Catching the public interest

The biggest night of the year arrived for the fine art and design students as they showcased their work on the opening night of the Creative Arts week.

The exhibition opened in a night of celebration as the students took their first opportunity to show their work to potential employers, as well as members of the public.

Michelle Blackett, 21, from Hartlepool, won an award for project of the year in the field of Product Design. She said: “This is an important evening, its exciting. I’m looking forward to meeting people and potential employers. It’s just nice to show people your work.”

Spread out around the Athena, Cook and Constantine buildings, the exhibition was opened by Helen Hughes, a Teesside graduate of 1999, who is now working for Design Bridge, an international branding agency.

Helen said: “I look back fondly and see how the University has developed, I still draw a lot from what I learned at university.”

Alongside Michelle, other awards were given out in the separate fields of design.

Hassan Mehdi won the project of the year award for Graphic design and Elise Lee Siew Han won the award for Interior design.

There was also recognition of the achievements of Sophie Karaer, 20 from Lincoln, who earned a membership into the

Sophie Karaer

International Society of Type Designers (ISTD).

ISTD is a highly sought after, prestigious award, Sophie said: “It a good thing to get into, they only let a few people in each year.”

Fine art student Bushra Kahn is from Pakistan. She is the only international student on the fine art course, and she believes this gives her a unique viewpoint which she aims to bring out in her artwork.

She said: “I want to introduce my culture to my paintings. I wanted to show people what Pakistan actually is because the media shows the wrong image of it so I wanted to tell the audience its a colourful thing and you really should visit there.”

The importance of the event, in terms of the potential for future work is matched by the feel of celebration and achievement.

Louis Robinson, Fine art tutor specialising in sculpture, said: “One of the most satisfying things is seeing the journey the students make from when they come into the course, to when they graduate. It’s tremendous!

“It’s an accumulation of three years hard work so it is important for the students and their families and it is good to see a conclusion to what they have done.”

Here are some interviews with the students and public reaction to the exhibition.

The exhibition runs from 10am till 4pm every day until Friday.

It is free and open to the public.

The design work is located on the first floor of the Athena building, and the first and second floors of the cook building. Fine art work is on the second and third floors of Athena and the second floor of the Constantine building.

Art

Hartlepool Marina

HAVE you ever wondered what the beautiful Hartlepool marina would have looked like when majestic tall ships filled the seas? 

Then you are in for a real treat. The Tall Ships Race hits The Hartlepool Marina in the Summer.

The event will start on 7th August and run until 10th August 2010 and aims to attract visitors from all over the world.

Social Impact of The Tall Ships 2010

According to Hartlepool council the event aims to “maximise both the immediate and long-term economic benefits of the event in Hartlepool and the surrounding region”. 

By developing new hotels and accommodation, they are already thinking about how The Tall Ships will affect the Marina and the people who are already living there. 

Regeneration of Hartlepool

Over a million people will be attending The Tall Ships in August and, therefore local businesses are bound to benefit. The council also hope the event will place Hartlepool on the map for future international events.

Environmental Impact from Tall Ships 2010

In 2007, Hartlepool Borough Council declared the event would be a “low-carbon” event.

While the ships are sail boats – and therefore do not have engines – the environmental impact of the huge number of visitors has been considered.

Recycling bins already placed on the town’s Navigation Point Area and a park and ride scheme has been introduced.

The aim is that The Tall Ships will help promote Hartlepool as a tourist destination. And with so much preparation, the event is sure to be a success.

If you would like to get involved with The Tall Ships, then you can contact The Tall Ships Race 2010 direct on (01429) 523636 or email them on tallships@hartlepool.gov.uk.

Tall Ships Audio

However, this is about to come to a grinding halt. Stephanie has struggled to find a job, and due to the cost of living has just £2.93 left out of her next student loan instalment. That means she has just 23p a week to live on.

With the next installation of Student Loans not due until April 12th, Stephanie is already living hand to mouth.

However, her loan will not lessen the strain. It has almost entirely been eaten up already by living costs, and as such she will have just £2.93 left. That is JUST 23p a week to live on for the rest of the academic year.

