Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

Henley Royal Regatta 2010

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Henley is one of England’s beauty spots and the Henley Royal Regatta is one of the highlights of the social season. As well as a wonderful sporting event it is also a wonderful day out all on it’s own. The Pimms, the rowing, the hats. It smacks of old England in a quieter, more refined time. Henley is like teleporting to the past.

As well as the rowing you can have a wonderful lunch at the seafood restaurant, go to the exclusive Leander club, see some fireworks, go to Temple Island and go to one of the parties held later on. Be warned though – any dress not completely below the knee, or any men not wearing ties, will not be admitted to the Stewards enclosure. Also, bring cash and sun lotion.

Myself and my companion watched the rowing from the Stewards enclosure. Cheering on racers from as far and wide as Princeton and Japan. If you are into rowing you will be in heaven. The best of the best come to Henley. I had a great time. The Henley Regatta is class personified. I am also now a proud owner of a pink hippo. The Leander club mascot.

Other things to see:
The Fireworks -on Saturday night, starting at 10pm.

The Henley Festival. You could stay on and catch this if you are having fun.

The Regatta Ball – This is one of the social highlights and is in support of a charity each year. <http://www.cavendish-hospitality.co.uk/events/ data/ Henley_Regatta_Ball.html

Temple Island. Beautiful spot. http://hrr.co.uk/pdisp.php?pid=8

History
Henley Regatta was first held in 1839 and has been held annually ever since, except during the two World Wars. Originally staged by the Mayor and people of Henley as a public attraction with a fair and other amusements, the emphasis rapidly changed so that competitive amateur rowing became its main purpose.
 
The 1839 Regatta took place on a single afternoon but proved so popular with oarsmen that the racing lasted for two days from 1840. In 1886 the Regatta was extended to three days and to four in 1906. Since 1928 its increased popularity meant entries exceeded the permitted numbers in several events, and so Qualifying Races are now held in the week before the Regatta to reduce the number of entries to the permitted maximum. In 1986 the Regatta was extended to five days, with an increase in the maximum entry for certain events.
 
 Royal Patronage
In 1851 H.R.H. Prince Albert became the Regatta’s first Royal Patron. Since the death of The Prince Consort, the reigning Monarch has always consented to become Patron. This patronage means the Regatta can be called Henley Royal Regatta.
 
During the course of its history, the Regatta has often been honoured by visits of members of the Royal Family, of which the most recent was that of H.R.H. The Princess Royal in 1999.

For tickets and more information. http://www.hrr.co.uk/pdisp.php?pid=5

Tools for actors: Performer Track review {Careers}

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An actor’s life is often stressful. With so many auditions, agents, jobs and people in your life. Trying to keep track seems impossible.

This is why I am glad to have come across an amazing organisational tool for actors: Performer Track. With different sections, you can keep track of all of your auditions, contacts, agents and bookings. Although US based, Performer Track works just as well for actors all over the world.

One of my favourite features is income and expenses. It can seem impossible as an actor to keep track of your income as it comes from so many different expenses. Keeping track of tax deductible expenses is just as hard. With Performer track you can put in all of your expenses occurred for every job. You can also find out what agents are good and which ones are not working by keeping track of all the jobs they get you. It is important as an actor to realise that your agents, managers and publicity people work for you. Performers track let’s you know who is propelling your career and who is not working for their percentage.

It let’s you keep track of what you were wearing to each audition, who was in the room and what they said. It let’s you map things to find out where you are going. It takes a chaotic, paper heavy career and makes it simple and easy.

It allows you to be the best CEO you can be of your acting brand. The mistake actors make is that they see themselves just as artists. Researching casting directors, directors and the projects you are working on will give you the edge you need in an overcrowded market with ever-dwindling jobs. Try it. You won’t be disappointed.

Do you want to Interview David Beckham? Here is your chance

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The World Interviews David Beckham Live Only on Yahoo!

Yahoo! calls upon its 600 million users around the world to ask the global sporting icon their ultimate question in an exclusive interview

If you could ask David Beckham one question, what would you ask him and why?

Yahoo! is today asking Beckham fans this very question as it prepares to host a unique global interview. The interview will take place in London at 2.30pm BST on July 14th and connect fans simultaneously by video from 20 other countries around the world. Over 90 minutes, David will then take quickfire questions from around the globe.

Yahoo! is calling upon its nearly 600 million global users to submit a question on Yahoo! Answers . David will then answer, live, the winning questions from each of the 20 participating countries.

The interview will be streamed live worldwide on Yahoo!, and viewers will have the opportunity to submit their own questions live during the event through Yahoo! Mail, Beckham’s Facebook page, the Yahoo! World Football Facebook page and Twitter.

