Teenage Runaways

A few facts....
Every five minutes a child in the UK runs away from home.
Between 1 April 2009 - 31 March 2010:
• 613 young people were reported missing to Northumbria Police
in the Newcastle area.
• Some of these young people went missing more than once, meaning there were
946 reported incidents involving young people going missing from
Newcastle.
• On average 3 in 4 young people who went missing were missing from
home, with 1 in 4 young people missing from a care placement.
• 182 young people went missing more than once.

Kirsten Hall from SCARPA came to tell us about the support they can offer to young people who leave home.

SCARPA aims to help young people:

• be 'safe from harm'
• stop going missing
• reduce risky behaviour
• exit situations of exploitation.

SCARPA supports young people by providing:

• help with any immediate needs that young people have
• a safe place in the city centre
• ongoing support – we aim to be in contact with young people at least twice a week or  more if needed 
• support in accessing, negotiating and maintaining relationships with other service providers.

We heard recordings of a number of young people speaking about their experiences of running away, of risky situations they had been in and of the help and support they had received.

Wendy Wallace from Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) came along with Kayleigh and Michael from Youth Voice.

Kayleigh and Michael had both become homeless as young people and spoke about their experiences and the help they had received. As peer educators at Youth Voice, they go to schools to speak to young people about issues around homelessness

and how to deal with them.

Our guests spoke about the hazards young people can meet online, issues of trust - who do you trust? Problems that can arise if you have your own apartment and suddenly everyone wants to come and party...

Some useful information:

SCARPA, Brunswick Methodist Church, Brunswick Place, Newcastle, NE1 7BJ

Tel: 0191 221 0836 Text: 07715 122 759 Email: sca@childsoc.org.uk

Young people’s FREEPHONE number: 0808 178 9185 

Housing Advice Centre: 0191 277 1711

YHN Young People's Service: 0191 277 1190 

Youth Voice website

Outpost - Advice centre for young people between 16 and 25 who are gay (or who think they may be gay) and need help with housing  email: admin@outpostproject.org  
www.outpostproject.org

Childline - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you need someone to talk to: 0800 1111

Childline website

CEOP - Child Exploitation Online Protection  - this website is full of advice about how to stay safe online

We were saddened when doing the research for this programme to hear how many people said we needed to speak to the young offenders units in various places. Young people may have many reasons for leaving home and being in that situation does not automatically mean that they are or will become offenders. Most of all they need help, support and someone to talk to.

We do plan, however to make a programme later in the year about young offenders, and invite organisations or individuals to contact us if they are interested in taking part.

PODCAST

Year end round-up

The production team discusses how we first came up with the idea for the programme and how we would like to develop it in the future.

The high points have been those times when a new area of research has been pinpointed - such as the awareness of same-sex relationships amongst people entering retirement homes and what provisions are made for them - or to what extent staff may be aware of  the family lives of residents.

We include clips from a selection of broadcasts from this year - ending with several very heartening sound bites from survivors of domestic abuse.
As well as a few appropriate songs, we include the two songs sung live by Simma in the November edition of No Excuse. Simma plays regularly in various venues around Newcastle and Gateshead - to see what he's up to go to http://www.simmaworld.com/

Amongst the subjects we plan to cover in 2012 are Teenage Runaways, Homelessness, Eating Disorders, Safe Sex and Online Gambling.

PODCAST

No Excuse for Alcohol Abuse

For the November edition of No Excuse the 'experts' were three former heavy drinkers and the partner of a man whose drinking had led to his premature death. We heard an interview with NECA - the North East Council on Addictions outlining the services they provide.

Each drinker had had a different reason for drinking - whether it was escaping difficult experiences, or simply enjoying the drink and its effects more than was good for them.In each case they had faced pivotal moments when they realized the seriousness of their drinking problems - either the effect it was having on family, or on their own physical health. All three have remained sober for differing lengths of time from one year to 15 years - and all intend to remain that way.

One of our guests was Simma, a local singer/songwriter who makes no secret of the fact that he used to be a heavy drinker until his doctor pointed out that his liver was in a terrible state. He gave us two live songs during the programme.

Here we list a variety of places in the area which offer help to problem drinkers:

Obviously - your first port of call should be your GP - the NHS has a huge amount of experience in working with problem drinkers. The rate of alcoholism at present is so high that there are not enough donor organs available for people needing a liver transplant.

