Young people are calling for investment in youth services and affordable housing. Jeremiah Emmanuel argues that closing youth centers is letting young people down, as they need safe places to learn skills and have positive outlets. He notes cuts to youth mental health services. Poet says the lack of opportunities in some areas is creating resentment, and the gap between the "haves and have-nots" is large. Khevyn Ibrahim argues that so-called "affordable" housing is still out of many people's price range, and new developments are built for profit rather than affordability.

1. OUTLOOK
Issue63-Spring15YOUTH
TAKEOVER
BY
In this issue
Theme - Youth Takeover
Feature - The Latimer Network speak openly
about the issues that are important to them
Editor - Jo Burford
Designer - Audrie Concordet

2. Co-created with the
Latimer network
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 2

3. CONTENTS
editorial
Children England - Kathy Evans | p. 4
Children at Heart | p. 5
Co-founder of Latimer Group - Matt Hay | p. 6
YOUTH VOICES
Democracy & Youth Services - Poet & Jeremiah Emmanuel | p. 8
HOUSING
The ‘Affordable’ Housing Myth - Khevyn Ibrahim | p. 10
Homelessness: My Story - Noel Williams | p. 12
employment
Wasted Millennials - Jess Espin | p. 14
community safety
You Cannot Control Based on Fear - Poet | p. 16
ROLE MODELs
Mentoring Matters - Mathieu Ajan | p. 18
GENDER EQUALITY
Why isn’t Everyone a Feminist? - David Vujanic | p. 20
Lawless - Thea Gajic | p. 22
Fathers matter
Boys to Men - Micaiah Smith | p. 24
IMMIGRATION
Inspiring Creativity - David Vujanic | p. 26
MENTAL HEALTH
We’re Not Just in a ‘Bad Mood’ - Jeremiah Emmanuel | p. 28
SEXUAL HEALTH
Real Talk - Oksi Odedina | p. 30
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 3

4. EDITORIAL
Registred Charity No: 1044239
Registred Company No: 3011053
© Children England
ISSN: 1464-1704
www.childrenengland.org.uk
Unit 30, Angel Gate
City Road, London EC1V 2PT
Tel: 020 7833 3319
Email: info@childrenengland.org.uk
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 4
“We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with Latimer.
There could be no Children At Heart campaign without
#MyManifesto – Latimer’s brilliant film and web platform
for young people’s own voices about what matters to them.
Handing over this pre-election edition of our regular Outlook
magazine to Latimer’s network of young people was a
no-brainer - an ideal way to gather diverse, honest debate
amongst young people into
one striking publication that
professionals and politicians
can’t ignore. It’s clear to
anyone who listens, young
people have priorities for
the future that transcend
political or organisational
lines, and it’s up to all of us
to keep them at heart.”
Kathy Evans from Children England

5. 5OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15
Ask anyone why they’re still a child at heart and they’ll be able to answer, probably with a
smile and a glint in their eye, that they can’t resist licking the spoon when they’re baking,
or making a snowman as soon as it snows, or that they just want a cuddle from their
mum when they’re feeling ill. Maybe even that their bedroom is still a mess like it was
when they were a teenager, which is pretty presumptuous about teenagers really.
We’ve all had a childhood, and been set up for adult life by our experience of it – including
the politicians who make local and national decisions that affect everyone’s lives.
Children, the 20% of the UK population who are too young to vote, are affected by almost
every government policy, and in recent years have been harder hit by cuts and welfare
changes than older people.
Children rely on the rest of us to keep them in mind when we use our vote, and on the
government to make decisions that have a positive effect on their health and happiness.
They aren’t a special interest group that can be sidelined while we think about business,
or the economy, or older generations.
Children England and our members are calling on the government to put all children at
heart in decision-making. Join us in making this simple request and tell us why you’re a
child at heart @ChildAtHeart15.
englan d schil d ren . org . uk

6. EDITORIAL
MATT
HAY
Co-founder of latimer group
Latimer is a social enterprise that is committed to effecting social change by placing young people at the
heart of campaigns that matter most to them. We do this through co-creation.
By collaborating with youngpeople from conceptionof an idea right throughto the creationandmobilisation
of the campaign, Latimer seeks to empower them to engage their peers and communities in the issues
that matter most to them whilst also helping to develop their key skills, aspirations, industry networks and
employment opportunities. In turn clients benefit from a way of engaging with young people that provides
unprecedented authenticity, relevance and mass reach.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 6

