Milnrow & Newhey March 2016
Milnrow & Newhey March 2016
Milnrow & Newhey March 2016
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Grow up and act your age!<br />
Young people become more and more relevant in modern politics.<br />
Every month I try and write something for Streetwise that is both entertaining and<br />
informative. They say it’s best to write about what you know, about what is going on<br />
currently and about something that will keep the readers interest. So here’s what I’ve<br />
been up to.<br />
In my day job, one of the many things I do is work with unemployed young people, usually care leavers,<br />
and try and get them back into work. I fact, in most cases, it’s not “back” at all, as most have never<br />
worked. I’m not making any excuses for unemployment and most people’s circumstances are unique, but<br />
the longer you’re in it, the harder it becomes to get out of it. When you’re young and come from an<br />
unfortunate background, it’s doubly hard. Some of the work I do begins with looking at young people and<br />
their rights and responsibilities in society. We run a quiz called “At what age can you?” Here is a selection<br />
of questions:<br />
At what age can you…<br />
1. Go into a bar and order soft drinks?<br />
2. join the Armed Forces?<br />
3. Vote in a local election?<br />
4. Buy a lottery ticket?<br />
5. Drive a 50cc moped?<br />
6. Donate blood?<br />
7. Buy sparklers?<br />
8. Adopt a child?<br />
9. Give evidence in court?<br />
10. Apply for a helicopter licence?<br />
(Answers opposite page)<br />
People may also know that I chair a successful amateur dramatic group, who have a youth section. This<br />
year, they are taking centre stage in the next Curtain Theatre production called “A Slice of Saturday Night”.<br />
It’s all about being 17 years old and how we grow up, cope with relationships and feelings and make out<br />
transition into the world of adults. Admittedly it’s full of stereotypes and clichés, but there is the familiar<br />
understanding from the audience that “that’s what we all went through”. We made a policy decision about<br />
five years ago to ensure that at least three committee places in the society were held by members of the<br />
youth theatre. I.e. under 21 years. As well as getting the low down on teenage tastes and trends, it has<br />
proven to be a great long term investment in bringing through a new generation of young minds and new<br />
48 Visit our website www.streetwisemag.co.uk for all the info about the Streetwise magazines
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