September 2011 edition

Clayton Methodist Church Magazine

Whether it is the Eurozone crisis or fears of the global economy re-entering a second recession – the world is becoming increasingly unstable.

The future of the Euro currency is threatened by the economic difficulties of Greece, Ireland, Italy and Portugal, who have large debts, and the fact that European politicians are unwilling to allow Greece to default, despite knowing that she will never be able to repay her debts.

We see an unstable world in our fragile global economy and volatile stock market. Global financial services firm, Morgan Stanley has said that the U.S. and Europe are “dangerously close to recession,” and in August, the stock market reduced the value of UK pension’s savings by more than £120 million.

In no other industry, could the value of a commodity fall so dramatically in one day. This is worrying because it may cause people to change their retirement plans and work longer if their pensions are insufficient to fund a basic standard of living.

Who would have predicted that Anders Behring Breivik would kill 85 innocent Norwegians, or that riots would break out in towns and cities across the country?

Both events shocked the nation and left me wondering whether the world was descending into a state of chaos, but then I thought that if we prayed, then the global economy would start growing and putting more people back to work.

So, let’s pray. Let’s pray for a more stable world to allow people to lead a peaceful and happy life.

Thursday 11 August 2011

CTJT News

CTJT mentor student Samson Dada explains why work experience is so important for would-be journalists.

Work experience has become essential for undergraduates hoping to secure employment in competitive professions such as journalism and law. In April this year, Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research said that new graduates who’ve not had any work experience during their time at university have little or no chance of landing a well-paid job with a leading employer.” I told a college friend two years ago that I would be doing work experience at The Guardian newspaper, who replied “Will you be making the tea and coffee?” I replied, “No. So far I have not made tea and coffee for my colleagues during any work experience placements.” You may be asked to do these tasks, but I have learnt that work experience is much more than this and it is hugely important.

Work experience gives you immediate exposure to the work environment that you may later gain employment in and shows you how the industry works. When I did my first work experience placement at my local newspaper, The Guardian, by observing editorial meetings – which is the meetings between editors of each section of the newspaper, I learnt about how decisions are made about what stories to work on. For instance, during my time on The Comment Is Free desk, my suggestion about commissioning James Purnell to write a piece about welfare reform was placed on hold because of other more newsworthy stories. This experience will allow me to assess the newsworthiness of my idea relative to other stories that a newspaper or magazine is working on when suggesting story ideas to them.

You can request feedback from your work experience co-ordinators, to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of your character and work, which means that you will be a better person and are more likely to produce better work in the future. In my case, examples of feedback I was given is that I am “producing publishable work ahead of my years” but that I need to “caution against being over-formal both in demeanour and writing style.” Therefore, I need to continue to get as many articles published as possible and be a little more relaxed when talking to people. Similarly, I was told that I have a generally good journalistic writing style, but that I need to have a gripping introductory paragraph to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. Consequently, I can demonstrate the positive aspects of my writing, like using good quotes and include more engaging introductions when writing news articles in the future.

Work experience is the perfect opportunity to make long term contacts and impress your possible future employer. Your employer may be so impressed by your work that you are invited back for a further work placement or internship at the company, or even offered employment. I met numerous work experience students at The Guardian who I will keep in contact with and who made my experience more enriching because of their friendly and warm personalities. Because I keep in regular contact with The Guardian, it is easier for me to gain annual summer work experience placements at the newspaper; compared to if I had no contacts at the newspaper.

So, if anyone tells you that unpaid work experience is pointless, then remind them of the old adage that “it is not what you know, but who you know” – that may be the difference between whether you land your dream job.

.

Thursday 11 August 2011

CTJT news

CTJT mentor student Samson Dada recently completed two one week work experience placements at The Leicester Mercury and the Guardian newspaper in London.

Samson worked on the news desk and had articles published, including one about a living wage in Leicester.

News Editor, Linda Steelyard described Samson as “having a better writing style than many students studying journalism who have done work experience at the Leicester Mercury.”

Samson spent his time at the Guardian on the Comment is Free desk, where he provided research for News Reporter Alexandra Topping to write a feature article about Amy Winehouse’s death.

Samson also attended the daily editorial meetings and the morning conference meetings – where the editors of the newspaper revealed the stories they would be writing during the day.

Samson was fortunate to attend question and answer sessions with Lord Richard Allan, Facebook’s director of policy for Europe and Rupert Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff.

Allan said that for Facebook to stay competitive, Facebook would have to look at what Google + is doing and do it better.

Wolff predicted that all newspapers will eventually be disbanded.

Editor of the Guardian comment pages, Becky Gardiner told Samson: “The work you did on the spread sheet was more helpful than you can possibly imagine!”

He has been invited to do another placement at both newspapers next summer.

He said: “I thoroughly enjoyed working at both newspapers because I was given interesting stories to work on at The Leicester Mercury and The Guardian is such a brilliant place to work at with its modern office and friendly people.”