David Beckham said: “It’s always great interacting with fans, but I’ve never been part of an interview quite like this – being able to take questions direct from people in 20 different countries across five continents. It’s definitely a first for me.”

The global interview will involve fans from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, India and Dubai. Fans from each country will interact with David Beckham through video utilising Cisco’s TelePresence high definition video suites.

Earlier this month, David Beckham signed a global sponsorship deal to serve as Yahoo!’s Global Sports Ambassador. The partnership brings together the world’s largest online media company and the world’s most iconic sports star to offer exclusive content only found on Yahoo! for Yahoo!’s coverage of the World Cup and the 2010/11 football season.

“At Yahoo!, our vision is to be the centre of people’s online lives, and we do this through delivering unique, personally relevant content found nowhere else,” said Andrew Cocker head of Yahoo marketing in Britain. “David Beckham is one of those iconic personalities that captivates people – whether you are a football fan or not. He is the perfect partner for us because he is relevant to our users globally, and this is their chance to get up close to him like never before.”

Submit a question for David Beckham on Yahoo! Answers

Frank Huzur on Imran Khan, Jemima, the Taleban and writing.

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I was delighted to interview writer Frank Huzur recently. Frank specializes in Indo-Pak political affairs and is incredibly knowledgeable on India, the Afghanistan war and the Taleban. He has a book coming out soon, Imran versus Imran: The UNTOLD STORY, the biography of Imran Khan.

Frank had this to say about the book and then the interview follows:

It has not been a smooth journey across the border. For an Indian national, irrespective of profession-media is more notorious in India-Pakistan for stoking the fire of jingoism and sowing the seed of hatred—it is always a thorny affair to travel to each country. I somehow have been fortunate to visit Pakistan seven times in three years. Writing the biography of Imran Khan was, indeed, a powerful motivation. Nevertheless, travelling through different areas, Lahore, Mianwali (ancestral place of Imran Khan and his political constituency) and Islamabad–was always a tough ask, considering the combustible political situation on streets. Terror attacks, hundreds of them–quite big in size and casualty, have hit high profile targets, some of them during my visit.

Irrespective of everything, I maintained my focus on the goal, and returned each time armed with a vast range of anecdotes and impressions of Imran Khan and Pakistan politics. People of Pakistan have been very beholden to my literary endeavour and have never discouraged me from probing further into their lives and times.

Imran and his family and friends were very warm and friendly during numerous round of interviews for the biography. His brother-in-law and sisters in Lahore were candid in sharing their side of the story.

Jemima Khan in London was equally considerate and beholden to my requests. She was very forthright in sharing her impressions of Imran. I am indebted to her for taking the interview at her Studio One apartment, Fulham Broadway in April, 2008.

1) How did you get into writing?

FH: I discovered as early as in 8th grade at school that writing was my natural instinct. The urge to write began with composition of poems in English. Reading of Wordsworth’s poems, I wandered lonely as a Cloud, The Solitary Reaper, Strange Fits of Passion have I known romanticised my imagination. By the time I was a school graduate at the age of 15, I tasted blood with the publication of some of my poems on the New Delhi-based English dailies, including The Asian Age. I was in love with the romantic age in English literature, and doted on the Lyrical Ballads, a joint publication of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Before taking a maiden shot at playwriting, I had composed over 100 poems under the title of Remembering Her. When I joined Hindu college, Delhi University in 1995, poetic sentiments found expression in prose and play. In summer of 1998, I published my maiden play, Hitler in Love with Madonna. The title of the play was dubbed weird by friends, and critics were attracted like moth to the lamp during rehearsal itself. However, it brought me a fair share of public acclaim in the national press, for its political undercurrents.

Poetry and play further fired my imagination to comment on the burning issues of society and politics. In the spring of 1997, I had the temerity to launch a monthly newsmagazine, Utopia, with heavy dose of political reportage from around the world. The inaugural issue of Utopia in March 1997 coincided with the political debut of Imran Khan across the border in Pakistan. Since then, political churning in the subcontinent and elsewhere continues to fire my imagination to dabble in chiefly three genre of literature, poetry, drama (fiction) and non-fiction. I am still a few years away from writing a novel.

2) You have written a lot about Imran Khan and have a book coming out soon about him. What can you tell us about him and why is he so fascinating to you?