7. MATT HAY @LatimerGroup
Politics is broken.
It’s a glib phrase that is fleetingly thrown around but it’s one that increasingly speaks
to the deafening absence of young people from the political mainstream.
In 2010 just 44% of 18 - 24 year olds made it to the
polls and this figure was even lower amongst the
younger and poorer. This time round, over three
million young people will be eligible to have their
say, yet 2 million of them are likely to not vote at
all. This is in sharp contrast to the 75% of the over
60’s who will again cast their ballot in May and will
likely be rewarded over the forthcoming parliament
for doing so.
This generational divide in voter turnout
creates the spectre of another partisan scrap
in which progressive policies and tax cuts fall
disproportionately on the older generation, whilst
some of the poorest and most vulnerable young
people amongst us will again feel ignored by
Westminster.
The prospect of such desertion from mainstream
politics poses a crisis to representation that
transcends party political lines and asks questions
of all of us who seek to connect with young people.
Some would have us believe that this democratic
deficit is evidence of an uninterested, apathetic
generationthatdoesn’tcareaboutpolitics.However,
those of us who work each day with young people
will instinctively recognise the oversimplification.
Most young people we meet are not apathetic.
They are angry and alienated. Rather than tuning
out of politics, they are finding its frequency in new
spaces.
As youth representation at the ballot box plummets,
their mobilisation in the online space continues to
accelerate. 38 million of us are socialising online,
the proliferation of social media campaigns like
38 degrees, change.org, the ice bucket challenge
and the mass online mobilisation techniques that
fuelled the Arab Spring all speak to a youth audience
that cares passionately about the world but wants
to shape it in new ways that represent them and
their peers.
Through online influencers and newly-anointed
youth advocates like Rick Edwards and Jamal
Edwards, pro-politics movements in the UK are
also getting noticed. Vinspired’s campaign ‘Swing
The Vote’ gathers British Youtubers with millions
of hits to give a no nonsense take on what the
political parties actually stand for. Bite The Ballot
coordinated the UK’s National Voter Registration
Day, where 166,000 people registered to vote on
this day alone. Budding coders and social activists
No One Ever Told Me About Politics created the app
‘Ask Amy’ where you can ask any political-related
questions and receive instant responses.
All of these initiatives seek to amplify young people’s
voices and urge mainstream political parties to take
notice. This is a movement that is emerging out of
a crisis and it is gathering pace.
In this edition of Outlook we’ve given the pages
over to young people in an attempt to join this
conversation. Our campaign MyManifesto, run in
partnership with Children England, gives a platform
to some of those young voices that are noticeably
absent from mainstream political discourse,
providing a space for them to express their views
on the state of the nation and on issues that affect
their lives.
MyManifesto is a campaign by and for young
people. The contributors have come forward
following a very simple question that we put out to
Latimer’s network of young people from across the
UK. If you were writing the party manifestos, what
would you want to say? We got a range of opinion
covering everything from youth homelessness,
housing, and unemployment to feminism, sexuality
and fatherhood.
We’ve shared just some of these in the pages
that follow and others can be found on www.my-
manifesto.com that we urge you to visit. They are
unmediated voices that will be familiar to many
but that speak to both the challenges confronting
this generation and the solutions they propose. We
hope that you’ll get something from it and that you
can share this with other young people you work
with. We’re proud of their contributions and really
hope that when the dust settles after May 7th, this
serves as a basis for a wider campaign that brings
young people far closer to decision makers.
“Most young people we meet arE not apathetic.
They are angry and alienated”
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