August 2011 edition

Clayton Methodist Church Magazine

I would like to inform you that I have progressed onto my second year studying BA (Hons) International Relations and Politics at De Montfort University.

I won The Best Article Award at my university media awards – for the publication of my interview with Labour Shadow Health Minister Liz Kendall in my university newspaper, The Demon.

None of this would have been possible without God’s guidance and the support of my family and the church, and I am grateful for this.

In June, I did a one work week experience placement at The Leicester Mercury where I had news articles published in the newspaper, about a living wage in Leicester.

From Monday 25^th – 29^th July, I completed a work experience placement at The Guardian newspaper in London, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This follows my work at the newspaper last summer, when I was invited by the Managing Editor Elisabeth Ribbans to work at the newspaper for a second time. It was surreal to meet journalists in person like News Reporter Alexandra Topping, whose work I read on a regular basis.

Thanks very much for all your prayers and support over the years, and I look forward to sharing more news with you in the future.

Monday 4 July 2011

The Leicester Mercury

A mother and daughter will trek across the Great Wall of China for a charity that is close to their hearts.

Natasha Ridewood, 38, and her mother Juliette, 64, are aiming to raise £3,000 each for Kidney Research UK.

It comes after they discovered Natasha’s sister, Katie, 35, who suffers from kidney disease, needed to go back on the wait- ing list for a new kidney.

Natasha, from Thorpe Satchville, near Melton, said: “I’m really looking forward to it, it should be a really great ex- perience because I’m going with my mum.”

This will be the pair’s first sponsored challenge together.

They hope the trip, in October, will raise the profile for Kidney Research UK and encourage people to become organ donors.

Juliette, who lives in Burton on the Wolds, said: “When we realised Katie was ill again, we thought it was a wonderful, practical thing we could do to help.”

Juliette wants to encourage others to join the organ donor register. She gave one of her kidneys to her daughter in 1997.

She added: “Donating a kidney has made no change to my health, I’m still really fit and healthy.”

All the money raised will go towards research into finding a cure. They are funding the trip themselves. health, I’m still really fit and healthy.” All the money raised will go towards research into finding a cure. They are funding the trip themselves.

Friday 24 June 2011

The Leicester Mercury

More than 100 women attended an event to discuss issues affecting them, including forced marriages.

Leicester police community engagement team hosted the day-long event for women who live in Highfields, St Matthew’s and the surrounding area of Leicester.

​TALK: Steph Morgan and Jessica Mistry, from the police, meet Shabana Momin and Serena Lall, of Shama Women’s Centre.

A variety of agencies and community groups also pitched stands at the The Venue, in Gwendolen Road, Evington, Leicester.

Presentations were given by Assistant Chief Constable Steph Morgan and Alison Cairns from the Home Office’s forced marriage unit.

Sergeant Gemma Streather, of the community engagement team, said: “We’re delighted with the response to the event, with 110 women visiting on the day.

“It’s really important to make it known that we are available to offer support to women, so that they be confident in turning to us with any issues of deep concern facing their communities.

“We received lots of positive feedback from the women who came to the event.”

Friday 24 June 2011

The Leicester Mercury

Free wireless internet could be made available for shoppers and tourists.

Leicester City Council is looking at whether to introduce wi-fi internet access in public areas across the city centre, which anyone could connect to using laptops and smartphones.

If that is a success, it could be rolled out across the city and into parts of the county.

Jill Craig, director of information and support at Leicester City Council, said: “This is a very exciting development.

“We will be looking to meet with other councils to learn from their experiences in delivering free wi-fi in public spaces.

“We have already begun work on the development of two wi-fi pilots for public access, in New Walk Museum and the central library.”

Leicester would be following in the footsteps of cities such as Barcelona, New Orleans and San Francisco.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has promised to have a free wi-fi network in place in the capital in time for next year’s Olympics.

Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “We’re still in the early stages. Initially, it will be focused on the city centre but if it is a success then it could be expanded across the city.

“It would be convenient for shoppers and visitors.”

The city council said it was too early to say how much the scheme would cost.

It is not known yet how fast the network would be, but many city networks around the world offer speeds of up to five megabits per second – similar to a lower-end home network.

Some cities have provided tiered access, with slower speeds free and faster connection available for a fee.

Student Hani Alquhayz, 27, who lives in the city centre, said: “Having wi-fi in Leicester city centre would be great.

“I have a contract with Vodafone but it would be great to have free wi-fi out and about.”

Teresa Martin, 26, of Highfields, Leicester, said: “Introducing wi-fi in the city centre would be a great idea because everyone uses the internet.

“Wi-fi is available in some cities, so it should really be extended to more cities, such as Leicester.”

Leicestershire County Council said it would look to work with the city council on the scheme.

A spokesman said: “We are keen to explore how businesses and communities in Leicestershire could be supported by such networks.”

