FirstNews ISSUE 275

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24FirstNews ISSUE 275 9 – 15 SEPTEMBER 2011ASK ESTHERWiththanks toI’M Esther Rantzen, President of ChildLine, which helps 2,500 childrenevery week. If there’s something worrying you, please write to me atthe address below.Back to school…I am really not looking forward to going back to school.I can’t explain why, as I don’t know. I’ve completed theholiday homework, I haven’t fallen out with any friends.I am just really dreading the new school year. Lucy, 13.After having time off from school it is normal to feelanxious about going back. Lots of young people feelthis way when going back to school after the holidays. Itmight help to talk to one of your friends about how youare feeling. Is that something you could do? Also, thinkingabout what you are looking forward to in your new schoolyear, might help you focus on the positives. You couldhave a look on the ChildLine website and maybe leavea comment on the message board where other youngpeople can read your comments and reply back. You canfind this at www.Childline.org. Good luck.How will I cope?…HELP! I am starting secondary school soon and I am worrying about the schoolwork,homework, older kids. Everything. How can I cope?It is a very scary feeling moving to a newsecondary school and there will be a lotof other young people right now feelingthe same as you. There are so many newthings to think about and adapt to and it isnatural to feel anxious. Is there anyone youknow moving schools with you? If so youcould think about arranging to go togetheron your first day. If not then you can takethat chance to make some new friends.Remember that the teachers will probablymake an effort to make your experience aseasy as possible as everyone will be feelinganxious. Also, you will most likely be easedinto your workload and this will happengradually over time. If you want to talkabout this further please call ChildlIne freeon 0800 1111. Take care and good luck.STAYING SAFENOW that school has started, we are all out and about a bit more –travelling to and from school, staying behind for sports and homeworkclubs and going out with our friends on the weekends. As it now gets darkerearlier, it’s important that we all stay safe when out and about.If you are walking make sure you followbasic road safety advice. This includesonly crossing the road at traffic lights andpedestrian crossings and also watching outfor cyclists. If you’re staying late at school forafter school clubs, make sure your parentsand carers know and tell them what timethe club finishes. That way they can makearrangements for you to get home safely.Similarly, if you are out and about withyour friends at the weekend, or you’re ina rush to go to meet them, it seems likeyour parents and carers always keep askingNew school!WE have just moved house and I will be starting a new school in Year 9. How can I make newfriends? Joe, 14.It can be difficult going to a new schooland many young people worry about makingnew friends. There are lots of ways you couldtry to make new friends. Some of thesemight include: telling a teacher you wouldlike to be paired up with someone to showyou around, talking to the people you sit within class, maybe asking them if you could go tothe same annoying questions – where areyou going? Who are you going with? Whattime will you be back? They only ask thesequestions because they care about you, andthey only want to know that you are beingsafe. Always try to keep enough credit onyour phone so that you can let your parentsknow if you’re running late.As you get older, your parents will startasking these questions less, because theywill feel confident that you are keeping safewhen out and about. If you show you can actresponsibly, you will win their trust.lunch with them, and also seeing if there areany arranged lunch clubs at your school whichyou could attend. Just remember to stayconfident and, if you have to push yourself tospeak to new people, even though it mightbe difficult, it will be worth it in the end.Good luck with your new school and rememberthat it’s an exciting time, so enjoy it!BT Internet Rangers awards scheme for schools and young people. Apply now!What is Internet Rangers?Internet Rangers is all about encouraging and enablingyoung people to share their digital skills with olderThe BT Internet Rangers of the year awards aredesigned to recognise the efforts of young people whoThere are cash awards available for schools and iPad’sGo to www.bt.com/internetrangers for details of howto apply for the Internet Rangers awards for schoolswww.bt.com/internetrangers
FirstNews ISSUE 275 9 – 15 SEPTEMBER 2011BIG ISSUEFor more special reports, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover25The EconomyExplainedTHERE has been lots of serious news this summer, from the riots to events inLibya, but you may also have seen news about worries over the economy.Here, the Institute for Fiscal Studies explains what’s been going on…THE ECONOMY ANDRECESSIONMost of the time countries get better offyear after year. New machines and newinventions mean we can produce more,more quickly than we used to be able to.But sometimes economies experiencerecessions. Recessions are periods when theamount of output produced by a countryThe result will be more cuts inGovernment spending than everbefore. Most of the things theGovernment spends its moneyon – like hospitals, schools,roads, libraries and the police –will be affected. And one reasonyour teachers might have goneon strike last term was that, likealmost everyone else, they willhave to share in these cuts.THE DEBT CRISISfalls instead of grows: people lose their jobsor earn less, and companies stop investingin new machinery and people buy less.Families become worse off. In 2008 and2009 the amount of output produced by theUK fell by nearly 7%, which is the biggest fallsince World War 2. That’s why many peoplecall it the “Great Recession”. Although theeconomy has now started to grow again,we are still producing (and so consuming)less than we did in 2008.THE SPENDING CUTSThe Government provides public services,like schools and hospitals, and it also helpspoor families by giving them extra income.They pay for these things by taking tax onthe money people earn and the things theybuy. So, people who have higher incomes,and who spend more, pay more in taxes.But during the recent recession people’sincomes fell and they spent less. So theamount of tax they paid also fell. The BritishGovernment now finds itself spendingfar more than it is raising in taxes. In fact,last year the Government spent about £5for every £4 it received from taxes. As aresult it had to borrow money. In 2009 theGovernment borrowed more than it had inany other year since the end of World War 2.Everyone agreed that something had tobe done; the current coalition governmenthas decided to increase taxes and cutspending a lot in order to reduce borrowing.Although Britain was in aworse position than nearly anyother country in terms of theamount it has had to borrow, itdoes, at least, look like we willbe able to pay the money back.But people are getting more and moreworried that some other countries won’t bewould want to be paid more for the riskthey are taking. This has already happenedto Greece, Ireland and Portugal. Andpeople are worried about France, Spainand Italy too.HOUSEHOLD INCOMESIn the end what matters to most of us ishow well off we are. The bad news is thatmost of us have got worse off over the lastyear and will get worse off again over thenext year. “I hope my four children readthis – and understand that this means theymight get cheaper Christmas presents thisyear, “ says Paul Johnson, Director of theInstitute for Fiscal StudiesSo look out for news on the economy: itprobably affects you more than anythingelse in the news.Find out more at: www.ifs.org.uk/Chart shows periods of recesssion,when the output of the economy (GrossDomestic Product) falls:Source: Office for National Statistics.able to pay back what they have borrowed.It seems amazing but sometimes wholecountries do just stop paying money backto people they have borrowed it from.If your parents did this they would findthemselves in big trouble. But it is hard topunish a whole country. What happensinstead is that people either refuse to lendthem more money or, if they do, they askfor much higher interest rates – that is, they
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FirstNews ISSUE 275

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