The Future of Iraq

As many of you may know I am a person who loves to talk about leadership, skills and etc. Robyn insisted that I created a post regarding my employment. I’m sure many of you are wondering what type of job that I had. Well, I served as junior facilitator to this organization called World Learning contracts with the School for International Training to provide international youth exchanges. This organization with the help of the U.S. Department of State and fund youth leadership programs. This program brings youth from a country and allows them to utilize, enhance, and learn their leadership skills. For the months of July-August, the program brought youths from different regions in Iraq.

I can remember as if it was yesterday when all of the students arrived completely tired from their long flight from Turkey and a 6 hour drive from New York to their destination. In the dark of night, I met the students who I would be living with for the next week or so. Although they were completely exhausted from traveling for such a long time the students had a smile upon their faces anxious for what the next day would bring. I may have been highly excited with “pre-program jitters” because I was unable to get to sleep until 3am. Surprisingly, I got up fairly early and met the students who I would be training. They seemed unbelievably fun and ready to learn.

I then accompanied them to their first workshop which featured a series of circles (we love circles since they are inclusive 8-) and teambuilding activities. I watched in sheer amazement as the students came together with their American counterparts to engage in laughter, joy, and loads of positive energy eager to meet each other. As I watched the students come together there was not any type of anger or hatred among any of the students. In fact, they were engaging in some of the healthiest conversations that I have seen in years. I must tell you that Benjamin Franklin’s quote: “Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear” applies to this situation. It was then that I knew the American media had sadly let its viewers down by portraying Iraq as some war torn country that hates America, which in fact it is trying to rebuild itself despite such negative stereotypes.

The students here were some of the brightest students I have ever seen with English proficiencies that sounded as if they were native speakers. I watched as students different cities, countries, shapes, sizes, colors, and religions came together to unite and become leaders. They were all eager to learn and discuss their past interests and their future dreams. Unfortunately, time progressed and the week flew by filled with experiences that many of us will never forget from drumming, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, ice cream, songs, campfires to public speaking, environmental issues, equal rights, and etc. Each day was filled with cross-cultural communication. Each day was life changing.

This experience reaffirmed in me as to why Robyn and I created “Breaking Perceptions” which is to “Educate. Challenge. Change. Unite.” Upon the departure day at an airport where they went to their different cities to continue the program, I could not help but think about the future of Iraq. I can safely say that the future of Iraq is very bright!

~Cortez Alexander

What is Yuri's Night

Yuri's Night is an international celebration held on April 12 every year to commemorate two separate space exploration milestones. Firstly 45 years ago, when Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter outer space. Then 20 years later the USA launched the Space Shuttle which was designed to carry a larger crew and large volumes of cargo to orbit.

The goal of Yuri's Night is to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers. Driven by space-inspired artistic expression and culminating in a worldwide network of annual celebrations and educational events, Yuri's Night creates a global community of young people committed to shaping the future of space exploration while developing responsible leaders and innovators with a global perspective. These global events are a showcase for elements of culture that embrace space including music, dance, fashion, and art.

On 2010 event there will be 162 parties in 57 countries on 7 continents and 2 worlds. You too can set up a party here: Start a party

Information taken from:

http://yurisnight.net/about/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri's_Night

Batty Man.

Homosexuality has been legal in the uk for 40 years but to be gay in the black community is still looked down on. Gay comedian, Stephen K Amos, looks at why.

He starts by doing a social experiment in Croydon, South London. He takes 8 men, 1 who is gay and 7 who are straight and asks passersby to "spot the gay". Of the 9 men, 5 were black and 3 were white but it was constantly the white men who were chosen, even though all of them were straight. Stephen wonders if this is because being gay is more associated with being white than black. Stephen then took out the 3 white men and left the 5 black. People found it much harder now to choose, with one woman saying "none of them look gay". Stephen then asked people to pinpoint the person they thought was definitely not gay and there was one man in particular that kept being picked as the definietly straight guy, with people saying he looked like a "player" and a "womaniser". He was the only gay guy. When this was revealed, people were always in shock. When Stephen asked whether it proves you can't look gay, one woman said "stereotypical ennit...that views gone out of the window".

One night Stephen is doing stand up in Brixton, South London, to a predominantly black audience that do not know he is gay. For years Stephen hid his sexuality for fear of not being accepted by the black community. Then one event had a profound effect on him. In 2006 one of his friends was killed just for being gay. This inspired him not to hide who he was any longer and he created a one man show where, at the end, he revealed to the audience that he was gay. This gig in Brixton will be the first time he comes out to a mainly black audience. As soon as Stephen says it, the atmosphere completely changed and all fell silent. Suddenly the room felt full of tension and aggression. He went around the room to talk to some of the people. One man said, "I dont do that gay shit", another said "within the black community youre less likely to be accepted by your family if youre coming out and syaing youre gay you might not have a mum or dad anymore", another man said "there are some reasons why gay people dont come out and one of those is the levels of homophobia in our community that dont allow them to be gay", a woman said "when you asked if there were any gay people in the room,there was a hushed silence because no one wantd to say they were gay in brixton because you mght get stabbed outside". Afterwards, Stephen said it was the toughest gig he had done in a long time.

He then went Tooting, where he grew up, to speak to some youths about being gay. One said "they shouldnt have gay people on tv, or out on the road" another "my familys christian so im against gay peope" two girls agreed "if my brother was gay i would disown him" and later said "black gay people are putting the shame on our race they're making us not look black" one girl said "just make a different country for them ennit" one man said "i dont understand how balck people are thinking that they can be gay, i dont think that could actually run" another boy said "give me 2 women and i would be perfectly fine with that" but he was cussed out by the girls around him. This same boy said "if it wasnt for the music and that, i dont think no one here would have a problem with gays because we've been brought up to believe that gays are not right" They started singing an Elephant Man song where the chorus is "step on the chi-chi (gay) man! step on the chi-chi (gay) man!" Another 2 boys had most of what they said bleeped out apart for the words "batty boy". One of these boys said "tellin the truth, in Jamaica thats what they say: batty man must dead".

Stephen decided to go to Kingston, Jamaica to talk to Elephant Man. The strange thing is, Elephant Man said "i got nothing against gay people, do what you want to do, live your life, i cant come and tell you whatever, so do what you wanna do". Stephen wanted to find out what had changed his mind. He finds out that his lyrics had got him in trouble in places like USA so if he wanted to be successful there, he had to change that. Stephen said it was quite an eye opener to see what people will do when there are western dollars involved.