8. POET @PoetscornerUK
youth voices
DEMOCRACY
Poet is a Youtube Creator within
the Latimer network and is known
for his football commentary
on @filthyfellas and @Copa90.
Previously a youth worker, he’s
passionate about inspiring the
younger generation.
#MYMANIFESTO:
Listen Up! The next government
needs to create an equal playing
field of opportunity across the
country.
Speaking from experience, it’s not easy to
stay positive and make positive decisions
when you look around you and it feels like
your neighbourhood has been forgotten.
Little things add up, like how run down the
area is. When you live in these areas, it
looks like all the effort is being pumped into
economic hubs but what about the people
who live one mile away?
This divide of opportunity is creating
resentment and anti-social behaviour. I am
concerned that the division between the
have and have-nots has never been so big.
Jeremiah is the previous deputy
youth mayor for Lambeth and
won Radio 1s ‘Teen Hero Award’
at just thirteen for setting up ‘One
Big Community’, a London-wide
coalition of young leaders and
organisations, unified to explore
all issues underpinning youth
violence. Now, aged fifteen, he is
still heavily involved in politics and
has just been appointed leader of
Radio 1s first Youth Council.
#MYMANIFESTO:
Make your voice heard.
It is imperative that all young people get
involved in causes that will ensure their
voices are heard. There’s a saying if you
don’t do politics, politics will do you!
Youth democracy is very important
because we young people are the future;
we need to make sure all decisions made
for us are influenced by us. We should not
let this be ignored.
But there is always a debate that politics
is boring. Maybe this is due to us looking
at politics from a different perspective. The
truth is politics is everywhere, our schools,
even at home. Political methods are used
throughout our everyday lives.
“The division between the
have and have-nots has
never been so big.”
“If you don
,
t do politics,
politics will do you!”
Credit: ©Ntando
8OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

9. JEREMIAH EMMANUEL @JE1BC
POET @PoetscornerUK
#MYMANIFESTO:
I’m calling for investment in youth
services.
Taking away safe places for young people
to learn life skills outside of the home is
letting us down.
When I hear that youth services are being
closed down I can’t understand the logic.
It’s ridiculous! 75% of youth provisions
got shut down in Haringey. That means
that young people after school and during
half term have nowhere to go. They have
nothing to occupy their active minds.
- ⅔2/3 of CAMHS have cut their budgets
since 2010
- More than half of other youth counselling
and specific services for schools have had
their budgets cut, some by as much as 30%
- Cuts means spending is redirected to
more serious cases of mental health
- In 2004, the last year government stats
were collected on young people and
mental health, 1.3 million children had a
diagnosable mental health illness, and it’s
believed to have increased since
Youth
services“Teenagers need an
outlet, (we) need to be
encouraged to do things.”
Youth services
Many young people ask the question, how
can I get involved in politics? The truth is
you can do it yourself. You have the right
to voice your opinions on issues that
affect you. For example Kenny Imafidon
is the author of the Kenny reports, which
looks at several different issues that affect
young people, but also finds solutions to
those issues. He and a team of young
people have set out to create the Kenny
Report 3, which looks at 8 important topics
that are highly relevant to young people.
Youth democracy is important because
every young person should have the right
to have their say in the things that affect
them. This is the only way that change
can happen.
Everyone knows that teenagers
need an outlet. They need to be
encouraged to do things. Before I
became a YouTube creator, I worked
in youth services. I decided to do
something about the things I wasn’t
happy with in my area. Then other
people started to get involved and
things began to change. Rather
than just hang out bored, getting
up to bad stuff, we worked together
on music, sports. We got out of the
area, saw nice places, met different
types of people, this was what lead
me to create content and without
youth services, I might not be who
I am today.
JEREMIAH EMMANUEL @JE1BC
POET @PoetscornerUK
#MYMANIFESTO:
I’m calling for investment in youth
services.
Taking away safe places for young people
to learn life skills outside of the home is
letting us down.
When I hear that youth services are being
closed down I can’t understand the logic.
It’s ridiculous! 75% of youth provisions
got shut down in Haringey. That means
that young people after school and during
half term have nowhere to go. They have
nothing to occupy their active minds.
- ⅔2/3 of CAMHS have cut their budgets
since 2010
- More than half of other youth counselling
and specific services for schools have had
their budgets cut, some by as much as 30%
- Cuts means spending is redirected to
more serious cases of mental health
- In 2004, the last year government stats
were collected on young people and
mental health, 1.3 million children had a
diagnosable mental health illness, and it’s
believed to have increased since
Youth
services“Teenagers need an
outlet, (we) need to be
encouraged to do things.”
Youth services
Many young people ask the question, how
can I get involved in politics? The truth is
you can do it yourself. You have the right
to voice your opinions on issues that
affect you. For example Kenny Imafidon
is the author of the Kenny reports, which
looks at several different issues that affect
young people, but also finds solutions to
those issues. He and a team of young
people have set out to create the Kenny
Report 3, which looks at 8 important topics
that are highly relevant to young people.
Youth democracy is important because
every young person should have the right
to have their say in the things that affect
them. This is the only way that change
can happen.
Everyone knows that teenagers
need an outlet. They need to be
encouraged to do things. Before I
became a YouTube creator, I worked
in youth services. I decided to do
something about the things I wasn’t
happy with in my area. Then other
people started to get involved and
things began to change. Rather
than just hang out bored, getting
up to bad stuff, we worked together
on music, sports. We got out of the
area, saw nice places, met different
types of people, this was what lead
me to create content and without
youth services, I might not be who
I am today.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 9