Having a car for anyone would be a burden on their finances.

But with a car in Sheffield not in use, and still having to be paid for, Stephanie is really struggling.

This, along with the day-to-day expenses of living alone for the first time, and having to pay accommodation fees, has caused Stephanie to seriously reconsider her choice of activities, ditching the idea of a social drink, for the cheapness of staying in her own room.

Stephanie explains: “I presently find myself in a bad situation because at the minute we are having to pay for next years accommodation upfront aswell, so I’m left with just £2.93 to spare.”

In an attempt to maintain her living costs, Stephanie has tried repeatedly to get a job in the local area. She has worked in retail before, but due to the recession she is struggling to find work in the sector. 

Is this because students are thought of as unreliable?

Lesley Boyle, personnel and Recruitment Manager of ‘The Link’, said: “Students have really busy timetables, so it is difficult to balance work and academic priorities, and obviously academic comes first.

“Last term was particularly difficult to find jobs because we were right in the grip of the recession. Students would be effected the most as they are looking for part-time work and the availability of part-time work certainly decreased.”

Teesside University does have a limited number of jobs in the Terrace Bar and the Student Shop, but just how easy is it to be considered for one of these positions?

No one from the SU would speak to Tside about how many students they employ, but there appears to be a real shortage of jobs advertised on their recruitment boards.

Many students in the UK will find themselves in the same boat as Stephanie. With 27,954 students currently studying at Teesside University alone; it is easy to see how all the jobs are taken.

Interview with Lesley Boyle and Vox Pops

A number of outside agencies also run on campus. The most prominent of these are Vodka Nationwide, which operates a night in the Student Union.

These companies employ students to sell tickets for them, for which they receive a percentage from the tickets sold.

Emily Tyson, Vodka Nationwide Representative and physiology Student, spoke of her experience: “I got messaged about it from the representative of Vodka Nationwide, and he came to me asking if I wanted the job.

“They pay isn’t that great, but its commission so it depends how good I actually do the job”

Vodka Nationwide Representative Emily Tyson whilst selling tickets

Teesside University Library

THE number of students going to university in Britain has reached an all-time high, with almost half a million starting courses in 2009.  However, a significant number of those won’t see their courses through to the end.

According to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Authority, around 10% of students either drop out of university before the start of their second year or will transfer to another institution. And around 20% fail to complete their course.  These figures are even higher for part-time students.

Why do so many students drop out of university and what help is on offer to students who are thinking of leaving?

For students who move away from home to go to university, it is the start of a big adventure, their first steps into the adult world.  But for some, what’s supposed to be the time of their lives can become a lonely and miserable experience.

Daniel List is a student at Teesside University, in his home town of Middlesbrough.  This is the third time he’s started a degree course, having dropped out twice before.  His first two university experiences came away from home, at Liverpool and Sunderland.  He found it difficult to adjust to life away from home and didn’t feel there was enough help available to students in his situation.

He says: “I felt alone living away from home without the degree of help I needed to do the course.  There was very little in the way of pastoral care.”

Daniel List

Daniel is finding life easier being closer to home but thinks students face too much pressure, especially in the current economic climate, where many young people feel higher education is the only alternative to unemployment.

“In the past, there might have been more options available to people, whereas now, they just see one route from school to university and they’re not guided in the way they should be.”

Teesside University’s Student Services offers a wide variety of help to students, as well as university staff.  They have a team of qualified counsellors and financial advisors who can offer help all year round.  They also have staff who can give advice on careers, health, disabilities, learning difficulties and there is also a chaplaincy team.

Dr. Catriona Davis-McCabe is part of a four-strong counselling team at Teesside.  Speaking about the pressure students face, she says: “There’s a lot of pressure to succeed and students then also start to worry about jobs and what’s going to happen when they leave the university so we work with the anxieties around that.”

Dr. Davis-McCabe believes her department’s service makes a difference and prevents more students from dropping out.

“Sometimes students come to us and say, ‘I’m thinking of leaving the university’ and we look at both sides with them and quite often they don’t leave the university, as a result of attending counselling.  Leaving university often doesn’t fix the issues.”

