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Abbey Birmingham Blog

Your Young, Your Voice, Your Say, Your Pen...

Do young people appreciate the importance of their presence and are they doing enough to be heard?

Our future is in the hand of world leaders, assisted by so many with a strong presence in our communities. Politicians reflect the times that we live in by changing legislation. While scientists make ground breaking discoveries and battle with religion on what is morally right. At what point are our young people listened to, after all, the entire legacy left is not all a pleasurable gift for them to live in. Have your say with ACB 'Big Blog' and…

The UK Eco-Competition: Have your say 2012, is running a competition and would like to hear the views of young people from 6 countries with an aim to writing a declaration to the European Parliament to share your views! For more information about the competition and the closing date, click here http://www.mtl-cec.org/young-people/competition-have-your-say-2012.html

Don't say you haven't been asked!

The Poetry Society would also like to here from you too! http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/youngpeople/

The Big 'E'

The Big 'E'. As the summer examinations draw near, students are revising furiously to achieve places on their chosen courses at university. Target grades become a reality, and competition is fierce adding to the pressure of sitting exams.


Can't read a note!

Can't read a note!

Luciano Pavarotti hit the high notes, but couldn't read it, Paul McCartney enjoyed a successful career without being able to do it, Vangelis, who composed the scores to Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner, one of the greatest composers of electronic music, pretended to do it whilst at school, but used his memory instead.

So, just how important is reading music? Are you still ...a musician even if you can't read music? If Vangelis did not rely so heavily on synthesizers, would he have been a "great composer"?


Pursuit for a Comfortable Life

Young people are faced with many important decisions.  And "no time to waste", has never had so much meaning.  Especially when the current economic climate has become so challenging and the search for work difficult (where young and old compete for the same jobs).  The marathon to higher education becomes more competitive and the expense towards their future studies detrimental not only to them, but their families (if they are fortunate enough to have the support of a family unit).  Do young people want a " Comfortable Life"?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why should you study A Level Maths?

Maths is one of the most important A-Levels you need to be doing. Find out why...

British Summer Time!

British Summer Time! Don't Forget...This is not for Night Owls!

The sun may not be guaranteed, and we may not be looking "forward" to the change of time. However, our clocks will be going forward on Sunday 25th March at 1.00am.

To find out who's "bright" idea this was read http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_185398.

Monday "blues" here we come...

"Every Little" Helps?

"Every Little"... Helps? Whilst some companies have taken on unemployed workers for weeks without pay as part of the government's Work Experience scheme.

Cait Reilly, a 22-year old Geology graduate of Birmingham University, brought a case against the Department of Work & Pensions, saying she was "made to work in her local Poundland Store branch for 3 weeks without pay". "Cait said that she did not need work experience in the store, as she had already worked in retail and had gained plenty of experience previously".

Guardian Newspaper said that "Young People have reported that they are working up to 30 hours a week of unpaid labour and have to be available from 9am to 10pm. In three such cases jobseekers also claim they were not told about the week's cooling-off period, and that once they showed a willingness to take part in the scheme they were told by their case manager they would be stripped of their £53- a-week jobseekers allowance (JSA) if they backed out".

High street book store Waterstones has pulled out of the government scheme that employed employed unpaid jobseekers in its stores after a Guardian investigation uncovered the practice in one of its outlets.

Why not "work for free" whilst unemployed? Or is it "government money well spent", paying for the young unemployed to stay at home? Some waiting for "The Job of a Lifetime" or keeping others in a "Lifetime of Dependency".

Or are young people more "Life Savvy" or "Job Snobs"? Where's your voice?  Have your say!

Don't Call Me "LOVE"!

Don't call me LOVE! I'm not your "MATE"! Don't you "DARLING" me! Who you calling "BOY"...

Presenters, Sian Williams and Bill Turnbull of BBC One Breakfast discussed with Liz Brewer the reason why she felt insulted when she was called "babe" by a driver...and Bill Hussein, publisher of Lifestyle Magazine Notion argued terms of endearment! What do you think?

Have your say with ACB "BIG BLOG". Hey "Mate"... you might want to see this first! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/12550706

Stay-At-Home Student - 2nd Class Experience?

There has been some speculation recently that stay-at-home students living with parent(s), have a second class university experience.

With tuition fees set to rise in 2012, will students choose to study at local universities to save money? as both students and parents start to feel the "Higher Education Pinch"?

Last year, more that 310,000 students opted to study at local universities while living at home, according to the government's Higher Education Statistics Agency http://www.hesa.ac.uk/.  A survey by HSBC in July found more than a quarter of parents plan to ask their children to live at home during the university years to help keep costs down.

Studying away from home, is this a great escape for some students? Or is this the true meaning of university life? Will students who live at home be as socially mobile as students living away? Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/448277.stm, then have your say!

Disaster Protestor?

Charlie Gilmour, son of Pink Floyds' David Gilmour, has been freed, four months after he was jailed for violent disorder during a student fees protest in London.  Charlie was originally jailed for 16 months in July.

Charlie, joined thousands of protesters in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square on 9th December 2010 to demonstrate against an increase in university fees: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15734986.

Charlie Gilmour, 21, was under the influence of alcohol, when he was seen hanging from a union flag on the Cenotaph and later leaped on the bonnet of a Jaguar car forming part of the royal convoy taking the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to the royal variety performance.

Do you think that Charlie gave other student protestors a bad name? Do you think he deserved his jail sentence? Why do you think he was released from jail early? Read more: http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/2011/07/charlie-gilmour-months-tabloid.  Have your say!

 


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