FH: The fascination with Imran, to speak the truth, bordered on paranoia during school days. I was growing up in Patna, capital of a benighted state like Bihar in India, where cricket was staple diet. Throughout ‘80s Imran was a household name for apparent reasons. However, I found myself increasingly obsessed with the other side of his charismatic persona, such as his philanthropic passion, which was on display during the 1987 World cup semi-final in Lahore. Imran lost the battle against Aussies, announced his retirement and despite winning the car in the ‘Man of the Series’ award, he gifted it to Abdul Qadeer. He had already started a fierce campaign to build the cancer hospital in memoriam of his mother, Shaukat Khanum. I was a 10 years old cricket wannabe at the time. Still, I could experience the magic moments of Imran’s other side, a cricketer who was a crusader for a public cause and an opinionated sportsman who could talk for hours on issues of public interest. Gathering such impression of Imran in the face of prevailing media stereotype at the time like he was a playboy, junkie and Lothario was quite a unique experience. Doting on a superstar from across the border, supposedly an enemy country for an average Indian youth, was another surprise.

Nevertheless, Imran Khan was a ticket to hate-free zone vis-a-vis Indo-Pak barbed wire rivalry goes. He has never been an anti-India rhetorician.

The childhood obsession with Imran became a passionate act of observing his political innings in the prime of my youth as a writer and journalist. Visiting Pakistan for over half-a-dozen occasion in the past three years of troubled past opened my eyes to a vast sheaf of reality bites. Not only about the man who has been deep into maelstrom of his political struggle and movement for justice, but also about the bedevilled country, mired into morass of bad political morals.

My biography of Imran Khan, Imran Versus Imran: The Untold Story (expected last week of July, 2010, Falcon & Falcon Books Ltd. London) is an unambiguous enquiry into his political innings. This is not about a cricketing legend. Imran versus Imran brings out the so far unknown sides of a legendary crusader who has sacrificed on several fronts, including his marriage to Jemima, children living in London while he braves the heat and dust on Pakistani streets, luxury of cloistered life in the West and a lucrative career in cricket administration or commentary box. Like a Sufi who lives by his passion and instinct for a cause, Imran has been an Avant-garde voice against the status-quo in Pakistan.

3) What do you think is next for Imran?

FH: Imran will not fade out in the present avatar. Those who know the former captain of Pakistan cricket team will testify to his childlike lust for grabbing his toy. Capturing power is not his agenda. Power doesn’t please him, which is why he has been quick in rejecting several offer of alliances with nearly all the political formations. He could have won a good number of seats in February 2008 Parliamentary elections. Yet he listened to the voice of his conscience and boycotted the polls as a tribute to lawyers’ struggle for restoration of Independent judiciary.

Like Jemima told me, even if Imran doesn’t succeed in electoral terms, he will remain a yardstick by which honesty of a politician in mud pond of Pakistan politics will be measured. However, Imran will not give up. The youth of the country are solidly behind him, and he is promising them a ‘bloodless revolution.’ Imran will go down even in his political innings a successful crusader. Even though he is still not a maverick and a great organiser of political programmes, he does stand his chance. He is gearing up to go for jugular sometime in near future.

Having said that, Imran Khan is a unique politician who is rabidly against the American policies and on-going drone attacks in the tribal areas, not to mention a series of suicide bombings targeting civilian population in Lahore and elsewhere. Imran will not soften his anti-America stand in order to capture power. He wants to create history like Ayatollahs in Pakistan, and he doesn’t give damn to those who accuse him of being a ‘devil advocate’ of Taleban.

4) What do you think of the current political and economical situation of the world today?

FH: The world politics is on the brink of tectonic shift in its scope and character. Forces of privatization and globalisation are under intense scrutiny in nearly all the countries, be it the USA, Europe, Latin America or Indian Sub-continent. The economic crisis, in the past couple of years, has robbed the crystal ball gazing off its sheen.

Europe is experiencing a paradigm shift vis-a-vis confrontation with corporate state. The upsurge in stocks of Liberal Democrat in the British Parliamentary elections is a testimony to the ‘wind of change blowing in the air.’ In Germany, there is a surge of support for Die Linke (The Left) led by Oskar Lafontaine. In Nederland, the Socialist party is looking set to replace the Labour Party as the principal opposition party. Greece’s economic woes have triggered a massive surge in mass support for the rapid rise of the Coalition of the Radical Left. Spain and Norway, Socialists are already entrenched in power corridor. Least said the better about the Latin American countries like Bolivia, Venezuela, Brasil and others where socialist sentiments have acquired a zing even among youth.

In Indian subcontinent, love affairs with corporations continues and it will have its moment of reckoning in near future. Though the ruling party, Indian National Congress is a centrist party, its policies of late have been hammered on public streets for extreme pro-corporation bias. The principal opposition party led by Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is not perceived much different from the ruling coalition of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). However, a vast crowd of poor Indians, especially in northern provinces of Hindi heartland where majority of Indians live on their small agricultural holdings, are veering towards the third alternative, socialist party of India. Samajwadi Party, (Socialist Party of India) is the third largest political bloc on the floor of Indian Parliament. Over the past couple of years, the party is registering massive inroads into hearts and minds of common Indians under the vibrant leadership of its young leader, Akhilesh Yadav, who is a suave, English-educated master in Environment from University of Sydney. Akhilesh is the principal rival to Rahul Gandhi’s juggernaut in the most populous province of Uttar Pradesh, and probably a counterfoil to Rahul Gandhi’s premier ambition to rule the highly-cherished state.