10. HOUSINGThe “AFFordablE” Housing Myth
KHEVYN
IBRAHIM
Khevyn is an aspiring filmmaker and editor within the Latimer Network. When he
completes training, he hopes to become employed in the creative sector.
#MYMANIFESTO: My priority is housing we can all afford.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 10

11. KHEVYN IBRAHIM @khevvs
I see new buildings getting built everyday
but they are built purely for profit. The people
that have grown up in the area will never live
there. We’re priced out by investors.
There are no homes, just housing.
It’s creepy looking at these places. The lights
are never on and they lie empty. The lack of
‘real’ residents means no one is contributing
to the local community. Independent shops
are closing. Affordable housing is a bullshit
story, it’s a myth! Who can afford it? Not us!
The next government needs to start talking
real with us about what’s really ‘affordable’.
- First-time buyers are spending 9 times
their salary on homes on average
- England needs 250,000 new homes a
year to keep up with growing demand, and
the number being built is less than 1/2 of
that
- Social housing has dropped by more than
2/3 since 2010
- With inflation taken into account,
housing prices have more than doubled in
the past 30 years
“There are no homes, just housing.”
Housing
11OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

12. HOUSING
Credit: ©Thomas Leuthard
NOEL
WILLIAMS
HOMELESSNESS: MY STORY
Meet Noel Williams. He is 24. This is his story.
#MYMANIFESTO: Don’t let parts of society get forgotten.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 12

13. NOEL WILLIAMS
After being released from prison 4 years
ago I was suddenly homeless.
I was sofa surfing all over the UK with
friends and good people I met along the way
for over 18 months. The message from the
council where I grew up was loud and clear
- “you’re a young fit lad who doesn’t have a
leg to stand on”. I did have people I could
stay with but I was trying to get away from
gang-life and the only people from my past
were involved in drugs and things which
would have got me back in a bad position
again.
I was isolated and had no option but to
live on the streets. Fortunately, there is a
community of homeless people that saved
my life countless times.
- Demand for emergency
accommodations for homeless young
people has increased by 300% from
September 2013 to September 2014
- Nightstop (emergency youth
accommodation) has had to turn away
twice as many homeless youth as before
Youth
homelessness
Coming from a deprived estate and having
been part of a gang for the best part of
10 years, I was no stranger to many types
of danger but being homeless is a very
dangerous thing. I was admitted to hospital
three times with pneumonia which the
last time resulted in an 11 day stay at the
infamous St. George’s hospital in Tooting
Broadway.
You need to be mentally strong to cope with
the streets or you could fall into drugs and
alcoholism.
I met an honorable man, Corporal Peter
Rhodes. He was a war veteran who had
PTSD. He looked out for me. He taught me
coping mechanisms and was the inspiration
for who I am today. He looked after me for 14
months before he died of a drug overdose.
I found his dead corpse and it was the day
my life changed in many ways. For young
men, you feel alone. There are few steps to
help bring you back into society once you’re
released from prison.
There are good people on the streets. Men
like Peter that should never have got there. I
am safe now but I am the exception, not the
rule, the next government need to do more
for the men they’ve forgotten.
13OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

14. EMploymentThe wasted millennials
JESS
ESPIN
Jess is an actress within the Latimer Network and has worked on various productions
from classical, experimental and modern pieces. She’s produced short films and radio
drama.
#MYMANIFESTO: I’m calling for equal opportunities.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 14