Homosexual acts are illegal on the island of Jamaica and those caught can serve up to 10 years in prison or hard labour.

Stephen met the band the Heavy Steppaz. His producer thought it would be safer if he stayed in the car and the producer would interview them. One of the band said "for a black person to be gay is really wrong...if a friend switched and turned to be a fish (gay)...theres one thing i think for anyone who turns fish...six foot deep." Another said "must be a man and a women...i say its wrong in many ways...to be a batty man you'll end up dead. straight bullet or gunshot or one of those things...if they really turn into a batty boy they cant see me or hail me they cant be my friend they cant even walk near me, much less look at me. thats a straight bullet. we dont see those things in our class or in our league. im telling you straight because right now a man to woman thing we deal with round here...the whole of jamaica, i know that certain men deal with those things...but if he wants to deal with that he'll have to take the backdoor where no one can see him...a straight bullet."

Stephen finally got to meet one young man called Kevin who risked his life to talk in front of the camera. "Being black and gay in Jamaica is very hard...there are times you have to hide because you're afraid to be who you are in public because you might get killed or those that should help you won't love you anymore...it all comes from the Bible and how people were brought up and dancehall, reggae music...i would pray and pray and pray that i would be happy with who i am and that God would still love me for who i am...i havent come out yet officially...if more gay people come out, i will be a lot easier for the younger generation to be acepting of who they are".

Stephen went to one of the jamacian churches to talk to the young christians to see if they thought it was ok to damn gay people using scriptures. The pastor said "as a pastor people come to me and say they have homosexual tendencies and i say bredrin, i dont see it the way you see it, i dont accept it the way you accept it but remember that you have a brother in me and im not gna kill you, im gna defend you. im not gna defend what you stand for, but im gna defend you as my brother, a human being". The people there believe that people can be conditioned to be gay, it is not genetic and they will be there to help people change this condition. Archbishop of Kingtson said "to use christiantiy is a lie... it usually comes from those with a limited understanding of the bible. You can justify anything by taking out a particular part of the bible. It was used to support apartheid. I certainly wouldnt be bashing homosexuals because they homosexuals, that is completely contrary to our christian faith".

Back in England, Stephen decided to come out to a group of young people face to face. their reactions were partly very encouraging with one girl saying "love is love, happiness is happiness and if that means being with another man, then that means being with another man, simple as that". However, not entirely: "I just see it as wrong...thats just my personal belief...i just feel uncomfortable". One boy said "if i was gay i would pray to god to be put down to dead because i cant see myself being gay".

Stephen talks to gay couple Perry and Olisa who have hidden their sexuality since they were teens. Perry said "before i came out, i was a homophobic. when you first realise it, you dont want it. you dont want to be gay". Olisa said "you can look at me and say im masculine. I could take you down the rugby field and break your nose and say yeah im masculine". Perry agreed "just because you sleep with a man, doesn't mean you aren't masculine". Perry said "my black friends dont know im gay. they wont talk to me again". Olisa said "i havent told my mum yet...i would have been on the first plane to Nigeria if i told her when i was young". Later that night, Olisa told his mum. He was really scared but said she was absolutely a brilliant mum. He said now hes got his approval he doesnt care what anyone else thinks.

Watching the programme back, Stephen hears all the arguments for homophobia and says none of them stack up. The religious argument doesn't wash, neither does the one that you arent masculine nor that pushing them out forces them to change. All fear of homophobics does is give homophobia a platform. The only way to dispell the fear is to face up to it, and thats the hardest lesson of all. Stephen said "I thought I was a strong ballsy comic with attitude and a lot of thinsg to say but i never thought i would have to regress into myself like i had to when we were in Jamaica. There were certain situations where i couldnt express myself and i dont owe anybody anything, i was denying myself and meeting Kevin who was younger, lived there and expressed himself so eloquently taught me something. Hey, stand up and be counted".

If you live in the UK, you can click here to watch this documentary

Congo: Forest of the dead

Reporter Nima Elbagir and director Edward Watts have gone to the jungles of Nort East Congo, beginning in the town of Dungu. Aid agencies say that in the last few weeks alone, tens of thousands of people have fled their homes here. Nima speaks to some people in the road who are refugees and asks them what happened. the woman said that a group of armed men had come and attacked their village. They came into the village and set fire to it and abducted their children, which is why they have left to go to the next safe town. For the last 2 months there have been constant attacks on their village Duru and many more people are leaving because they're just too scared to stay out in the bush.

Nima and Edward joined the UN mission to the town of Duru. It had been under attack for the last 4 months and it was the first time anyone had gone out there. They went with 3 helicopter carriers of troops because no one knew what were going to find out there. When they landed, the town was deserted. Many of the huts had been knocked down and the catholic church had been looted. Villagers started coming out of the bush when they saw the soldiers. Nima asked one of them what had happened in the last attack. The man said just yesterday 3 people were killed. When asked who did it, they were told it was the Lord's Resistance Army, a gorup of notorious rebels from Uganda. The villagers say that they dont know why this is happening to them. In the beginning the LRA were just looting but then they started stealing their children, then buring their homes and then killing them.

Many people started gathering as word spread about the soldiers and people came to see if they could get aid. One lady was carrying her injured little girl, whose Dad was shot trying to run away with her and the bullet went through his body and into the baby. There is no nurse, the baby is sick and they find out it is unlikely the baby will survive the week. They were taken to a school which the LRA broke into during lesson time and abducted the children. They say nearly 100 were abducted from the class. They broke the windows and started passing the kids out through them.

Because of the dense rainforest, the group are invisible until they strike.

Dungu is the heart of a major military operation launched by Sudan, Uganda and the Congo, which have suffered the most since the LRA first emerged in 1987. So far they remiain undefeated but they have managed to rescue some abductees. They spoke to one 15 year old who was taken from the school in Duru. He was sent to a camp where he had to work in the fields and was recieving military training. A group of boys in his camp tried to escape but were caught and made to lie face down on the ground in front of the other abductees. One by one they had to hit the boys with a club on the head then pass the club along until they had beaten the boys to death. When she asked hin why he thought they were doing the things they were doing, he said that they were never told why they were fighting and if you asked you were beaten so they were questions you learnt not to ask. The LRA have always been notorious for their use of children as fighters. Aid groups estimate that up to 1000 children have been abducted in the Congo since last year.