Dr. Catriona Davis-McCabe on the help offered by Student Services

So while the vast majority of students enjoy a happy and successful time at university, almost everyone will encounter some difficulties along the way.  It’s important for all students to know what help is available and for universities to ensure their students know they always have somewhere to turn to.

Two in ten 16 – 24 year olds in the North East are unemployed, a statistic which leads to Middlesbrough being placed in the top ten places in the UK where youth unemployment is highest. 

A trip through Middlesbrough’s town centre reveals streets littered with empty properties which were once bustling. The retail sector provided the one of the largest employment opportunities on Teesside before the recession but it was hit badly with big high street names going into administration seemingly everyday.

Middlesbrough Job Centre

Mark Rudan, 18, was made redundant when the local branch of Borders bookshop closed back in December.

He said: “One day we were gearing up for our busiest time of the year at Christmas, but the next we are being told that the company’s gone into administration.”

“I worked there full time ever since I left school, I’ve only got my GCSE’s so finding a good job is almost impossible. I’ve been looking for more retail or even factory work, but no one seems to be taking on.”

“I’m thinking of going to college to hopefully get some qualifications which should give me more of a chance of getting a decent job.”

Not only has unemployment affected mark in a practical sense but he is also becoming depressed due to the situation he is in.

WSitting at home most of the day makes me feel useless,” he said. “I feel embarrassed to be collecting my dole money, but there’s nothing else I can do.”

Public opinion on youth unemployment

Corus steel plant

Adding to the woes of the area is the closure of Coru. The Redcar plant has begun the process of mothballing, bringing an end to Teesside’s proud steelmaking history.

It is estimated that 2000 direct and up to 18,000 indirect jobs will be lost, leading to a longer dole queue and more competition for the few jobs there is.

‘’I’ve told my kids to pack up and leave, there’s no future for them here’’ said Corus worker Jim Stevenson, 59, who will soon be made redundant.

’’Thirty years ago the manufacturing industry round here was booming. All the kids leaving school would come straight into working for ICI or British Steel.

“Gradually over the time it’s become less and less, until now with Corus closing its all gone, there’s nothing here now.’’

In a bid to resuscitate the local economy, the government recently awarded the west Middlesbrough neighbourhood trust (WMNT) a £150,000 grant in order to get people back into work to help reach the target of getting 150,000 people back into work by next year. The government has made it clear that young people will be a priority when creating the jobs.

Tony playing football at Teesside University

FOOTBALL is the most watched and played sport in the world.

Thousands of young men train from a small age and dream about making it as a professional footballer.

But, what happens when the career you have dreamt of for so long is taken away from you just as you are about to catch a break?

This is what happened to 20-year-old Tony Kater who has decided to speak out about the injury that changed his life as he knew it, and share his inspirational life story on how he found his way back to the field.

Tony was only 14 years old when he suffered an injury during a trial game that determined the course of his football career forever.

He said: “The training and the trials, everything had to be stopped.

“I didn’t get an operation straight away so for the next couple of years I was unfortunately bow-legged. Because it was such a major operation where they inserted metal plates in your knee cap I couldn’t get it for free.”

Tony in his beloved Chelsea trip.

Tony had to wait two years for his operation. 

He was 16 years old when he finally found a doctor that was willing to operate for free.

“I try to not think about it” he said, before continuing with his devastating story.

Tony Kater

“I had to go months and months worth of physiotherapy to be able to walk again.”

Going from being the popular guy that organised athletic days in his school, Tony’s life had now changed drastically.

He could not do the things he was used to, and his long fought dream of a football career was shattered.

But, with a lot of support from his family and friends he managed to stay positive and even found a way to laugh during the most difficult times.

“My friends around me used to call me Ironman which was quite funny!”

Six years down the line, he is now studying at Teesside University with plans on a career in Sports journalism.

Despite not being able to play football professionally, his love for the game has not become less over the years. Every sunday at noon, he meets up with his friends for a game of footie.