The politics across the border in Pakistan is a worrying sign for us all in the sub-continent. However, the transfer of power from President Zardari to Prime Minister Gilani and recent surge in judicial activism augurs well for fledgling civil institutions in the beleaguered nation, which has been an important ally of the USA-led coalition against war on terror. Imran Khan’s role can’t be discounted, as he has fired the imagination of Pakistani people over pros and cons of democracy and dictatorship.

In all, President Obama is yet to demonstrate his famous ‘audacity of hope’ calibre, and as of now, he is looking like an Ostrich over Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrytal’s unceremonious exit is a serious setback to the American strategy in Kabul.

5) Do you think the war in Afghanistan is winnable?

FH: There are no winners in war, whether in Afghanistan or Vietnam. For centuries, the Great Game theory has been pounded of its barest bone and flesh in the opium fields of Kandhar. The Soviets were sucked into interminable conflict and by the time realisation dawned upon them, they had become paupers in every conceivable way. The USA and Britain didn’t learn a lesson from the condemned past before committing chaotic blunder after blunder.

The Taleban should have been taken out of their hideouts. Nine years later, the army of rugged Pathans are now lurking at gates of Kabul. Nine years of bloated and arrogant war machinery has created only mausoleum of thousands of innocent Afghan men, women and children, over 1,000 American soldiers and over 100 British soldiers, not to mention tragic loss of NATO soldiers and a great number of promising journalists, including Daniel Pearl. Had the war on terror in Afghanistan been on the course of achieving even ten percent of its laid-out objectives, Taleban would not have mushroomed in the tribal areas of Pakistan and bombing its innocent civilians and military General Headquarters.

Adding further insult to injuries, the cost of Afghan war has overtaken that of Iraq for the first time this summer. President Obama is committing $65 billion more, with total cost of fighting the Taleban and Al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan all set to zoom past $100 billion in 2010 alone.

The Afghan war is a catastrophic blunder on all fronts. Just as the Soviet’s humiliating withdrawal destabilised the neighbouring regions, the prevailing situation on the border of Pakistan bodes ill for even eastern neighbourhood of India.

6) What is your writing schedule?

FH: Writing is a spontaneous process for me. I never plan my writing schedule. However, I am a night animal, and prefer to borrow more from arterial stretches of imagination late into the night. The midnight hours are more simulating as the din of daytime robs me off creative cultivation of thoughts.

7) Do you think it is possible to defeat the Taliban?

FH: Taleban is a stateless phenomenon. Which is why it is difficult to root these faceless warriors out for once and all. Taleban is an idea, and a vampire-like creation out of the monstrous cocktail of Jihadi ideology and distorted interpretation of Islam. If the Western powers commit to fight the idea of Taleban, only then its elimination is possible. Liberal and democratic forces should be encouraged to penetrate into the deep pockets of extremist heartland where young, impressionable minds are being indoctrinated to slaughter innocents of the civilised society.

8 ) India is known as a place where people go to find themselves. What makes India so magical?

FH: India is not just a place populated with people of diverse faiths and caste-ridden Hindu population. India’s secret weapon is her tenacity, ability to smile in face of fierce tragedy. There are islands of poverty in every single metropolis, not to mention hundreds of small towns and millions of villages, yet beauty of India cuts through rivers of sorrow as millions of Indians rise and fall in their perennial search for salvation. Every Hindu caste Indian has his own deities, his own temple where he believes his deity will rain milk and honey if he surpass other fellows in his offerings. Spiritual fascism of high priests apart, there are many portals of liberating one’s soul. The vastness of the country offers its own aesthetic beauty where a person from northern temple town of Benares will find himself alien in the southern temple city of Tirupati in lingua and look, yet a northerner and southerner will be united in their common pursuits of salvation at the feet of stone-deity.

India is home to more Muslims than Pakistan, and its secular, democratic polity has endured powerful assaults over the fabric of its communal accord. However, the land of mystic seers and shrines is in the grip of difficult challenges, of late as terrorism of all shades rears its ugly head.

9) What is next for you?

FH: I am about to write a couple of more biographies, preferably a biography of India’s socialist titan, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has ruled India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh three times and has also been ex-defense minister. I am also working on the biography of Britain’s top Muslim, Dr Khurshid Ahmed, who is winner of CBE from the Queen, for his pivotal role in improving the image of West in Muslim countries. In addition, I am also working on my debut novel, albeit a tad slow.