15. JESS ESPIN @jessEspinX
When you respect and value something,
you invest in it. So what message do you
think young people get when they’re told
that money is not being spent on them, it’s
being taken away. Money needs to be spent
in order for money to be made.
David Cameron’s idea of enforcing unpaid
community work upon 18-21 year olds
who have been out of work for 6 months
in order for them to claim their job seekers
allowance, tells me he’s avoiding the more
complex issues, especially around the job
market for BAME young people.
We need a climate where young people are
happier, more skilled and can move from
education and training into a job market
that pays a decent living wage.
It recently emerged that a record number
of people who were born outside of
the UK will now be able to vote. In fact,
several key constituencies will have more
than 50% voters who were born abroad.
There’s varied talent out there but the next
government need to help people living in
more challenging circumstances to find
employment.
From experience, there’s roles that young
people from ethnic backgrounds just
assume are not for them. Working in
London has challenges; it’s become so
expensive that internships there do not
offer cost-effective opportunities for the
working classes. Ethnic minorities have
been hit hard by the cost of living crisis in
London, people are really struggling.
I hope the next government puts into place
early-years working structures into schools
to prepare all young people with applied
skills and the self-confidence to move from
the job-seekers trap. We need young people
to avoid entering the system, not punish
them when they are wasting away there.
- There are 41,000 16- to 24-year-olds from
black, asian and minority ethnic [BAME]
communities who are long-term unemployed
– a 49% rise from 2010 (House of Commons
Library)
- In June 2012, 7.3 per cent of white
people, 15.5 per cent of black (African or
Caribbean) people and 17.3 per cent of
people with mixed ethnicity, of working age
(16-64), were unemployed (Institute of Race
Relations- IRR- Poverty statistics)
- Throughout the UK, people from BAME
groups are much more likely to be in poverty
(with an income of less than 60 per cent of
the median household income) than white
British people (IRR)
- In 2010, nearly three quarters of 7 year-old
Pakistani and Bangladeshi children and just
over half of those black children of the same
age were living in poverty. About one in four
white 7 year-olds were classed as living in
poverty (IRR)
Unemployment
“There (are) roles that young people from ethnic
backgrounds just assume are not for them.”
15OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

16. COMMUNITY
SAFETY
YOU CANNOT CONTROL BASED ON FEAR
POET
#MYMANIFESTO: A respect and protection-based policy in the treatment of young
people by the police.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 16

17. POET @PoetscornerUK
The police are a massive problem. They
try to control young people based on fear.
When the fear goes, you’re left with nothing.
They need to build respect with the people
they’re paid to protect. Where I grew up,
the police didn’t come in and speak to us
like equals. They look at you, they label
you, and when they are acting aggressively
they expect YOU to be nice back to them?
This would not work in a business or other
human interaction. I believe you receive
what you give out. If you give off negativity,
what do you expect back?
The police need to come into an area with
open minds and get to know the young
people by their first names. When someone
talks to you by your name and gets to
know you, it’s harder to be defensive. Small
steps like this would break down so much
negativity.
“They look at you, they label you, and when they are
acting aggressively they expect YOU to be
nice back to them?”
- From 2009 to 2013 and across 26 of the
44 police forces, over one million stop and
searches were carried out on children under
the age of 18 (NCB report from the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Children). Stop and
searches have been carried out on children
as young as 5.
- Young people who have interacted with
the police (including as victims of crime)
are more likely to have a negative opinion
of them than young people who haven’t
interacted with the police.
- Only 1/10 stop and searches lead to an
arrest (stop-watch.org)
- Black people are 5 times more likely to get
stopped and searched than white people.
Asian / mixed race people are stopped and
searched at twice the rate of white people.
community
safety
17OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

18. Role models
A creative entrepreneur, Matt is a photographer within the Latimer Network. He started
his own business in 2014 and launched his first exhibition with critical acclaim. Here
he speaks up about the vital role his business mentor provided in his start-up stages.
#MYMANIFESTO: Real role models and support schemes for young entrepreneurs.
MATHIEU
AJAN
mENTORING Matters
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 18

19. MATT AJAN @Mathieuajan
To me, a role model is someone that inspires
others through their achievements. They’ve
accomplished something great in the face
of adversity.
- The number of lone parent families in
Britain is increasing at a rate of more
than 20,000 per year, and is due to total
at more than 2 million by the time of the
next election (The Centre for Social Justice
report)
- At least 1 million children in the UK are
growing up without a father
- Some of the poorest parts of the country
have become ‘men deserts’ because so few
primary schools have male teachers
“When your life lacks role models you
,
re not
set up for success.”
role models
A personal role model for me is Nathalie
Campbell. Nathalie is a business mentor at
a government funded incubator, Kensington
Aldridge Academy.
The government funding for this office
has not only given me a place to build my
business but access to real role models.
Daily contact with these people has made a
big impact on my confidence as a creative
entrepreneur. When your life lacks role
models and you are starved of contact with
people who can support you, you’re not set
up for success.
Nathalie has helped me grow as a person
as well as supported my new business
with practical advice. There are role models
out there, but sometimes you need to look
outside where you’re from. I’d like to see
more funded places exist.
19OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

