Singing forever young...

Picture above provided by Sam Belcher. More of his work can be found at Sam Belcher Photography.





Bono once said that “This is a time for bold measures. This is the country, you are the generation”, and I for one feel that young people are not valued enough in today’s age, constantly getting a bad reputation due to a small minority of anti-socials. Yes, the chav culture seems to be growing. Yes, violence and drinking amongst young people seems to be thrust much further into the spotlight. However, this should not be generalised to everyone that exists under the age of 21.

I am part of a youth group, during a time where the art of youth organisations seems to be declining in their growth, too often perceived as “uncool”. Every year we go away on a trip (known as ”Camp” to us) for a week to various activity centres, and for many of the children this is what they look forward to the most as part of the youth group.

I myself can vouch for this after being in it for twelve years, and even though I only went on five camps, I felt I missed a trick by not going on anymore. Three more camps have passed where I have become a young leader, and even though it was strange at first having to take a backseat in the activities, I very much enjoy the role I feel I have gradually been accustomed to.

This year our youth group was based in Norwich, a place we had previously visited in 2007, and so commenced 8 days full of wet and dry activities, days out, and the odd early morning. Rifle shooting, abseiling and climbing were some of the activities that were experienced on only the first full day, with some conquering their fear of heights, while others realising they probably shouldn’t be let loose with a gun again!

A day at the beach followed, where as a consequence of one of the games, my whole body up to my neck was submerged underneath a whole heap of sand, along with a few other leaders. We weren’t the only casualties however, with plastic ducks also being completely buried, one having to be left behind as it was obviously too difficult to find!

The next two days gave people the opportunity to get extremely damp with raft building, and some teams seemed to actually want to get soaked before even needing to, with some rafts collapsing before even half the people had clambered on! The above picture demonstrates how wet even the most successful of rafts got! Canoeing was also on the agenda, where everyone safely navigated themselves round a stretch of river, give or take a capsize or two.

Ice climbing did not meet a frosty reception either, as it’s uniqueness seemed to add an extra dimension to normal climbing. This unusual activity was taken on with aplomb, with ice picks and boots hammered into the ice-like substance to reach the top and give the wall a customary kiss before being lowered down. Not quite sure who they were pretending the wall was though as they hurled their picks towards it!

It is these sorts of activities that I feel most, if not all, children would jump at the chance to do if it was offered. My thinking is that they are oblivious to the many youth groups that provide these sorts of opportunities, or are peer pressured into not joining by their friends.

Couple these activities and the beach trip with another outing to a local theme park, and I think you have an activity holiday that represents very good value, and one that young people will enjoy. The young people that I was with all voiced a high opinion of the trip they had just been on, and enjoyed all the activities, even the ones not mentioned.

So, it is evident that children can enjoy themselves through such youth groups without hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons, which is indeed the exact motive as to why these clubs were set up in the first place. So for every chav that there is throwing a brick through a window, there is someone else hitting the gold in archery.

I am only 21 so I still feel I have to shoulder some of the blame that young people carry on a daily basis, but while these youth groups stay alive and hopefully grow, I feel there is a promising future for teenagers and youngsters alike.

So, you might ask, am I proud to be involved in such a movement?

Without a doubt, yes.

Oxegen Festival 2010: It must be something in the air

After being a veteran of, ahem, two festivals on the Isle Of Wight, this year I had decided to venture further afield in order to excite my musical taste buds. After much deliberation, me and my festival friend decided to travel outside of the UK and head for the Emerald Isle for the Oxegen festival in Dublin. What’s more, is that after deciding on a festival with a stunning line-up we proceeded to choose a not so great method of transport, foolishly avoiding the expensive plane for the tedious train and ferry combo.

The journey was arduous to say the least, experiencing more than our fair share of drunk middle aged men, lack of sleep and snoring over-sized ladies on a ferry in the middle of the night. We took all this with a pinch of salt, and continued on what seemed more like a pilgrimage to see the best bands in the world rather than a late night hop across the Irish sea.

After more trials and tribulations, we finally got off a coach in a sleepy state, and over the brow of the hill we could just about make out the world “OXEGEN” in giant green and white inflatable letters. Even though the campsite wasn’t yet open, the atmosphere was different to anywhere else. Maybe it was the Irish showing us Britons how to really party throughout a festival, or the excitement levels had been amplified due to us being so weary, but whatever it was, Oxegen was already beginning to be something special.

As I entered the main arena for the first time it was clear that the organisers had thought out the layout very well, as all the stages were within close proximity of each other without blurring the music together, something that Glastonbury has been criticised for in the past. As we’re on the subject of the Somerset festival, I think Oxegen got a severe case of Glastonbury-itis in terms of the weather, as for the majority of the weekend the heavens poured down, and even my raincoat cried out for some relief from the rain. Saying this, festival goers’ spirits seemed to reach a new, unheard of, level of joy, creating large expanses of mud pits around the main stage. Many Irish people seemed to be following in the footsteps of their ancestors by digging in the mud, playing the role of a farmer, searching for the odd potato here or there.

Oxegen festival has prided itself on being “The best Rock N’ Roll weekend in Europe”, and it is extremely hard to see why it shouldn’t be. With artists such as Jay-Z, Kasabian, Muse, Eminem, Fatboy Slim, Faithless and The Black Eyed Peas all appearing across the weekend, music of this calibre is always hard to turn down. All the artists seemed to perform the gig as if it were their last, whilst applauding the crowd for sticking it out in the rain, whereas Fatboy Slim gave us a welcome antidote with his two hour long Ibiza-esque set. My personal notable mentions go to Example, as he attracted a crowd that seemed to defy the capacity limit of the 2 FM tent, and Florence and The Machine for reminding people that despite the poor weather that they always have got the love, and always will. Despite realising many of dreams by seeing Kasabian play Fire, and being just metres away from Ellie Goulding, the music can only be a part of your experience at a music festival.

Irish people are quite possibly some of the most charming characters I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and even though we were instantly friends with them when they realised we were from London (or so they thought), never before have people been so willing for others to have such a great time. They’re not scared to have a conversation with you, and even though there are some oddball characters, it will always be amazing to share the experience with such vibrant people.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully determine why Oxegen festival was such a memorable experience, as it could be drawn from a number of things. Was it the people? Was it the eye-catching line-up? Or was it simply the luck of the Irish? Whatever it was, there was certainly something in the air.