Thank you Frank.

For more on Frank, follow the link

Acting Advice. { The Film Set | Catherine Balavage }

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I started my acting career when I was 14, doing a play with the youth theater. I have since gone on to work with Martin Scorsese, Madonna, Stephen Poliakoff and Gurinda Chadra. After the 2000th person -or so it feels- asked me for acting advice I thought I should write this article and then I decided to write a book. The book on how to be a successful actor, How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur, is out now.

Well, that and the dawning realisation that I have been doing this for years. Here it is. Hope it helps you along in an incredibly difficult career.

1) A good headshot. I recommend Diego Indraccolo. He is amazing and does mine. Find him here: http://www.diego.indraccolo.com/

2) A Spotlight entry. Essential. You are invisible without it.

3) A good response to the question ‘What have you been doing lately?’ Not ‘temping’ or ‘watching TV’ something interesting that makes your life sound exciting. Even if the only thing you have been doing is watching daytime TV.

4a) Joining acting sites like Casting Call Pro, Mandy.com, Shooting People and Castweb. http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/view.php?uid=44261

I am on all of them and not only do I get jobs but I can also ask for advice and it gives me a sense of community. Essential for an actor as our job can be very isolating.

4b) A good clear, concise covering letter that is not generic.

5) A good CV. Leave out damaging information like your age and put playing range instead. DO NOT LIE. The industry is tiny.

6) Being Pro-active. Do your own work. Write. Get seen.

7) Networking. Do this as much as possible. Not just to get jobs but so you know people in the same business.

8 ) An Agent. Not easy but they can get you castings you will not be able to. It is possible to have a career without one but you will need one eventually. I love mine.

9) Be well groomed at all times. You are a business. No one wants to work with an actor who smells or who can not look after themselves. Also: be nice or you will probably never work again.

10) Only do it if you can not do anything else. It is the hardest, most competitive industry you can go into. Your chances of success are tiny. If that has not deterred you then go for it!

11) Equity membership. It validates you. You will get insurance and discounts. If someone does not pay you – which keeps happening to me! – they will sue them for you. http://www.equity.org.uk/

12) Don’t be an a**hole. Nobody wants to work with an a**hole.

13) Turn up, be on time, be professional. Know your lines. All of this matters. Work begets work. I always see someone I have previously worked with on jobs now.

14) Keep training. Learn different accents. Read plays. Do pilates. You have to keep yourself in tip-top condition.

To read more on my adventures go to http://balavage.wordpress.com/

Break a leg!

How to stay street – savvy by John Collier – Keywood

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If new reports are to be believed then most people are probably afraid of becoming a victim of crime. It is a sad fact that many people get a kick out of preying on the weak but contrary to common beliefs there are many different things you can do to keep safe out on the streets. Junior Smart of the SOS Gangs Project offers the following advice to any young person who desires to be street savvy:

1.Walk with assertion – Even if you’re just out for a jog or to get some exercise, walk with confidence and intent and more importantly know where you are going. Walk upright, take your hands out of your pockets, and look where you’re going, not down at the pavement. This sends a strong signal of confidence and assertiveness. If you are walking aimlessly or an in an unfamiliar environment you stick out like a tourist and hence can be seen as a potential victim.

2.Only have what you really need– Are you heavy laden down with big name brands? You know what we mean – Monsoon, New Look, Topshop, Miss Selfridge? Does your purse or wallet stand out? If so you are an easy target. Instead when you ‘Next’ go out only take necessities and what you really need with you. Only take the important things like keys, identification and money. Try to avoid taking big wads of cash with you, instead take a debit card, which you can cancel quickly if it goes missing. What do you mean you feel naked? At least you will be a lot more safe.

3.Have success in your dress – Bags and holdall’s slung over one shoulder are easy to snatch. If you must carry a purse, sling it crosswise over your body. If you have long hair, avoid wearing it in a ponytail or in a braided way that trails behind you. If you must wear them, drape it over your shoulder to the front. The same rule applies if you’re wearing a scarf—try not to trail the ends behind you…and no matter how ‘street you feel’ avoid wearing hoods that obstruct your peripheral vision.

4.Have 60 60 vision – You have to be observant of your surroundings. Know what’s going on, where you are and what everybody is doing. Put your multi-tasking ability to the test and at the same time avoid looking like a nutcase. People who display an awareness of their surroundings are much less of a target.

5.More than a feeling – The hairs on your neck is the best radar – If you feel unsafe, go with the instinct. Change your route slightly or cut your walk short, if possible. A great tip if you can is to make a phone call while you walk. You’re far less of a target when you’ve got someone with you on your walk—even if they’re just on the phone.