20. DAVID
VUJANIC
gender
equality
WHY ISN
,
T EVERYONE A FEMINIST?
#MYMANIFESTO: I’m calling for gender equality.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 20

21. DAVID VUJANIC @TheVujanic
A woman is not an object. She is not there to
be whistled at, harassed in a club, grabbed
in the street, or given lesser pay for exactly
the same job simply because of her sex.
From my experience, young men my
age are influenced by ‘masculine’ views.
Stuff they hear in the media that devalues
women. I’m concerned by the prevalence of
porn and very young girls acting like women
on Instagram. I think these things have
resulted in women of my generation being
perceived as sex objects not equals.
Lately, I have been questioning whether I am
a Feminist? It’s a word us guys are scared
of but I am embracing it because it means
I believe women are equals. So, why isn’t
every man a Feminist? If more men stood
up as Feminists we’d have a happier more
balanced world.
It’s 2015 guys! When I hear talk about
women ‘belonging in the kitchen’ I speak
up. I have no time for it. The government
talk the talk, but while there are disparities
of pay and opportunity, it’s just talk.
“I believe women are equals.”
- Women make up half of the world’s
population and yet represent 70% of the
world’s poor
- 64% or 2/3 of illiterate adults are women
- Women work 2/3⅔of the world’s hours yet
earn 1/10 of the world’s income
-1 in 4 women is physically or sexually
abused during pregnancy
-Every day, 39,000 girls are forced into
early marriage. That’s 27 girls a minute
Inclusion & participation
-Women make up only 21.9% of
parliamentary seats, and 8% of the world’s
executives
-95% of countries have a male head of
state
-More than 100 countries have laws on the
books that restrict women’s participation in
the economy (womendeliver.org)
GENDER EQUALITY
21OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

22. gender
equality
THEA
GAJIC
LAWLESS
Thea is an actress, spoken word poet and writer from the Latimer Talent Network. This
is a piece of spoken word poetry.
#MYMANIFESTO: We need to talk about the pressures of inequality, power and
control both men and women face from an early age.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 22

23. THEA GAJIC @TheaGajic
‘‘How many times have you died?
And what do you believe in?
How many long winded explanations have
you made?
To cover up a lie, to avoid deceiving,
To promote your social desirability to people
you don’t believe in?
How much are they believing?
And why did you sell your integrity?
Why can’t you answer when he asks you;
«What made you think I couldn’t get you
into bed with me?
And I saw you consider it on the first night,
So why would you believe I wouldn’t still
drop you out three months down the line.
I mean, I’m sorry for wasting your time
But - In my opinion,
We could have been having fun in those
three months
And maybe if you didn’t keep your chase up
sex wouldn’t have been a distraction
And I might have fallen in love with your
mind’s ability to help me find satisfaction
beyond your physical attraction
But - You chose the wrong kind of man so
that would never of happened»
And now you’re lost.
Cos for once you promised not to kiss and
tell so now your girls are out of touch
And there’s no-one to turn to
Why did you find lust so easy to trust?
And you knew that conversation wouldn’t
ever be enough
So you used your vulnerability as an excuse
to fuck.
So where do you go from here baby girl?
Even the sky disapproves and that was your
only exit from hell.
Fed up of your bedroom being this smokey
jail,
Had 12, only did 6, that’s what you tell the
men that fell.
Until they figured you out too,
With none of you left to give so now you just
take whatever they’d like you to
You thought you were that respectable
woman that got left alone.
I guess all the lack of attention left you
moan prone
And you even stopped being cold to allow
room for emotional development growth,
How did that go?
And you’ve been asking me to
«Stop asking me all these questions!
Is it my fault?
How was I to know they were gonna do this
when I got involved?
I don’t think it’s fair for them to lead me on
and drop me out like that.
Where’s the chivalry in that?
All I’m asking for is honesty,
But I don’t really like the truths they’ve been
dropping on me.
And I don’t ever know what it is.
And I can’t even ask them in case they think
I’m moving too fast
And...And...
So... what do I do?»
I don’t know, but everyone needs to
understand,
There’s no rules.
“Fed up of your bedroom being this smokey jail.”
23OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