They visit another village which aid groups were bringing medical supplies to. They are met by a group of men who have made rifles, machetes and spears in an attempt to have something to protect themselves with. Nima spoke to the catholic priest there, Father Maurice, about what had been happening. He said the first time the LRA came was 4 months ago and it was after that that they decided to arm themselves and fight. They were waiting for their deaths. He said that the LRA are trying to exterminate them but they weren't going to be forced off this land. There is no police presence and no government presence. The weapons were their last resort, even he the priest was carrying a knife in self-defence. They go to the huts where the victims in need of medical help are. One of the victims, an old man, was beaten on the head with clubs. Another young man was captured, tied to a tree, beaten with sticks and then they started hacking at him with machetes.

The military offensive has only splintered the LRA into smaller groups, making them harder to find. The countries have tried creating safe areas that are always protected but they are over stretched and under resourced.

So that Nima and Edward could go to another village where there had been attacks, they had to travel on motorbikes with a Congalese soldier and a patrol had been sent ahead because security was so unstable. The first thing they saw when they came in were graves where people had buried their loved ones. They spoke to a vilager, Sebastian, who had actually witnessed the massacre. He said the village had been attacked on Christmas day just after mass and they had just come out of the church to go to where they had prepared their christmas lunch when the LRA surrounded them. The villagers had been tied together and then marched into the bush. They were walked down a path to their death as the LRA started smashing their skulls. They massacred people, left their bodies dripping blood and then sat down and cooked their meals. While going down the path that the LRA had taken the villagers, the soldiers, Sebastian, Edward and Nima find a dead body. Sebastian realised that he knew the woman who had been killed, and that she had been pregnant. Her skull was collapsed in where she was clubbed to death. As they keep walking, they find more and more dead bodies.They were introduced to an old woman, who was the only survivor. She said they came in the afternoon, told the villagers all to lie down and then beat them on the head with clubs. She had been buried under a pile of dead bodies and laid there for a whole night, waiting until morning to crawl out. Her brother that she was visiting was killed during the attack.

Over Christmas and Boxing Day the LRA carried out a series of coordinated attacks across the North East of Congo. The death toll stands at nearly 1000 and new bodies are still being found.

Next Nima and Edward went to the Duru hospital to meet some of the victims. They met Elaina and her grandchildren. The LRA had killed the childrens mother, Elaina's daughter and hit the children on the head with wooden clubs and left them for dead. Elaina had been told that one of her grandchildren would never walk again.

They met a man who was trying to make a list of all of those that had died, so that they wouldnt be forgotten. There were many babies and pregnant women on the list. He said there are very few survivors as once the LRA have entered a village, you have to presume everyone is dead. When Nima asked him why he thought they were doing these things, he said he didnt know.

Nima and Edward flew to the north of Uganda, the birthplace of the LRA, to see if anyone could tell them why they were doing this and what it is they actually want. One of the old generals of the LRA, who had turned himself in years earlier, agreed to speak to them. He was abducted as a child by the LRA and fought with them for 18 years. Nima asked him why the way they are killing civilians is so horrifically violent and he said it was a campaign of terror designed to scare villagers into leaving so that the LRA could take over their territory. she asked him what they want and he said the LRA's leader Joseph Koni was fighting for his survival, to protect his life and existence. When asked how it can be stopped, he said the time for talking was over and the world had only one option: the military one.

Nima asked a village elder what he though the cost of the war has been for the people of Uganda. He said that they had watched their women raped, their children butchered, that the war had destroyed their people and that there were now more dead than living.

No one knows how long it will take for peace to come.

Image: Joseph Koni

If you live in the UK, you can watch this documentary here

The Russians Are Coming

This channel 4 documentary follows Russian international property broker Dina Karpova, who is capitalising on Russia's love for all things English. Dina is an agent to the super-rich in Russia, who want their children to attend the top British schools and so high-tracking them into British high society. Dina says “our clients do want to go to top schools, they do want their kids to be with best British families and be friends with them. There is not one company in Russia that works with top schools or prepares children to go to top schools. The only choice is me.” There are, however, school agents in the Middle East and Asia doing all they can to get their students into schools in the UK. “Competition is fierce, there is no question about it. Now a lot of british schools cap the number of foreign students. You compete with a lot of asian kids who are breeded like racehorses to get into the system".

Dina found this niche in the market when her own son, Ivan, began boarding at Westminster, one of the best public schools in England. Ivan, who speaks with a British accent, boards at Westminster while Dina lives in Moscow. Ivan had a very cosmopolitan upbringing. She wanted to expose him to a lot of culture so he lived in Russia in his early years, then the US and now Britain.

Dina on the other hand had a very different upbringing to Ivan. She wasn’t allowed to speak to foreigners. Her parents were physicists working on top secret nuclear weapons for the government. She had a serious lack of freedom but had a high standard of living. She graduated as an aerospace engineer but the breakdown on communism in the 1990s brought down her privileged life as they were owed a years worth of salary by the government, they had sold everything and had no money. She moved to new York and became a successful businesswoman.

According to Dina “it is quite a trend now in Russia to send your children to England” and “our clients want to match the culture, they don’t want to be seen as Russians”. Charles, an educational consultant that works with Dina, said “traditionally a lot of the great schools have educated a lot of the ruling families so that culture is there and the new Russians are doing their very best to replicate the lifestyles of the tsarists elite and part of that is being educated in the west”. Dina's client in the documentary wants his 11 year old son and stepson to go to a British public school. Dina sends her clients children on a residential course that would introduce them to the English aristocracy and teach them how to blend in. First they learn how to play polo. Dina tells them that if they play polo they will become part of high society. Then they learn how to shoot and one of the teachers messed up the boys room and then instructed them how to clean it and keep it when they are staying at a persons house, like showing them how their bed should be made and what to do after having a bath. They also had intensive academic training to help with the entry exams for the schools. They are also taken with their parents to visit Stowe, one of the top public boarding schools. They are shown around the school by a student who also moved from Russia and soon fall in love with it. The boys and their parents then go on to visit many other schools. The boys receive a conditional offer from one of the public schools and so if they achieve the needed results in January, they will move from Russia to England to attend the school. Charles says “it never ceases to amaze me how brave they are, coming to a new country often speaking only a few words of the language and having to adapt”.