6.Remember you are not to blame – If you become a victim of a crime. It is very easy to blame yourself, think of things you could have done differently or even beat yourself up mentally. Please remember though you are never to blame. Take time out, think things through rationally, call the police and speak to someone you can trust. People who prey on the weak rely on their silence. Don’t be the quiet voice.

Mobile phones

Mobile phones are an amazing invention, used by pretty much everyone. They are a useful tool to catch up on gossip, twitter like mad, and go facebook crazy all at the same time. When you are out alone, you can let others know your whereabouts and they are also for your own peace of mind. However, unfortunately they are also an easy target for street robbers – 38% of all robberies involve the theft of a mobile phone.
What can you do to keep your phone safe when you’re out and about!!!

Use a PIN code to lock your phone.

Make a note of the mobile’s serial number – you can find it by typing *#06# on your phone. The serial number can help to track the mobile if it’s ever stolen.

Register your mobile phone at www.immobilise.com

Be aware if you are walking and texting at the same time – you need to keep alert!

Security mark your phone with a postcode and house number. The best place to do this is underneath the battery near to the SIM card.

Keep your phone out of sight and safe. Many mobiles are stolen in public places like cinemas, pubs and nightclubs when they are left on a bar, table or on a seat.

Only give your number to your friends.

Avoid using your phone in the street and try and keep it on silent or vibrate so you don’t draw attention to yourself.
If someone is prepared to hurt you to get your phone, let them have it. It’s easier to replace the phone than you!

St Giles Trust: SOS Project. Creating Positive Futures by rehabilitating young offenders.

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‘Young Person (18) stabbed’ ‘16 year old girl robbed at gun point’ ‘Knives have become a fashion accessory among teenagers’ ‘Young person killed in cross fire’

It seems we can’t escape shocking headlines that are becoming standard fare for society’s media. If the headlines are to be believed then we are dealing with an issue that is out of control and one where there is no help or way out for young people involved.
According to recent Police reports there are around 200 gangs in London alone and according to a recent news report as many as 4 in ten young people have admitted to carrying a knife for protection.

Whilst this might be a gloomy picture there are projects out there that make a difference.
I spent the morning with Junior Smart; Team Leader for the ground breaking SOS Gangs Project under London Charity St Giles Trust to find out why his project is successful and what can be done to turn the tide concerning young people, gangs and violence.

Junior Smart is softly spoken thirty something male. An ex-gang member, his offence led to a ten year sentence inside prison and a meeting with St Giles which operate in a number of prisons around the country. Thanks to St Giles and initial funding by Southwark Council, The SOS Gangs project was born; the first complete ex-offender led project in the country. That was back in 2006, since then the project has been seen as best practice four years running and received critical acclaim. Even more importantly thanks to the project he set up around 300 young people involved in or at risk of gang involvement have seen their lives transformed as a result. This has earned him the nickname ‘the million dollar man’ by his contemporaries for the millions his project has potentially saved society.

He sits opposite me smiling – “Some people think that the best idea is to just lock these young people up, but they either forget or don’t know how much it actually costs. It costs around £40,000 to keep just one offender in custody for a year, multiply that by the current prison population (which is 86,000 and rising) and we literally are talking billions of pounds of tax payers money. When you think that 75% of young people who leave prison go on to re-offend within 2 years its just jaw dropping to think just how much money is wasted.

He chuckles – it actually costs more money to send a young person to prison than it does to send them to Eton college, can you believe it?”

I nod my head in absolute amazement; it is true that we are living in times where we are reminded consistently that there are cutbacks because every penny counts. But I am interested to know what the project is and how it works.

“SOS Gangs project is a tailor-made, holistic support scheme which is proactive in prisons and the communities” he explains, “Our core goal is to reduce re-offending by creating opportunities for change. We engage young people with the aim of helping them build realistic goals for the future and assist them to get back into education, training and employment. It needs to be tailor made because when you think about it, every individual has their own unique reasons for offending. It might be financial, it might be peer pressure, it might be grounded in their lack of self identity or embedded in where they live. The problem with common punitive punishments is that it adopts a blanket approach to all and never addresses any underlying issues, whereas with the project we take the offence as just a small part of a bigger picture.”

It is this core goal that has been the SOS Project’s prime area of achievement. In the four years that the project has been running over 300 young people have been reached with just 12% being recalled for further offences against the national average of 75%.

“Where there are underlying issues we address them, working with other agencies as necessary. So for example we might assist with helping them find accommodation or to move to a different area to get away from old associates, we might assist them in breaking free of their drug habits or in being violent to their partner.”