24. fathers matter
micaiah
smith
boys to Men
Micaiah got into filmmaking through his probation office. He’s worked hard to develop
his camera and editing skills and is a valued part of the Latimer Network.
#MYMANIFESTO: We need positive male role models.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 24

25. MICAIAH SMITH @Micaiah_S
If you could change who your parents were,
would you? I wouldn’t change my mum for
the world. But my dad? I’d change him for
some other guy without thinking twice.
Young people need good role models.
We hear this all the time. But what really
happens when they don’t have one? People
guess but I know; this was me.
You start to search for a father figure. Just
an ordinary working man to guide you. But
“I
,
ve turned out just like the man I hate so much.”
- In a study examining father involvement
with 134 children of adolescent mothers
over the first 10 years of life, researchers
found that father-child contact was
associated with better socio-emotional and
academic functioning.
- Youths in father-absent households still
had significantly higher odds of entering
prison than those in mother-father families.
Youths who never had a father in the
household experienced the highest odds.
- Father involvement in schools is
associated with the higher likelihood of a
student getting mostly A’s. This was true
for fathers in biological parent families, for
stepfathers, and for fathers heading single-
parent families.
Fathers matter
the lack of male teachers and fatherless
homes means you look to whoever is visible
and sometimes it’s drug dealers and gang
members in the area.
When my dad was my age he spent half the
week fighting. He’s 50-something now, and
in his mind he still thinks he’s a scrapper.
I used to see him three times a week, and
in all my life I’ve never met someone as
aggressive and hot-headed as him. I don’t
have much to do with him now. I’m afraid if
I’m around him I’ll end up killing him. It’s sad
I know, but I’ve learned the hard way that
you need to surround yourself with positive
people.
It’s too easy to say that the link between
violence and antisocial behaviour is down
to absent or poor father figures but all I can
do is speak from my experience and I know
things could have been different for me.
Other kids want to grow up just like their
dad – I only wanted to conquer mine. It
made me a pretty messed-up teenager and
now I’ve done a lot worse things than he
has. It’s embarrassing: I’ve turned out just
like the man I hate so much.
25OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

26. IMMIGRATION
DAVID
VUJANIC
INSPIRING CREATIVITY
David Vujanic, the self proclaimed ‘Professional Immigrant’, is a YouTube Creator within
the Latimer Network. A comedian who commands 500,000k+ views of his sketches,
David is considered one of the leading youth comedians in the UK.
#MYMANIFESTO: Stop blaming immigrants and let’s look at the real issues.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 26

27. DAVID VUJANIC @TheVujanic
I have a lot of experience with immigration. I
was an asylum seeker in 1997. I escaped the
war in the Balkans. My dad was receiving
death threats so we needed to leave and we
lived wherever we could.
At one point, there were five of us in one
room which was tough but I truly believe
“People coming here to build a better life are not
damaging the country.”
- Over the period from 2001 to 2011,
European immigrants from the EU-15
countries contributed 64% more in taxes
than they received in benefits (UCL Centre
for Research and Analysis of Migration
2014)
- Immigrants who arrived since 2000 were
43% less likely than natives to receive
state benefits or tax credits. They were
also 7% less likely to live in social housing
(UCL Centre for Research and Analysis of
Migration 2014)
- Cultural contributions we wouldn’t
have without immigrants - Psychology:
Sigmund Freud; Fiction: Kazuo Ishiguro;
Sculpture: Anish Kapoor; Architecture:
Zaha Hadid
Immigration
immigration is a positive thing. Coming
from very little, my parents pounded into me
how important education was. A lot of my
creative inspiration as a YouTube creator
comes from growing up as an immigrant in
the UK.
Due to immigration, London is full of
inspiration.Weareinameltingpotofculture,
race and ethnicity which offers us so many
nuances in experience and opinion. I have
learnt so much about myself through being
around people from all over the world.
I feel immigration is beautiful.
If you look at the statistics, immigrants
bring a lot to this country, financially,
economically and culturally.
People coming here to build a better life
are not damaging the country. If you want
to look to who is to blame, it’s the people in
the city. The greedy bonus-hunting bankers,
the men exploiting foreign investment
loopholes, tax avoiders and dishonest
politicians. Immigrants are too often used
as a scapegoat for problems that those with
the political power don’t want us to see.
27OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