“ LABA supports the vision and aspiration of Sir Peter Soulsby. A well paid work force under-pins  a healthy economic landscape and ability for the city to attract inward investment and create long term meaningful jobs. Most small businesses value their employees above their customers, the rationale being that if your employees are happy and share your commitment for excellence, the customers will benefit by this as a matter of course”.  “LABA looks forward to working with the Mayor to create a climate of  economic vibrancy for the City where businesses want to start, develop and thrive.

Wednesday 22 June 2011

The Leicester Mercury

Low-paid city workers could be paid a “living wage” which is significantly higher than the legal minimum.

Leicester’s mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has ordered council officers to try to calculate the basic pay people should receive.​

​

Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby

While the minimum wage – £5.93 an hour – is enforceable by law the living wage is not and it would be up to the council to persuade businesses to agree to pay a higher amount.

A living wage is the minimum amount a person needs to earn to meet basic needs such as food, housing, health care and recreation and is based on the cost of living in a particular area. In London, it is £8.30 an hour.

Sir Peter said: “We think that we can help people in the city by encouraging businesses to commit to raising their levels of pay.

“It wouldn’t just improve the lives of low-paid individuals, it would boost the local economy.

“The council will have to lead by example.

“We have to be realistic, though. This is a long-term plan and it won’t happen overnight.”

Many catering, administrative and cleaning jobs advertised in Leicester pay the minimum wage.

Wayne Griffin, 20, of Highfields, is looking for work in the catering industry.

He said: “Most of the work around is minimum wage and it’s not possible to live on that kind of money.

“A living wage would make life easier for a lot of people, including me.

Lisa Nightingale, 32, of Beaumont Leys, who works in administration, said: “The cost of living is going up all the time. The minimum wage is far too low to keep up.”

Martin Traynor, chief executive of Leicester Chamber of Commerce, said with the economy still coming out of recession “any implementation of the living wage must be a medium to long-term goal”.

Jaspal Singh Minhas, president of Leicester Asian Business Association, said: “The devil is going to be in the detail of the proposition.

“The last thing small businesses – in fact, any businesses – need, is a layer of bureaucracy that monitors wage levels.”

One manager of a city centre branch of a national fashion chain said the proposal was unlikely to gain much support from the company.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I can’t see why any firm would voluntarily increase its outgoings like this.”

However, many firms in London do adhere to the living wage for all staff. They include Deloitte, Nomura, Prudential and Standard Chartered.

By Samson Dada

Tuesday 8 February 2011

The Demon

Go to Page 6 to read my article.

Outspoken shadow health minister Liz Kendall has defended her decision not to sign the pledge against the trebling of tuition fees.

De Montfort University Students’ Union was disappointed that Ms Kendall did not sign the pledge against the trebling of tuition fees.

In an interview at her Leicester constituency surgery, she said: “I voted against the rise in tuition fees and I did not sign the pledge because Labour began the Browne Review. I did not want to make a promise I was not 100 per cent certain I could keep.”

She added: “Trebling of tuition fees is wrong for students and wrong for the economy.”

Ms Kendall criticised the Liberal Democrats’ categorical pledge during the general election campaign to “resist and campaign” against any increases in tuition fees.

“Politicians should not make promises they cannot keep just to win cheap votes like Nick Clegg did. We now know that he knew that committing his party to phasing out tuition fees over six years was a false position, but did it anyway just to win votes.”

Ms Kendall admitted that Ed Miliband’s support of a graduate tax to replace how students repay their loans has many problems – but it remains a ‘viable’ alternative to the current system where students repay their loans when they earn over £21,000 a year.

“The advantage of a graduate contribution is that the more you earn, the more you pay, but there are difficulties with the graduate tax which is that people significantly pay more than the cost of their course; Graduates can move abroad and the Treasury collect the money rather than the money being given to universities.

“While the graduate tax has complications, we must find a better system than the one we currently have.”

She also spoke passionately about her desire to see social mobility increase in the United Kingdom.

Speaking after a lecture at De Monfort University, she said: “getting on in life should not just be the preserve of the very rich.”

The lecture, called “Social Mobility: Where next”? was about how every child should fulfill their potential regardless of their social and economic background.

She said that investing in the child’s early years was critical to their future educational attainment.

“When I was Director of the Maternity Alliance charity, I did a lot of work around pregnancy which is critical in shaping a child’s later life chances. By the time, kids reach the age of eight, less talented put better off kids are doing better than really talented, poorer kids,” she said.

She said that universities must do more to encourage students from the poorest households to attend university.

“There is a lot more that universities can do to reach students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who we know do incredibly well at university – if they get the chance.”

She added: “They may not always get the best A-Level grades, but when they get to university they often outperform the children from much better off families.”

When asked about whether she is concerned that politics is dominated by public school educated, Oxbridge graduates, Ms Kendall said : “It is a problem if people who make decisions which affect our lives are from a narrow background.

“The danger is that they do not understand the lives of other groups of people, and can possibly make poor decisions”

“Alan Milburn’s report about social mobility talked about how if a student knows other doctors and lawyers, or their parents do, then they can secure work placements in these professions, whereas someone without connections will find it difficult to find work placements.”