I am curious to know why the SOS project has succeeded
.
“I think our success has been down to a number of reasons, firstly we are completely ex-offender led, which always seems to be a bit taboo, but when you think about it, it makes absolute sense, who better to assist ex-offenders and young people than someone who has actually been there and done it, we are infinitely more credible because we know the challenges, and the pressures on young people; we know the terrain and its pitfalls. Secondly all the workers are passionate about what they do; they really care about making a difference. Finally we offer complete on-going support so our cases aren’t time bound. We are there until the needs are met.”

I ask about youth violence and gangs. Junior is quick to enlighten me. “I dislike the term ‘gang’ because of the way the media have blown it up out of proportion. Although the truth is quite serious, in reality it is not as bleak as the media would have us believe” he explains “for example it is not against the law to be in a gang, and in fact quite a few of the young people we work with don’t think that they are in anything more than a group of friends until things get out of hand. It’s then that they think they have no choice but to make a stand. So when we are working with young people what we are actually targeting their behaviour because it is that which creates the fear and the need to defend or protect. It is also that what creates the impression to the public that every group of young people on an estate or on the street is in a gang. The sad thing is just by fear alone a young person will carry a knife and then either end up arrested, with a criminal record or a worse still a victim.”

I ask if it possible that a perpetrator could also be a victim, Junior agrees “A lot of young people aren’t aware that around 60% of those that carry a knife end up stabbed with their own weapon. So when we work with clients, and in schools and communities we impart tools for young people to use on a daily basis for example around managing conflict so they are empowered to make better informed decisions.”

I ask about the recent headlines in the press. The room goes quiet, junior responds.
“It is the victims I feel really sorry for, it might be easy for cynics to think that because we are ex-offenders we are more on the side of the offender than anything else but that is simply not true. We do what we do to prevent victims. My first experience of crime was when I was just four years old and our home was burgled. I saw my mother go from being a top nurse to being a recluse in her own home. Part of me is infuriated at the way the system treats victims, it is almost as if they have an unspoken voice once an offender is arrested and, equally from an offenders perspective they never truly have to take into account the impact that their behaviour has had not just on people but on their community.” He looks at me seriously “it’s an understatement that not enough is being done, that’s why I am a big fan of alternatives such restorative justice and whenever possible we try to mediate on behalf of the client with the families and communities involved.”

So in this time of cuts does Junior think will there be any reduction with regard to the project I ask. Junior shrugs “You know, we are dealing with uncertain times and whilst we have been really fortunate that Southwark council and T2A have kept us going we are a charity and depend on the support of the people, charitable trusts and funds to stay where we are. It is really strange, because in times like this people always try and re-invent the wheel and instead of going with what works, they go with what does’nt. For me I am more concerned about the clients because if we are not here where do they go.”

Junior takes a strong look at the headlines and makes an acute point – “The problem is with the headlines is that it tends to make it very easy to forget that these are actually just young people. Someone’s son someone’s brother, uncle, sister or even father. Every time I hear or see a news report I am reminded of why I do what I do. These are young people with needs, with aspirations, just with the wrong motivation and they need our help.”

Case studies

Southwark case study

Client A – aged 22, this client is the eldest in a single parent family of two younger brothers.

Not typical of a criminal background this client did well at school and had ambitions of going to the army. He entered into pre-entry training in the armed forces at the age of 16. However during an exercise the client was caught in a fire and received serious burns to his hands and face. This had an emotional and psychological effect resulting in the client being medically discharged. The client became emotionally despondent and was diagnosed with depression. This became a catalyst for negative thinking and behaviour and subsequent drug use. Client A began to drift into negative circles and became involved in petty crime escalating to a street robbery, for which he received an 8 month prison sentence. He was released with no support, and then he committed another offence; burglary for which he received an 18 month prison sentence for which he was released January earlier this year. He came across the SOS Project through probation who had heard about our work. They who referred him to us because – like the last time he was released – he had no support networks and would yet again be homeless. They were also concerned that he would once more become involved in criminal activity and this time the seriousness would escalate. We began working with him in April; a credible mentor from SOS Project meeting him for the first time at his home. Since that time we have stabilised his living conditions by finding him permanent private rented accommodation. By working holistically and by networking with other agencies we engaged him with NACRO education and employment team to increase his employability skills. Client A has identified that he would like to go to college in September to study plumbing or computing. We are providing ongoing support to assist him in achieving this. Our SOS Project caseworker speaks to the Client 2-3 times a week, seeing him in person at least once a week. Our work with Client A continues and our focus with him is on self-empowerment and independent living. Client A attributes his turn around down to the caseworker he has working with him in his own words “if I didn’t have his support there is no way I would be where I am now”

Ashfield Case study – Client B

I met Client B on my first visit to Ashfield where he was serving his 2nd custodial sentence.