28. MENTAL HEALTHWe
,
re not just in a
,
bad mood
,
!
JEREMIAH
EMMANUEL
#MYMANIFESTO: Wake up to young people’s mental health.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 28

29. Jeremiah Emmanuel @JE1BC
Mental health is a very important issue that
needs to be worked on especially when it
comes to young people.
- 28% of preschool children face problems
that have an impact on their psychological
development
-1 in 10 5 to 16 year-olds has a mental
disorder
- 1 in 6 young adults aged 16 to 24 has a
common mental disorder
- About 500,000 children and young people
say they are unhappy and dissatisfied with
their lives
“1 in 10 children and young people aged 5 - 16 have a
diagnosable mental health disorder - that is around 3
children in every class.”
A 2014 statistic that really stood out to me
was that 1 in 10 children and young people
aged 5 - 16 suffer from a diagnosable mental
health disorder - that is around 3 children in
every class. The worst thing is that these
disorders are frequently overlooked and left
without appropriate treatment.
Many young people are left uneducated
about mental health, this could be anything
from exam stress to depression. The most
at risk are the young people who have not
been educated on the issue enough to
understand what they may be suffering
from.
I hope that the next government creates
greater awareness and helping young
people becomes consistent and mandatory.
mental health
2929OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

30. Sexual health
oksi
odedina
Real talk
Oksi comes from an academic background in geography and law. She is an aspiring
cultural qualitative researcher and has carried out independent research projects
about youth subcultures and religious subcultures in Brazil.
#MYMANIFESTO: Treat young people with the dignity and discretion they deserve
when it comes to their sexual health.
OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15 30

31. OKSI ODEDINA @oksiwankenobee
I was born and raised in Brixton, South
London. It’s a vibrant cultural melting pot; I
love it and loved growing up there – to me,
it really is home.
Growing up, most of my friends lived within
a 2-mile radius of my front door. This part of
SW and SE London is tight knit, there’s a lot
of schools and colleges and in someway or
another everyone knows everyone.
“If youth-focused sexual health services are in
locations that offer zero discretion, you won
,
t get
young people near them.”
- Young people are the group least likely to
access sexual health services. Factors that
young people cite as important in accessing
sexual health services include opening hours,
location, privacy and confidentiality
- STIs are more common among young people
than any other group. The Health Protection
Agency 2011 data report (HPA 2012a) on
sexually transmitted infections in England
showed that new STI diagnoses rose by two
per cent from 2010 to 2011. Young people
aged 15-24 years old remained among
those at highest risk. In 2011, 2.1 million
chlamydia tests were carried out in England
among young adults (15 to 24 years), with
over 147,000 diagnoses made (Sex Education
Forum)
sexual health
services
Therefore, as you can imagine, the
rumour mill went into overdrive whenever
someone was unfortunate enough to
be spotted on Denmark Hill queuing up
outside Camberwell Sexual Health Clinic
in the hopes of getting seen that day.
Aside from the obvious embarrassment
associated with being spotted outside
‘The Clinic’ - why are the basics not being
met?
You can have all the campaigns in the
world but if youth-focused sexual health
services are in locations that offer zero
discretion, you won’t get young people
near them.
Lambeth is an area where the rates of teen
pregnancy and transmission of sexual
infections are particularly high, so why
make it harder or give anyone reasons not
to get seen?
Awkward opening times only act as an
additional deterrent. Growing up it was
practically impossible to fit trips to the
clinic during school days. And if you
attempted a Saturday, you risked your
mum driving past you on the way to
Sainsbury’s.
Access to information and support needs
to go back to basics and fit into the reality
of a young person’s life.
31OUTLOOK | Issue 63 - Spring 15

32. This magazine has been co-created by
THE HOME OF CO-CREATION
UK’s most
disruptive
social
enterprise
“Latimer works with the
very best in youth talent
to produce cutting edge
content and campaigns”
“Clients are desperate to
reach young people and
Latimer offer a unique
way of doing that”
For more information on how Latimer can help you better engage with young
people please contact managing director, Matthew Hay or visit the website:
matt@latimergroup.org | 02079989150 | www.latimergroup.org
Follow us @latimergroup
#MYMANIFESTO
My Manifesto is a platform for youth voices on the things
that matter most to young people.
Be part of the conversation and share your views on your world.
my - manifesto. com