Looking into the future, Dina predicts “that Britain is going to play a huge part in Russian future and I think that is a fantastic thing because these kids will merge the cultures, they’re not going to fight”. Charles adds that “Britain is an extraordinary country in the way that we can integrate so many different people from ethnic backgrounds”.

Image is of Stowe School in Buckinghamshire.

If you live in the UK, you can watch this documentary here

Good Luck!

A huge good luck to all of the students in England doing A levels that receive their results today!

Tower Block of Commons: Episode 4

In the final programme, the MPs try to complete the challenges they set themselves and looks at what they do after they have gone back to their regular lives.

Conservative MP Tim Loughton has set up a football tournament for the local youths against the police that he hopes to make a permanent event in the area, to give the youths something to do other than join gangs. Despite many young people from the area attending, only 2 police officers turn up. Extremely frustrated, Tim and the youths have the game without them. Before leaving, Tim bought his host Natina a toilet seat and attached it. Natina said "to me, he seemed like he was being himself" and Natina's mother said "if he was the MP for our constituency, I would vote for him".

Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten continues to get a date for when the tower blocks will be demolished. He manages to arrange a meeting with the head of housing from the council to discuss when the tower blocks could be demolished. Unfortunately, the council cannot afford to knock down the blocks because they have to pay £20 million to central government to pay off other council's debts. The council are organising a march to radically change the system and they invited the residents to join them. They also go to hand in their petition about the tower blocks to the local council. When Mark Oaten -prepares to leave, all of his hosts and the other residents on the tower blocks thank him for all that he had done that week. Mark became quite emotional, saying that "you spend a lot of time in this job being disliked as an MP" and it's nice hearing that you've helped them and how nice you are.

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries spends her final night with a new host, 20 year old Jonathan: "I'm too big a fan of the conservatives. They think poor people are poor just because they are lazy. Jonathan lives with 4 other room mates in the 3 bedroom flat and they have no electricity. Using a network of extension wires, they get electricity from the plugs in the hallways outside: "we are currently stealing off the council". Jonathan was expelled from a prestigious local comprehensive 4 years ago, has no qualifications and is unemployed. He admits to Nadine that he is unable to hold down a job because of constant late mornings due to an addiction to weed. Nadine tries to get Jon clean and give his life a purpose. She asks him his ambitions and he tells her that he wants to be a liaison officer between youth and government, because he feels there's too big a gap at the moment. Nadine however questions him for aiming so low and asks why he has to be a middle man, why can't he become an actual councillor. Jon, believing you had to have a degree to go into politics, was surprised to hear from Nadine that you don't at all and that she herself doesn't have a degree. Nadine also talks to Jon about his view of the conservative party and their leader David Cameron. He talks about how David Cameron reminds him of the rich conservative students at his old comprehensive school that made his life "hell" and the characteristics like his "smirk" and the way he talked and moved. Jon became very emotional talking about how the kids had looked down on him and treated him horribly because he wasn't rich like them. When Nadine left, Jon said that "she has lit the way a little bit and I can now make out the next stepping stones".

Labour MP Austin Mitchell is trying to get a youth centre reopened. He got it onto the local news and radio. Lindsay said "he did pull some strings and did things we couldn't have done but he could of done more". Talking of leaving the tower blocks, Mitchell said "to tell you the truth I'd rather stay here and not go back to London. It's so removed from all the stupidities of politics".

On leaving the tower blocks, all of the politicians say that they will never take anything for granted again. Two weeks later, Tim Loughton invites ex gang member Jason from Youth Disciples to talk at a conservative conference about gang violence. Mark Oaten called Sloane to catch up on the action groups progress. He is anxious that they haven't met since he left and haven't got a date for a new meeting. Nadine takes Jon to visit the Houses of Parliament and gives him a surprise visit from David Cameron to show him that his impressions based on the kids he used to know aren't correct. When David asks Jon what he thinks about politics, he said "a bit of everything. I enjoy it, I despise it. I think its fun, I think its dangerous. There's just so many things wrapped up in it. But I think its so important because what comes from politics affects everything." Austin returned to his estate to find out that the youth centre is still closed and that they are waiting for funding bids to come back. Mitchell's wife said "it doesn't seem we've achieved anything".

Two months later, Mark goes back to the estate to meet Candy and finds out that Mark and Alan and Sloane have been moved into council houses while Candy's flat flooded again. The action plan has so come to a halt, having all been left to Candy. He manages to organise the residents Cathy and Candy to come along to their local councils rally to change the system at 10 Downing Street.

In January 2010, Oaten also spoke to government housing minister about the situation, who said that he will soon announce plans to dismantle the current system but no set date has been made. Oaten doesn't think that he has made a difference. Tim Loughton secured funding to ensure the youth can play regular football. The local police finally agreed to a game and the score was Tim's team 4 - 10 local police. Nadine has sent Jon to rehab for his weed addiction and he is considering becoming a local councillor. Austin Mitchell said "I was more of an observer and I should have done more with the agitating and campaigning...too late”.

Read about episode 1 here

Read about episode 2 here

Read about episode 3 here

Do you think the politicians have made a difference? Do you think that they learnt anything from the experience? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Tower Block of Commons: Episode 3

In this episode the MPs stay with people who need their help to discover how much power an MP really has.

Nadine Dorries is staying with 69 year old widow Ruth. When asked whether she likes her area, she says she used to but not any more. There used to be a British Legion across the road but "somehow the Somalians bought it and turned it into a mosque". Ruth is frustrated by them parking on double yellow lines and praying on the pavement, so people cannot use it and, as Nadine put it, "the laws that everyone else has to abide by are not being adhered to". Nadine puts on a headscarf and Muslim dress, then goes to speak to the Imam to talk about the problems with obstructing the footpath and parking on the double yellow lines. Despite the Imam defending that they are on their land, Dorries says "tensions begin when one particular group or another feel that they can behave differently or not adhere to the laws that other people have to adhere to." Clearly insulted, the Imam tells Dorries of all the work they have done for the community, such as clearing out the heroin needles and stopping the drug addicts from using the building. Later that night Dorries says "I do want to make people's lives better and when you come face to face with what you do... I've realised that quite often what politicians do is make people's lives worse". The next day Dorries finds out how resentful some of the residents are towards the new Mosque and comes up with the idea of having a barbecue to get the two communities to mix together and talk. Ruth however doesn't think she'll "get much support". Dorries then goes to speak to the Imam, who is very unhappy to see her saying he didn't want to see her again and "was very hurt" by her "tarnishing the building making it feel like we're some suicide bombers" and forgetting all that they have done for the community. Nadine tries goes to other members of the Mosque to get support and finds Anab, who insists that to be with the Somalian community that Nadine needs to get a Somalian outfit. Once wearing the full dress, Nadine says "it feels nothing like me, it feels like a different person". As the barbecue is about to begin, Nadine realises that at the moment only the Somalian community have come and is worried that no one from the estate will join them. She says that "It just dawned me... that I may have made things worse" as if only the Mosque community turns up, things may get worse. Fortunately, Ruth arrives and so do some more eventually and the 2 communities begin to talk. The Imam comes down to see what is happening and admits he is "a little bit impressed". As they talk they discuss the problems and begin to work on building relationships and a better merge of their two communities. Later on, Ruth tells Dorries that "its been lovely having you here, i've really enjoyed it and the things that you've done I think are magnificent".

