there has been no evidence to suggest the government compromising with the students or attempting a happy medium, and it will therefore be very interesting to see what the outcome of this will be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON56l8qkILs

This is my December article for the ‘Young Journalist Of The Year’ Competition. I was watching BBC News, and realised how over hyped the winter weather is every year. The media discuss the weather in such a way that the UK begin to expect the most enormous cold snap, causing schools and businesses to close from the slightest fluttering of snow. My school has been closed all day, but for how many more days before we start to miss out on our education?

It’s barely winter, and already the yearly ‘snow hype’ has begun. Each weather forecast is filled with reports of snow, ice and bitter gale force winds, causing the public to rush out and stock up on ice scrapers and de-icing sprays. Every year, the press publicise the bitter weather and everyone becomes unreasonably excited as they anxiously anticipate a passing flurry of snow, a frosty morning and a wintery cold snap. However, this enthusiasm is short lived when the public realise that it is too cold to leave the house, let alone go to work. Earlier this year, Surrey experienced such extreme weather conditions that local schools had to be closed. Such weather conditions have a much larger impact on education than is reasonable, and if schools are to be closed again, students will miss out on valuable study time. With pupils January 2011 exams rapidly approaching, this bad weather could not have been timed more badly. One student I spoke to stated, “I am willing for it not to snow, as driving into college could be disastrous and very dangerous. If it is too unsafe to attend school, the snow could mean us missing valuable study time’.

In the early months of this year, weather experts at the Met Office advised that no-one left their homes unless absolutely necessary. This left me wondering if the same situation will occur this year or if the local councils have paced themselves better and have finally begun to learn from experience. The fact that the whole country goes into a complete panic during a bit of unpredictable weather every year without fail is avoidable. In January of this year, Spelthorne Borough Council ran out of road salt, leaving cars to skid uncontrollably on black ice in the smaller side roads. This, combined with poor visibility, clearly creates an unwanted situation as both drivers and pedestrians are in danger. Let’s hope this year; the cold snap doesn’t lead to a complete organisational meltdown.

I wrote this article after having heard about the anti-social behaviour that had been surrounding Surrey in the build up to Halloween. It really made me think of where society is going - for every teenager who wants to get the best out of life, there are those teens who are set on doing the complete opposite. It is a massive concern for Surrey and as there has been a lot of press recently in local newspapers surrounding anti-social behaviour, I found it appropriate to write about my article for the local guardian on this subject.

Screaming abuse in the streets, egging houses at night, accusing the poor sales assistant in Sainsbury’s of harassing them when they were simply asking if they needed any help – there are some teenagers in Surrey who haven’t grasped the concept of normal behaviour. Despite it being Halloween tonight, I decided to stay in and watch X Factor with my family, during which there was an audible smash as an egg exploded on my living room window. My screaming down the street and chasing after the yobs was entirely ineffective, and before I had time to grab my car keys, the hooded boys had sped off round the corner. This is a prime example of what is wrong with some members of Surrey’s youth.

It’s hard to figure out who to blame; the parents, the school system? Or is it possible that if a child decides they want to behave inappropriately, they simply will. Sam, aged 18, described the moment when he realised his car had been keyed in the middle of the night, ‘I woke up the next day to find a deep key mark from the middle of the windscreen, down through the paintwork. The cost to fix it is more than I can afford, and why I was targeted I’ll never know.’ The Surrey Police website has claimed that ‘extra police patrols over the Halloween weekend will be out again during Bonfire Night as Surrey Police and partners continue to tackle reports of anti-social behaviour.’ The fact that there are more police on the streets is clearly not a threatening enough concept for some teens, and is evidently having a minimal effect. Some of Surrey’s teens have used Halloween and other recent seasonal holidays as prime opportunities to be as disruptive as possible. Spelthorne and Elmbridge could be at great risk if this behaviour becomes more regular due to the number of schools and residential locations in the local area.

The more youths behave in this way over the build up to Christmas, the larger the influence on other teens will be, as they will begin to believe such anti-social behaviour to be acceptable and take situations too far. This clearly has to stop, before foul play becomes more than just a teenager’s game.