Cornwall youth service tackles issues from Netflix drama
An "Adolescence Workshop" to discuss issues raised by the Netflix drama about a boy accused of murdering a girl from his class has been held at a youth club in Cornwall.The group discussed questions about the show Adolescence, including: "How do online spaces make bullying easier to hide? Have you ever been made to feel small? And, why do you think some people carry knives?"Youth worker Jon Dingle, who ran the session for teenagers and parents at the Callington Youth Project Group, said: "The idea was to have a healthy and in-depth discussion around these issues."Mr Dingle said he believed giving young people better access to youth services would help address the issues raised in the series.
Since the drama has aired, "it has been a hot topic for discussion amongst young people", said Mr Dingle, who works with up to 200 young people aged 10 to 19 on a weekly basis, including youth services in Plymouth too."I don't think a day goes by in any of the sessions we run where that programme, or an issue relating to that programme, isn't brought up," he said.Mr Dingle said the drama had highlighted a need for youth services to be increased. He explained that "a lot of the challenges we see young people face" could be "helped and made better with the right type of spaces to come to, and the right type of people guiding these young people", he said."For me, to be able to be part of that is a real honour, but it's also a struggle and a fight because we need more," he added.
'Incredibly topical'
Theo, 16, said the drama delved into a lot of issues that he and people he knew had struggled with."It's incredibly topical. How social media polarises people. Especially with misogyny," he said. Theo's dad, Dan, said the series had helped him better understand an online world that he as a parent did not always feel a part of."The thing that really stuck with me was the emojis. And the coding for what that meant within the school culture. That was complete mystery to me," he said. Dray, 19, said he thought the so-called "80/20 rule", which was featured in the drama and wrongly claims 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men was "completely ridiculous". "It's not a matter of how you look. It's a matter of how you come across," he said. Discussing the best way to handle rejection, Dray said to the group: "It's not that person's fault if they don't want to be with you."
Involving parents
Reflecting on what he was trying to achieve by involving parents in the workshop, Mr Dingle said he thought it was "vitally important" that adults were "a bit more clued-up" about the issues affecting young people.Asked what people could do if they were worried about a young person who was spending most of their spare time in their bedroom, he said: "There will quite often be reasons behind any worrying behaviour, so if you are able to have a frank and honest conversation, that's a good start."Encouraging parents to seek support from other adults in the lives of their young people, he added: "If you can access a teacher, a youth worker, or someone else who's within their life who has that bit of trust, who can work with you to support that young person, then I think that's got to be the way to go."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Murray: I bought a Ferrari after split from Kim… only to get stopped 2mins later by the police
Heartbreak affects people in many different ways. But Sir Andy Murray has admitted he dealt with a breakup by buying a Ferrari – which he ended up getting rid of within weeks. The sporting great, speaking to a Glasgow audience about his career highs and lows, revealed he made the extravagant purchase in his younger days. He said the pressures of fame affected his personal life and, aged 21, he and his long-term girlfriend Kim Sears split up. In response, he bought a Ferrari because 'I thought that was going to be a cool thing to do'. The car, however, caused a headache. He said: 'When I first took it out on the road I was pulled over by the police. Not because I was driving too quickly but because the insurance hadn't gone through yet. This was literally within two or three minutes of driving on the road with it.' Sir Andy got rid of the car after a couple of months, and he and Kim reconciled, marrying in 2015. He also revealed that after a glittering career taking in two Wimbledon wins and becoming world number one and Olympic champion, he does not miss tennis at all. He said: 'Honestly, I don't miss it at all. And that was something that I was really worried about.' It is nearly a year since Sir Andy officially retired from tennis, and the 38-year-old is now taking part in a four-venue speaking tour of the UK. At the event hosted by sports commentator Andrew Cotter, Sir Andy spoke candidly about the highs and lows of tennis, including his well-documented hip and back problems. He said now he far prefers spending time with Kim and their four young children, with his sporting talents channelled into skiing and golf. Sir Andy said: 'I don't miss hitting a tennis ball. I'm happy just doing stuff with my kids and my family, and just doing normal stuff.' At the age of 15, having been scouted for Rangers, he had to choose between a professional tennis career and football. He chose tennis – but the path was far from easy. He said: 'Unfortunately, in Scotland at that time, there weren't many tennis players and you need to play against a similar level to improve.' At a junior competition with Rafa Nadal, he asked his Spanish rival what his training was like and he mentioned working with Carlos Moya, who was the former world number one. Sir Andy said: 'And I was like, you know, I've got my mum.' Speaking of the difficulties of being in the limelight, Sir Andy said he was ill-prepared and quickly gained a reputation as a 'grumpy teenager'. He added: 'The media in Great Britain can be pretty harsh and the mood changes fast. 'A lot of the pundits are people that you've looked up to ... It's hard. You take what they're saying to heart.' He spoke of the notorious incident when a reporter asked him which team he would support in the 2006 World Cup and he replied 'anyone but England'. Hate mail began to arrive and he was the subject of whispers from other players and their teams at Wimbledon. He said: 'I remember walking to the court for one of my mixed doubles matches and someone was on the phone and just went, ''There's that f***ing Scottish guy,'. 'I was 19 at the time. I was very miserable and I'm aware of that but it changed my relationship with the media.'