Austin Mitchell is staying with Lindsey, a volunteer at the last youth centre on the estate called The Chill Out that is in danger of closing down from lack of funding. It provided a safe haven for young people on the estate and rans classes on everything from how to write a CV to putting on a condom under the influence of drink and drugs. Lindsey says that without the club there is a very bleak outlook for the kids and "to have a bleak outlook at 15 is just sad". Austin speaks to one of the youths, asking what it does for him and he said it "keeps us out of trouble, helps us look for a job and is everything we need really. Without this place we're nothing". When the youths ask Mitchell if he can help, he says "there's nothing I can do, it's not my constituency". Unhappy with this response, one of them replies "so just because it isn't your area you aren't going to do anything". Mitchell then goes on the defence saying "you can't turn to me, you've got to help yourselves". When Mitchell asked the youths what they would do went it closed down, they replied "go back to a life of crime". Everyone wants the club to stay open: the youths, the volunteers and the parents. One parent shows Mitchell a used heroin needle she picked up from outside and says "once my daughter came home with one of them in my mouth, she was in hospital every week for blood tests". When the Chill Out closes completely, Austin discusses what he can do with his wife saying "its a serious question, what does a politician do for people, what do government do for people. That's a real problem." The next day Austin tries making calls to reopen the youth club by publicising it and getting public opinion to pressure the council to give them funding. Austin also joins local young offenders on community service, picking up rubbish. He speaks to one of the offenders who is doing community payback for a crime he committed before joining the Chill Out centre and says that now it is closed, he has nowhere to go. If he had somewhere to go, he would be less likely to offend because he would have something to do. Mitchell said he "never realised it was so simple...thought it was giving playstations and such but actually it’s just a roof with a meeting place to sit and talk”. Mitchell's phonecalls and emails have paid off as news of The Chill Outs closure will be broadcast on local television. Mitchell admitted that “politics is a matter of priorities and unless a problem is... kicking you up the backside its gets postponed and gets ignored”.

Tim Loughton is staying with Adrian who hates the estate saying that there is no safety and he once had a knife put against him in the stairway when he was coming home and there are always people doing drugs. He keeps a large stick in every room for safety. Loughton tries to find out more about the gang violence in his area and finds an organisation called Families for Peace, dedicated to raising awareness of the effect gang violence has on families. Tim met Debbie, whose nephew Aaron was shot outside her house in 2005 and is now stuck reliving the memory. He also spoke to Aaron's father, who showed him the box with Aaron's ashes in it. When talking about the experience later "no one except a robot could have had that experience and not have been moved". Families for Peace put Tim in touch with Jason, an ex-gang member who served 2 years in prison for drug related offences and when he was released found many of his friends had been murdered. He now works for Young Disciples, an organisation that attempts to give youngsters an alternative to gang life. Tim wants to talk to someone of the youths themselves, but the difficulty is finding ones that are willing to be identified. They eventually manage to speak to one boy who keeps his hood up and face down the entire time so his face cannot be seen. Tim asks the youth to explain postcode wars to him. Postcode wars are when groups of people fight one another because of the different areas that they live in. Tim tried to get an explanation as to why this happens, but the youth couldn't give one, only able to say that "you've got to stay loyal" and “you’ve got to protect your turf”. The youth admits that he doesn't feel safe but says that "there's no point in living in fear all your life. You just get over it and do what you've got to do." When asked how to fix the problem, he replied "just give us something to do". After the interview, Tim said he had never before realised "the pointlessness of it all" and called it a "sobering" experience. It makes you "appreciate what you've got and what you've come from" and "you value life more when you speak to people who lost it and who wont have the chance to go back and regain it". The next day Tim goes to speak to more youths to try and find up what they would like to see happen. The suggestion of football arises and Loughton asks about setting up a football tournament between them and the police. Jason takes Tim to see the Young Disciples facilities and on talking to one youth, finds out that the organisation keeps him out of trouble and if it wasn't there, he would be back out on the streets. Later that night, Tim's host Adrian says that he thinks Tim's exploration of the gang culture has really "opened his eyes" and even "shocked him a little bit".

Mark Oaten is staying with civil partners Mark and Alan in their flood damaged flat. Mark Oaten's campaign from the first episode has continued and in fact grown as he has gotten all of his hosts, Cathy, Sloane and now Mark and Alan interested and involved. He puts up signs for a meeting for residents in the evening but then finds out that the council has come and taken them down. A furious Oaten said “it’s like they’re saying we don’t want you to talk together because when you talk together you might get dangerous”. He doesn't give up however, and puts his leaflets through peoples letterboxes instead. Nervous about whether anyone shows up to his meeting, Oaten is excited to find nearly 30 people have shown up and to hear that more people will be coming. Oaten is keen to hand over the campaign to the residents so they can do it when he has left. The meeting begins with the residents voicing their anger about the housing and then begin discussing how to get their voices heard. The meeting attracted the attention of a BNP local councillor who began to give a speech on the horrible mistakes of Labour and basically use their meeting as an opportunity to promote the BNP. He doesn't get to speak for long, however, as Sloane interrupts him saying that "we're trying to get everyone in a positive notion here and you're just negative, negative". The other residents then join in, with one saying she "refuses to listen to the BNP" and that this "is not a party political broadcast". The BNP councillor continues his anti-Labour rant and the residents begin yelling abuse at him, almost leading to a fight. However, he eventually leaves and they get things back into control and focus on becoming active. The next day while Sloane and fellow resident Candy are making posters, a number of police cars and vans pull up to the estate and go inside. They were called to the estate after a fight between 2 families became violent. The trouble was sparked after allegations that a child was hit. Oaten says he has "never seen anything like this before but it must be bread and butter to these guys". Standing with some children, he asks how often this happens, to be told "about 3 times a month" and then begins to comfort one little girl who was scared and began crying. Afterwards Oaten said "kids shouldn't have to see that". Later that night, Oaten says "I couldn't live here."