Explaining with a big smile on his face how they now have a constant turn up of 15 players every week, Tony said:

“I’ve just been lucky enough to be able to do this and have so many joining us.

“I love football and everything about it! I’ll always find a way back to it.”

Sacked from the workplace?

FOR many young people there are two options once they leave school. College then university or take an apprenticeship.

While University may seem the better option in terms of life long learning, a big plus for apprenticeships is that you can earn while you learn and achieve vital experience which will impress future employers.

This scheme appeals to many teenagers with tens of thousands becoming apprentices every year.

However, the scheme of apprenticeships are seemingly becoming a more insecure option with rising rates of redundancies.

Statistics show that 3,500 apprentices were let go in the last 6 months. This is despite ministers claiming they want one in five young people to be taking an apprenticeship by the year 2020.

One person who has lost their apprenticeship is 19 year old Andrew Heslehurst from Marske-by-the-Sea.

Andrew said: “I was let go, because my boss couldn’t afford to pay me, not because my work was unsatisfactory.

” I have applied for countless jobs and I have had just one job interview in the last two months.

“If I had been allowed to finish my traning and gain my gas qualification, I’d be in a much better situation than I am now.”

Failure to complete all of his apprenticeship has hampered Andrews attempts to get a new full time job.

Despite Andrew and thousands of others gaining qualifications during their apprenticeships, many are still finding it hard to go back into full time employment.

A lot of the blame for this could be directed towards our country’s current economic crises. With companies being very cautious with their business, it is rare that any job will become available for anyone. This puts strain on those who are unemployed with specialist skills who only want to go into a particular area of work.

Young person’s job struggle

What does the current job market mean for the 16-25 age group?

Anyone looking for full time employment is most likely to run into the job market’s catch 22: employers want someone with experience, but how are we supposed to get experience without anyone looking to hire us?

This year looks set to be different for university students who usually have summer jobs. Even part time jobs are expected to be less common this year. So this means students who are returning home over the summer cannot expect to walk back into any job they may have done previously.

Many people are blaming this job crisis on the economic downturn and it seems that this is a fair assumption. Companies are afraid to expand until our country is financially stable, which would suggest that there will be little to no job opportunities or expansions until then.

The recent Corus closure is evidence, the recession is still lurking in the thick smog.

So if apprenticeships lack job security and University courses will not always assure you get a job when you leave, which is the best way for young people to earn a living?

How can anyone be guaranteed a career or even a wage while businesses are firing more then they are hiring?

But even that is not enough to make people stub it out.

At least 106,000 people die in Britain from smoking each year.

According to Occupational Health, the NHS spends £5bn -over five per cent of their budget -  supporting smokers and to treat smoking related sickness.

But is helping those who smoke worth it? Could that money be better spent elsewhere?

A Burning Addiction

The process of smoking begins with lighting a cigarette. You then wrap your luscious lips around the butt and inhale the smoke and the chemicals.

These include the addictive nicotine, which gushes through your bloodstream, discharging chemicals to your brain, giving stimulation and a feeling of relaxation and calmness.

The more nicotine sucked, the bigger the stimulation – but also the bigger the cravings between cigerettes.

Soon you feel the need for another drag in order for your body to function and your brain to feel normal.

Ten years down the line, the rush is the same. The only difference is the stained teeth and fingers, dried crack lips and the stench of smoke that everyone else notices and you do not.

These are just a few of the consequences of smoking. But what about the effects you can’t see?

Lung cancer, heart disease, circulatory problems are just some of the illnesses which plague smokers.

Surely these are enough reasons to quit smoking. But for some even these won’t make then quit. They simply think it won’t happen.

Laura Farrugia, a Psychology student at Teesside University, speaks to Tside about her addiction, and whether the NHS is wasting money on smokers.

The NHS offers a variety of support to quit smoking. But how difficult is it to quit? We spoke to  Teesside University student Nazila Maparzadeh who is currently trying to quit for the third time.

To listen to the interview please click here

Simon Cowell and Mezhagan Hussainy

“Closer inspection suggests Mezhgan is putting in all the effort. Will Simon give up his grumpy bachelor ways and go soft on us? His response to her public displays of affection suggests he wont.”