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Predator, 66, who posed as an Uber driver and had a 'rape kit' with a balaclava and Viagra in his car is found guilty of kidnapping and sex crimes
A predator who posed as an Uber driver to pick up 'vulnerable and intoxicated' women he could abuse has been found guilty of kidnapping and sex crimes for a second time. Graham Head, 68, was found with a 'rape kit' consisting of latex gloves, condoms, Viagra tablets and a balaclava in his car when he was arrested in November 2022. At his home, police found business cards advertising him as a 'N-Uber driver' with the slogan 'Safe and Reliable - For All Occasions' emblazoned underneath one of his phone numbers. Head kidnapped and attempted to rape a 25-year-old woman after he offered her a free ride home in his silver Mercedes in the early hours of November 18, 2022. He also assaulted a 19-year-old woman by penetration in a separate attack. In July 2023, Head from Pevensey, East Sussex, was handed a 23-year sentence for sex crimes and kidnapping. The Court of Appeal later overturned the conviction in November last year following a complaint from Head relating to the judge who presided over the original trial. Now, today he has been convicted of all the charges again by a jury of seven men and five women after eight hours of deliberation at Lewes Crown Court. During the trial, jurors heard that Head was a 'sexual predator' who 'slipped up' the night he was arrested by police. He claimed that he offered the 25-year-old a lift home but did not touch her and never met his other alleged victim. Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC said: 'The defendant is a sexual predator. Basing himself in Pevensey and ostensibly working as an unofficial Uber driver or taxi driver. 'He was also looking for vulnerable young women who he could sexually abuse. 'He carried Viagra and condoms with him, either on his person or in his car, as well as latex gloves. 'He would use the latex gloves to minimise the risk of leaving traces of his DNA on his victims.' Head had two mobile phones and was 'savvy enough' to know that if he kept them on while he was driving, the network provider could record his movements. He therefore kept them on flight mode while he was searching for victims, the court was told. The two attacks are said to have taken place in the early hours of August 19, 2022, in Hove Park and on November 18, 2022 outside the alleged victim's home. Mr Jarvis said: 'Now in August 2022, she (the first victim) was 19 years old. When she was, we say, intoxicated and vulnerable in the early hours of the morning the defendant sexually assaulted her in Hove Park.' 'In November 2022, she (the second victim) was 25 years old. 'When she was also vulnerable and intoxicated in the early hours of the morning, Mr Head kidnapped her and sexually assaulted her in his car and then drove off leaving her distressed on the roadside. 'On both occasions, the defendant was driving his grey Mercedes estate motor vehicle with the registration number L21 GRH.' The 25-year-old was able to remember the 'L21' portion of Head's number plate, which led to police pulling his car over and arresting him the same night, jurors heard. 'He slipped up on November 19, 2022 in two respects. First because his victim was alert enough to be able to memorise part of the licence plate for the police to be able to identify his car when they saw it,' said Mr Jarvis. The 25-year-old had been on a night out and had consumed alcohol and cocaine on the night in question, the court heard. Her account is that a man pulled up alongside her and told her he was an Uber driver who had just finished his shift but would give her a free ride home. Journeys from Middle Street, in Brighton, where the victim left Monarch Bar, to the victim's home address were found after analysis of the satnav in Head's Mercedes. Mr Jarvis continued: 'He offered to give her a life home but his real plan was to drive around until he was satisfied she was fast asleep so he could sexually assault and rape her. 'He drove close to her home address and tried to rape her in the back seat of his car but she came to and kicked him away.' The 25-year-old has since died and did not give evidence at the trial. Head will be sentenced on August 22.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Father accused of murdering baby daughter lied about cannabis use
A father accused of killing his baby daughter has admitted lying to police about his cannabis use the night before causing her "catastrophic" injuries, a court Stroud died aged one after "excessive and severe" shaking when she was just five weeks old led to brain and bone who was born on 13 March 2021, spent more than a year in a vegetative state before she died at 14 months on 27 May Holford, 24 and from Ramsgate, has denied murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in his trial at Canterbury Crown Court, claiming he cannot remember what happened. Giving evidence on Thursday, he, said he had at least five joints before being left in charge of Everleigh on 20 April that day, he was smoking more than usual because the date was "420" which he agreed was a "big day for cannabis smokers", the court police arrived at his address in Wallwood Road, Ramsgate, where Holford, then 20, lived with his then 16-year-old girlfriend and her parents, they discovered a cannabis grinder and joint butts next to a milk bottle in his told police that he had not smoked cannabis since 10am the previous morning, which he has now accepted was a lie. Prosecting, Eloise Marshall KC asked: "When the police asked you what you'd smoked, you lied?""Yes," Holford why, he added: "I'm trying to project an image of something that is better than reality."He also suggested that he had done it to "protect" his girlfriend's family, who were aware of his smoking but believed it was for medicinal purposes, the court were also shown text messages he had sent to a contact in a bid to buy more drugs because he had "the little one on my own tonight" and it was going to be "stressful".The trial continues.