The last episode sees the MPs prepare to say goodbye. Find out tomorrow whether they have managed to really learn anything from their week in the tower blocks!

Click here to read about episode 1

Click here to read about episode 2

Click here to read about episode 4

Tower Block of Commons: Episode 1

In the UK, the television Channel 4 is well known for its documentaries that tackle controversial but fascinating subjects. One that aired its last episode yesterday was the Tower Block of Commons which took 4 politicians and sent them to live in the roughest areas for a week so they could really experience what life is like.

The first politician was Iain Duncan Smith, the former conservative leader who said that he liked "the idea of taking politicians out of their comfort zone and making them sweat a little bit. No one ot fall back on. It's good." He would be spending the next two days on the Carpenters estate in East London with 19 year old Charise, sleeping on her sofa.

The second was Tim Loughton, the Conservatives shadow children's minister. He was sent to Birmingham's gang divided Newtown Estate. He would be staying on the blow-up mattress in the living room of single mum Natina, her 6 month old baby and her mother. On hearing where he would be staying, Loughton said "Birmingham. It's got a lot of tower blocks. And no conservative MPs".

The third was Mark Oaten, a Liberal Democrat MP that was once hinted at becoming the next Lib Dem Leader, until a sex scandal of him having sex with a rent boy. He is married with 2 children. Mark Oaten stayed in a Dagenham towerblock which he said "feels like one of those old communist blocks" and after constantly having to enter codes to get into the building, he compared it to "prison... It's like Fort Notts".

The final MP was veteran Labour backbencher Austin Mitchell who stayed in Hull but would only agree to take part in the programme if he could have his wife with him, they could bring some of their possessions and they could have their own council flat. Their first two days were helped by Selina, 29 who, before their arrival, said "these politicians don't do nothing. They're making bloody good money just for arguing in a parliament. I could be an MP". On arriving in their new home, Mitchell's wife said it "looks a bit like a prison".

For the polticians, the first part of settling in to their new lives is to change their outfits. As Mark Oatens host Cathy put it, "if you wear a suit, you’d get egged around here. The kids would egg you because you stand out too much”. The politicians clearly felt very awkward in their new attire, swapping shirts and ties for Nike and tracksuits. The culture difference in fashion was immediately made clear when Tim was laughed at by his host Natina and her mother for how he did his laces.

The politicians also has a chance to talk to their hosts and get to know them a bit better. Iain Duncan Smith asked his host Charise what she knew about politics and what politicians do etc, and she replied that she had no clue what happened in the houses of Parliament, or what politicians do and she heard that they just "sit in a room and talk". When asked about this comment from her later, Smith conceded that "politics is many miles away from what goes on here". Tim Loughton went to explore the local area and began talking to a man outside the newsagents. The man began to get angry about the MP expenses scandal, saying that politicians "are legitimate crooks...why having any of them been prosecuted?” and saying that they are "on another level". Attracted by the argument were some local youths and when Loughton began to talk to them he found out that they didn't know the name of the MP for their area, and in fact one of the teenagers didn't think there was one for their area. Later on when speaking to his host Natina, the topic of parenthood came up as Natina is a single parent and part of Conservative policy is a strong bias toward married families and bias against divorce and single parents. Loughton said that his parents had divorced when he was 12 and he was split up from his brothers and sisters to live with each parent and when asked "but don't you think it was better for them to be apart" he replied that he didn't think that way when he was 12, at that time he would have done anything to have them back together. When asked by Loughton, Natina said that she wouldn't want her baby's father back in her life but in her daughter's life. Austin Mitchell's host Selina took him to "buy a newspaper" and in fact took him to a local NHS Methadone clinic. Selina is a recovering heroin addict and has to go to the clinic everyday to take her methadone. Heroin use is a large problem in these areas, with the ground littered in used needles. Mark Oaten was shown around his host Cathy's house and disguested by the mould growing on the walls and terrible living conditions. He immediately moved into action, going outside with Cathy to try and get people to sign a petition to get something done. He began talking to a couple where the women didn't vote because politicians "don't listen" and the man voted for the BNP after switching from Labour because they "actually give a voice to a white person". He assures Oaten that he isn't racist whatsoever, a quality often assumed of supporters of the BNP, saying that many of his best friends are "coloured" and that "we're all human".

What was instantly made clear from this episode is the lack of understanding on both sides: the public have little awareness of what politicians are doing and politicians have little awareness of what the public are going through. It is therefore a two sided problem that will require the efforts of both sides to be resolved.

What also struck me as interesting was that the Labour MP, the party of the working class people, was the least willing to compromise. He didn't want to change into the new clothes, he brought his wife, he got his own council flat, brought expensive artwork and such with him and one night he and his wife went to dinner with rich friends.

Towards the end of the episode, you find out that Iain Duncan Smith found out his wife had cancer and had to pull out of the show. Asked what he thinks of what is going to come, he said "the other MPs will have to accommodate a whole other set of horizons. They are used to being the centre of attention in Parliament...suddenly they will see that they are in an area where most of the people there think that people like them will have forgotten them."

Well, to find out how true Smith's predictions are, you will have to read tomorrow when I post about the second episode!

The Iraq Inquiry in the UK

On the 15th June 2009 the Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that there would be an inquiry to “identify lessons that can be learned from the Iraq conflict”. The inquiry was officially launched on 30th July 2009. At the launch, the chairman of the inquiry Sir John Chilcot said that the inquiry “will consider the period from the summer of 2001 to the end of July 2009, embracing the run-up to the conflict in Iraq, the military action and its aftermath. We will therefore be considering the UK's involvement in Iraq, including the way decisions were made and actions taken, to establish what happened and to identify the lessons that can be learned. Those lessons will help ensure that, if we face similar situations in future, the government of the day is best equipped to respond to those situations in the most effective manner in the best interests of the country."