Other cringe-worthy celebs, of the touchy-feely variety inclue good old Tom Cruise, who you can always rely on to push out the crazy boat. Cruise declared that his wife, Katie Holmes truely is his ‘Top Gun’ by prancing about like a loon on Oprah Winfrey’s sofa. Not only was he not taught that PDAs can be gross but apparently he was never told it’s rude to put your shoes on the furniture; committing two social faux-pas in one over-dramatic act.

Katie Price also turned stomachs earlier this year when she was seen smooching her latest victim, Alex Reid in a public park. Whether it was a genuine act of love, or an attempt to prove a point with a carefully positioned pap shot; we will never know. One celeb that is making a show to make a stand is John  Terry, who has been publicly playing the part of the besotted husband ever since his affair hit the headlines in January.

Celebrity Displays of Affection

Some people find PDAs uncomfortable to participate in or even watch. But how much affection is too much when it is no longer behind closed doors? Everyone differs in their opinion but maybe if seeing them doesn’t make you feel warm and fuzzy, you should turn a blind eye.

It really comes down to context.  French kissing is acceptable in a nightclub but definately a no-no at your grandparent’s anniversary dinner.

 Great or Gross? Opinions on campus.

Life on the streets

A HOMELESS man has spoken about the difficulties of being a teenager on the streets.

Barry Selby, 31, has been ’sofa surfing’ and living in hostels on and off since he was just 17-years-old.

In an exclusive interview, today he reveals the harrowing truth of what it is like to be a young person without a fixed address, as Tside reveals that EVEN STUDENTS are living in hostels while finishing their degrees.

Barry said: “I’ve even seen people die of heroin and crack cocaine, and that’s through the experience of living in a hostel.

“Living on the streets isn’t easy for anyone, but when you start as a teenager it is a difficult spiral to break.”

Youngsters aged between 16 and 25 are one of the largest age groups of homeless people living in the North East, with difficulties with parents listed as the main cause.

Forced to leave home, young people have to find emergency accommodation such as hostels and shelters.

Tony Thornton, MBE, Centre Manager at Tom Raine Court, Darlington explained: “We are all very close to homelessness simply because of the recession, simply because mum and dad may have kicked you out.

“We have had a couple of students living here because they’ve fallen out with whatever situation at home, and they’ve ended up here, whilst still going to university.”

Tony Thornton

The upheaval of homelessness is often too much for young people to cope with, resulting in many dropping out of education. They feel depressed and frustrated that their lives have been put on hold.

For Barry the cost of being homeless has been particularly great.

He has battled with mental health problems and addiction.

Barry revealed:  “The pressure of being at university, even college, life itself, debt worries, not working, relationships. You get into that routine of homelessness.

“You get into drink, drugs, crime.. your self-esteem goes down really quickly.”

Barry has spent much of his adult life in what he describes as “a vicious circle” of failed attempts to get out of a homeless lifestyle.

“It’s very hard.  Everyone has their own way of coping, some even get institutionalised and never come out of the hostels.”

But not everyone finds it impossible to escape. Having spent sixteen years working with homeless people. Tony knows many who have broken free from the shackles of homelessness and made a success of their lives.

“We’ve had a solicitor who was addicted to alcohol, and therefore came here because he was homeless and had lost his job,” he said.

“We managed to then support him whilst he was in the addiction services, and he is now alcohol free and back into full-time employment.”

Barry - who has now been clean for over a year and has been living in his own rented house since November – is now looking to the future with renewed hope. He has one piece of advice for anyone who becomes homeless -get in to a hostel.

He added: “When you get in there keep yourself to yourself and don’t get into drugs, alcohol and crime.”

The average lifespan of a ‘rough sleeper’ is 42, and for every ‘rough sleeper’, there are 100 people living in hostels.

Statistics for 2008, saw the North East fourth highest  nationally in the number of the newly homeless, behind London, the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber.

There are many different charities associated with helping the homeless, from shelters such as the YMCA, and the Salvation Army, to Crisis- the national charity for single  homeless people.