Prior to B’s first custodial sentence he was living with his step mother in south east London. Due to the nature of his first offence he was unable to return to the family home. Having never met his birth mother and an extremely troubled relationship with his father he was released with minimal support from social services. Post release Client B was homeless in an area where he knew no one and had very little support. As a consequence he re-offended and was given a custodial sentence. He was just 16 years of age at this time.

During his second custodial sentence he was granted his early release but with no accommodation he was unable to be released.

A second referral was made to children’s services which was returned. The case was finally accepted and Client B was found to be ‘a child in need’ by social services, which means that they were obliged to provide suitable Temporary Accommodation (T/A). So Client B was released without prior notification and told to report to his YOT where he was accommodated for the weekend.

Once his T/A had run out he was told to go to the Homeless Persons Unit to be housed as a homeless person. He was later found intentionally homeless and was offered no other help. He was provided with accommodation for one night by St Giles Trust.

Our SOS Ashfield worker consulted his solicitor and after which high court proceedings were started against the Local authority for them to find him as a child in need under sec.17 of the children’s act. The case was finally heard at the High Court and the local authority were found to be neglecting their duty of care and were order to provide Client B with suitable accommodation and support.

Client B has been working with the SOS project for nearly 9 months and is now attending college full time with aspirations of owning his own business one day.

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David Beckham World Cup interview. Exclusive to Yahoo! and Frost.

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Frost Magazine, in association with Yahoo! gets the inside scoop from David Beckham on England’s disappointing World Cup campaign and tells us which players have impressed him in South Africa.

What was your assessment of England at the World Cup?

We didn’t play at the level we knew that we were capable of. Over the four matches we weren’t good enough and regardless of the goal that never was, Germany played better than we did over the 90 minutes and deserved to go through. Having seen the lads in training, the spirit was good, everyone trained at a really high level, it was just disappointing we couldn’t transfer that onto the pitch. As a team, we have to learn from everything that’s happened, come back stronger and play to our potential.

What was the experience of watching from the bench like?

It was different and at times I wanted to get out onto the pitch and play! It was frustrating at times, but purely because I know what the players out on the pitch are capable of. I have to say the fans were unbelievable, like they always are. It must have been really tough, having spent the time and money they did and the team were so desperate to give them the success their support deserved.

Have your experiences in South Africa and the success of Diego Maradona given you the urge to take up coaching?

While I am flattered to be talked about as a coach and am always available for my country, whenever I am needed, I still see myself as a player and remain supportive of the manager. Diego has done a great job so far though and I wish him well.

Who do you think is in with a shout of winning the World Cup?

It’s a tough one, there are a few teams who are very closely matched and will be there or thereabouts. Argentina looked strong in qualifying from their group with three wins from three and are a potent attacking force with the likes of Messi, Tevez and Higuain. The Germans have such pedigree at World Cups and seem to get better as each tournament progresses. Brazil are Brazil, so you’d expect them to do well and maybe go on to the final. I love watching them play football, all the players are so relaxed and comfortable on the ball. I was lucky enough to play with a few in my career and they are without doubt some of the most skillful athletes.

My other two picks would be Netherlands and Spain. The Dutch have pace throughout their side and with Van Persie, Sneijder and Robben, they have potential match-winners. Spain, despite their shock defeat at the hands of Switzerland, are unbelievably strong all over the pitch. Villa is on red-hot form at the moment and if Torres starts scoring, they are going to be a handful for anyone. That’s before you consider Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Alonso, Fabregas, need I go on?

Which players have impressed you at the tournament so far?

With all the pressure on Messi, prior to the tournament, he’s been a star-performer so far for me. He’s been brilliant on the ball and an important link man for Argentina and instrumental in their four wins so far. Sneijder has been in fine form for the Dutch and scored some vital goals. I’ve also been impressed with Chile as a team and Sanchez, bags of pace and trickery. Diego Forlan for Uruguay has scored goals but also worked hard for the team, the same can be said for Ozil for Germany. I’d heard a bit about him before the tournament and he hasn’t disappointed, at the centre of many German attacks. David Villa has been Spain’s standout performer. He has scored goals, created chances and worked his socks off for his team and looks a good bet to be the top scorer at the World Cup.

How will the performance of Team USA affect the development of football in the US?

It can only be positive. I thought USA played well in the tournament and it will stand them in good stead for future tournaments. I know TV viewing figures were considerably more in the US compared to the World Cup four years ago. The MLS is getting stronger all the time and the increase in the number of youth leagues will all help in the development of football in the US.

Got something you’d like to ask David Beckham? Then head over to Yahoo! Answers. The football legend and global superstar will be answering the best of your questions in a unique video interview on Wednesday 14 July, with live video link-ups to 18 countries – shown exclusively on Yahoo!. So get thinking and submit a question today.