This inquiry highlights the British public’s displeasure at the decision to go to war in Iraq and seems to be our chance to point the blame and dish out the punishments. In 2009, six out of ten people thought that UK troops shouldn’t have gone to Iraq. “This [inquiry] is our chance to get justice for all those poor soldiers that died in a war that shouldn’t have happened” said one member of the public. In 2003, 46,000 British army personnel were sent to Iraq. Iraqi Mohammed Nayyef, 19, said that many soldiers “were really trying to help and they are friendly but some were terrified in Iraq”. 179 British service personnel were killed between 2003 and 2009.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians also died over the same period. Nayyef, who lives in the capital city Baghdad, says that seeing all of the dead bodies “gives you more of a sense for life and flavours it with a bit of sadness”. The majority of deaths have been caused by a high number of suicide bombers in the cities. The most recent event at writing was five days ago; a car bomb that killed eleven and hurt twenty in the city of Ramadi. Fifteen days before that, at least twenty pilgrims were killed on their way to a religious festival in a suicide attack in the city of Karbala and two days before that a female suicide bomber killed at least 41 people and injured over 100. In the Iraqi population it would be difficult to find someone who hasn’t lost a friend or relative and near on impossible to find someone in the cities that hasn’t seen a dead body.

The justifications for the Iraq war began 11 months before, when then Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons that "Saddam Hussein's regime is despicable, he is developing weapons of mass destruction, and we cannot leave him doing so unchecked. He is a threat to his own people and to the region and, if allowed to develop these weapons, a threat to us also." Later that year, Blair made the infamous claim that “Iraq has chemical and biological weapons, that Saddam has continued to produce them, that he has existing and active military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, which could be activated within 45 minutes." This 45 minute claim became controversial after months of searching for weapons in Iraq were unsuccessful and people began to question whether there were actually any WMD (weapons of mass destruction). Two years later during a different inquiry over the war, Blair said “it seems increasingly clear that at the time of invasion, Saddam did not have stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons ready to deploy."

A few months later, Blair changed his position and gave the justification for the war being to end Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq: “The world is a better place with Saddam in prison not in power." Saddam Hussein was President of Iraq for over 20 years and was known for being “the most hated Arab leader”. According to an exiled Iraqi diplomat, "Saddam is a dictator who is ready to sacrifice his country, just so long as he can remain on his throne in Baghdad." When he came into power, Hussein started as he meant to go on by putting to death dozens of his rivals. In the years of his regime, Baghdad authorities tortured and killed opponents of the regime. When asked if this was true, Saddam responded “Of course. What do you expect if they oppose the regime?” Saddam imposed his authority through a terror which went far beyond the arrest and execution of opponents. He used chemical weapons on the Kurdish people of Iraq and put down a Shi’ia rebellion by flattening entire towns and draining the marshlands of water. After running away when the war began, Saddam Hussein was found in the cellar of a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit on 14th December 2003. On 5th November 2006 he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging, which took place on December 30th 2006. Nayyef says that “greater good was made” as although “[the war] needed lots of sacrifice, that war was needed. People were suffering more from Saddam.”

If it had been shown that there were no WMD in 2004 and Saddam Hussein was executed in 2006, why did the UK only end combat operations in Iraq on April 30th 2009? While there are many conspiracy theories related to ex- US President George Bush wanting to use Iraq’s rich oil resource, in 2006 Blair said that this war was part of a wider global struggle between “democracy and violence” and enhanced the ideas of making Iraq a democratic country. However it has come out in the Iraq inquiry that there was a serious lack of planning for what would happen in the aftermath of the Iraq invasion. Thousands of Iraqis died in the months after the invasion as law and order broke down in many parts of the country. Although US officials listened to UK ideas about post-war planning, their input was largely ignored. A Foreign Office official said that “[US officials] had a touching faith that...everybody would be grateful and dancing in the streets and there would be really be no further difficulty. And then the Iraqis would somehow magically take over and restore their state to the democratic state it should be in.” Despite this, Nayyef says many positive things have come out of the war “like freedom and the Iraqis are starting to breathe again. Kids grow up without fears of the future like before” however he admits that there are still many problems with “war destruction, lack of security and terrorism. But Iraq is recovering now”.

It is clear that many mistakes were made with this war and “lessons” certainly do need to be learnt, but is this “shoulda, woulda, coulda” attitude really going to improve things? On a political level, it is important to make sure that no future Prime Minister can ever send the UK to war when so many people are against it. But what about on a social level? What about the people of Iraq? When asked about teenage life in Iraq Nayyef, who is a first year medical student at the medical school of Baghdad, said “being a teenager is a very hard thing in normal situations, so imagine how it is here. Teens can lose faith very easily and grow up in despair. It’s harder here to raise a child because the environment is altered in many ways but we can also say that it’s getting better. Everyday life is getting normal and that’s good!” Surely now our focus should be on the people of Iraq, in particular the youth who deserve, after years of terror and turmoil, an opportunity to grow up in a peaceful society. It’s time to give the Iraqi youths a world where their biggest worry is not whether they will live to see tomorrow, but whether their hair looks OK.

What do you think about the Iraq Inquiry? What do you think about the Iraq War? Are you living in Iraq? Do you know any soldiers in Iraq? Leave a comment and let us know!

British Culture: Dance - The Skank

Information taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skank_(dance)

Skanking is a form of dancing practiced in the ska, ska punk, hardcore punk, reggae, grime, dub, dubstep and other music scenes.

The dance style originated in the 1950s or 1960s at Jamaican dance halls, where ska music was played. British mods and skinheads of the 1960s adopted these types of dances and altered them. The dancing style was revived during the 1970s/1980s 2 Tone era, and has been adopted by some individuals in the hardcore punk subculture. Ska skanking consists of a “running man” motion of the legs to the beat while alternating bent-elbow fist-punches, left and right.[2] The punk version features a sharp striking out look with the arms, and is sometimes used in moshing to knock around others doing the same. The striking out with the arms while traveling in a circle is also common in psychobilly "wrecking." Skanking may also be performed in a circle and is commonly known as a "Skank Pit".

The term "skanking" has also been used to refer to a style of rhythm guitar playing employed frequently in reggae music as part of the actual rhythm section, commonly misconceived as a regular up stroke across all six strings of the guitar on every other beat of the measure.

Today, the skank is an extremely popular dance among young people in the UK and has become the focus of many songs such as Migraine Skank, Swine Flu Skank and Tribal Skank.

Click here to watch videos of different skanks!

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson

Question:

Describe an individual that you greatly admire. Discuss the qualities that make this person so exceptional.

The individual that I greatly admire is Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. Dr. Dyson encompasses many qualities that make him exceptional such as noticing social ills, vocabulary, and his conviction. It is very rare that a teen finds an exceptional role model that commands attention when he enters a room. It is this presence that attracts thousands of people to his lectures and oratorical interviews.

Dr. Dyson fights for equality. During his lectures sometimes he may talk about African-Americans and their roles of today’s society or the concept of segregation in today’s society. The overall message that is gathered is that we has human people should treat each other with respect. The messaged is portrayed through his actions and his eloquence as he speaks.

In his other lectures he may talk about hip hop and how its degrading today’s society. It is obvious to see that children today are turning to hip hop as an outlet for their pain and the ticket to their dream. Too many times do these children lose their sights reasonable attainable goals such as becoming doctors, lawyers, executives, financial advisors and etc. Hip hop is taking away young peoples potential for greatness since it only portrays young women as whores and young men as impudent womanizers. Dr. Dyson advocates for rappers and singers to promote a positive image so that young people could do great things. Dr. Dyson believes that if this type of social behavior persists that America will be on a downward spiral to oblivion.

Dr. Dyson is an eloquent speaker. Dr. Dyson speaks with poise, dignity, and conviction. When Dr. Dyson speaks it is very profound that you can’t help but notice he is a great representation of African-Americans. For example when Dr. Dyson speaks he speaks with conviction that connects with the audience. It is this connection that allows people to understand and assist in fighting for his cause. For example, Dr. Dyson says “It is very important for me to deliver my message to students and faculty at this great institution of American society because it is the ideas and thoughts of these young people that are going to shape society in the future.” I interpret this quote as Dr. Dyson stressing the importance of education and positive images. He is stressing the importance of young people learning since they are the future of America. America’s future should be bright and secure in oppose to dark and exposed.

Cortez A., U.S.

Letter to Arne Duncan

This is a letter I wrote when I was in 8th grade. It is regarding school segregation. I felt that it should post it since I am feeling a resurgence of activism.

Cortez A. ,US

Arne Duncan July 17, 2006

CEO of Chicago Public Schools

Central Office

Chicago, IL 60603

Dear Mr. Arne Duncan,

My name is Cortez Alexander and I am a 14 year old ninth grade student at Jane Doe Magnet School. I recently graduated from an John Doe Elementary School on Chicago’s Westside. A few weeks ago we were having an in class discussion about school segregation. From this discussion I have concluded that schools are still segregated. Segregation is when there is only one ethnic group in a facility.

School segregation is currently done now because of segregated residential areas. Due to the fact many African Americans live in segregated areas, we are now stuck in segregated schools. There should be some way to allow students to attend schools out of their area. It may also be necessary to look into why Chicago continues to be one of the most segregated cities in America.

The difference between now and the past is that it was involuntary. When segregation was legal, kids did not have a chance to interact with different ethnic groups. They had to sit there and miss learning about different cultures. Now that segregation is illegal, it seems kids cannot interact with different ethnic groups.

Segregation has made a negative impact on today’s youth. There were countless children marching for the change of segregation. That tells me if we want change, we as children are going to have to act on the problem. Which brings me to my next question why are schools still segregated, and what will it take for them to become truly integrated?

British Music: Grime - Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk

Tinchy Stryder is from Bow, East London, and is a leading member of the crew Ruff Sqwad. He was also listed as a member of the crew Roll Deep with artists like Wiley and Dizzee Rascal. He had 2 number 1's in 2009 with the songs Number 1, featuring N Dubz and Never Leave You featuring Amelle from the Sugarbabes.


Chipmunk is a grime MC from Tottenham, North London and is regarded as one of the grime scenes best talents, having released 3 mixtapes and 2 promos by 17.

British Music: Grime - Bashy

Bashy is one of the UK's biggest rising grime stars but even as his music career grows, he continues to drive the 114 bus.

British Music: Grime

All information taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grime_(music)

Grime is a genre of urban music which first emerged in Bow, East London in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall and hip hop.

According to Sasha Frere-Jones, writer for The New Yorker, grime has developed a fierce sound by "distilling" rhythms to a minimal style resulting in a choppy, off-center sound. Whereas hip hop is inherently dance music, Sasha argues that "grime sounds as if it had been made for a boxing gym, one where the fighters have a lot of punching to do but not much room to move. She also states that grime has maintained a style unique from American hip-hop with clear Jamaican and Caribbean influences.

Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and Wiley, all members of Roll Deep, were among the first to bring the genre to the attention of the mainstream media in 2003. Grime has received exposure from television stations including Channel U, Logan Sama's show on London station Kiss FM and the BBC's youth oriented digital radio station 1Xtra.

Grime is a cross-pollinated genre taking influence from a variety of different cultural styles as well as musical ones and is therefore in many respects considered to be underground music, even after mainstream exposure. It exists in a largely informal economy in which most artists make their debuts on independently-produced battle DVDs that, like mixtapes are sold out of barbershops and make their way around the city. Even though grime is very popular in the UK, many recording labels have yet to acknowledge its presence as a genre that can compete in the global market. There is a perception that international major labels don't understand the value of grime, as DJ Semtex, an A&R for Def Jam Recordings and also Dizzee Rascal's J says "the biggest conflict I have is with major labels because they still don't get it."

Besides its creative and innovative music style, another contributing factor of its rapid and widespread growth in popularity is that the MC's producing current grime music are overwhelmingly young as a group. The most well known names in the industry, such as Dizzee Rascal and Kano both got their first hits at age 16 and the resultant package of "youth making music for youth" is seen as a crucial factor for Grime's success.

The grime scene has encountered some criticism, especially from government officials like ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett who in 2003 called rap lyrics "appalling" or former minister Kim Howells' statement that grime artists were helping to create a culture "where killing is almost a fashion accessory". Howells went even deeper into the issue, making comments that grime supporters claimed to find "deeply racist", referring to popular artists and crews as "boasting macho idiot rappers". While the government offers one point of view, the artists and listeners offer another. In an article by Jeff Chang in The Village Voice, Dizzee Rascal's often violent and sexual lyrics are heralded as "capturing, encapsulating and preserving" the life that he and his peers live on the streets every day.

Watch some grime videos here:

Bashy

Tinchy Stryder

Chipmunk

Wiley

Dizzee Rascal

Skepta

JME

Devlin

Roll Deep

Boy Better Know

What do you think about grime music? Leave a comment and let us know!