NECA  http://www.neca.co.uk/
 Derwent Point, Clasper Way, Swalwell, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE16 3BE
 info@neca.co.uk   tel: 0191 414 6446

The Cyrenians, Oaktrees, 1a Walker Terrace, Gateshead NE8 1EB
Telephone: 0191 477 2205

Tyneside Residential Service, Phoenix Futures, Westoe Drive, South Shields NE33 3EW
Telephone: 0191 425 5548

Help for carers of problem drinkers:

Gateshead Family Support
11 Regent Terrace, Gateshead, NE8 1LU

NECA / Jigsaw, Cookson House, Suite 19, River Drive, South Shields, NE33 1TL
southtyne@necca.co.uk   tel: 0191 456 9999

CASA, Jackson House, Suite 207, Jackson Street, Gateshead NE8 1ED
casa@talktalkbusiness.net   tel: 0191 447 6488

PODCAST

No Excuse for Disability Discrimination

In this programme Vicky Harris from Arch stepped in at the last minute and chatted with Billy Richardson, who has learning difficulties and is involved in a number of projects including Better Days.

They spoke about many different aspects including the difficulties people with a disability may have in being allocated independent living, problems of bullying and name-calling. At what point do things like stone-throwing or bullying become hate crimes and what should they do about it.  Billy also spoke about the uncertainty around the new benefits and the march he recently took part in for the 'Hardest Hit' in Newcastle - a protest which took place in many cities around the country.

We also heard an interview with Nick Hedley who acquired a brain injury which caused his speech to be slurred so that he was sometimes thought to be drunk when he actually took no alcohol and also suffered discrimination in the work-place.

ARCH - Newcastle - 08000 32 32 88.   arch@newcastle.gov.uk
Victim Support 0191 274 4274

Better Days www.better-days.org.uk

PODCAST

No Excuse for Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse doesn't just mean men beating up their wives or girlfriends; women abuse their partners almost as frequently and it happens with same-sex couples as well as heterosexual couples. It happens to young and old, the poorly educated and the highly academic, people without work and people in positions of trust in the community. It can happen to people of any belief or religion and in any culture.
The chances are that if it's happening to you, you do NOT deserve it - no matter what you are being told, and you do NOT have to put up with it. - It may be hard to admit that what's happening to you is really 'domestic abuse' - but once you do, you have gained the power to be able to put an end to it. And domestic abuse has so much to do with power.

In this programme we heard from a young man who put up with his wife's abuse for over ten years before his friends finally helped him to move out of the situation and from a woman who finally went to a women's refuge, but felt she didn't really have the right to a place there in spite of the treatment she was receiving.
Abusers will go down on their knees and beg for forgiveness and promise solemnly never to do it again... and next day, perhaps a few beers further down the line, the story will repeat itself.

BUT there are many many organisations there who can help you and these are listed below, but first a few facts and figures:

• In Gateshead alone, the cost of domestic abuse is £91 per year
• Nationally the cost is £1.2 BILLION! (imagine if that was invested in education...)
• One in 4 women encounters domestic or sexual abuse at some point in their lives
• In any one year, there are 13 million separate incidents of physical violence or threats of violence against women from partners or former partners.
• 45% women and 26% men experience at least one incident of inter-personal violence in their lifetimes. (Walby and Allen, 2004) ) – however when there were more than 4 incidents (i.e. ongoing domestic or
  sexual abuse) 89% of victims were women
•  54% of UK rapes are committed by a woman’s current or former partner.
•  On average 2 women a week are killed by a male partner or former partner: this constitutes around one-third of all female homicide victims.

 http://www.womensaid.org.uk     this site has a huge amount of information - including how to hide the fact you've been looking at this website
 0808 2000 247   freephone national 24 hour domestic violence helpline

http://www.mesmacnortheast.com/    for gay and bisexual men

http://www.broken-rainbow.org.uk/     help for LGBT men and women suffering abuse
telephone: 0300 999 5428 (LGBT) Mon 2-8pm, Wed. 10-5pm, thur 2-8pm - Immediate danger call 999

http://www.nedap.org.uk/   Victim Support North East Domestic Abuse Project
0845 30 30 900. Typetalk users should dial 18001 0845 30 30 900. To hide your number, press 141 before dialing the number.

 http://refuge.org.uk/    For women and children suffering domestic abuse

0808 2000 247

Gateshead Women's Service
For women in the Gateshead area needing a refuge from domestic abuse


Panah Women's Service
PO Box 27
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 1EU

Tel: 0191 284 6998
Tel (Outreach): 07590 851908
Fax: 0191 285 6075

Panah is a black women's refuge providing safe and secure temporary accommodation for women and their dependant children, fleeing from or threatened with domestic violence.

 

PODCAST

*******

25 November  International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

 26 November

Reclaim the Night

http://www.reclaimthenight.org/

 

There will be a march in Newcastle, gathering at 18.30 (6.30pm) at Haymarket.

Speakers: Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central and Clare Williams, Chair of the TUC Women’s Group and Unison Regional Convenor

In Britain there are an estimated 47,000 rapes every year. Each year an estimated 300,000 women are sexually assaulted (British Crime Survey 2001), yet Britain’s conviction rate is the lowest ever at just 5.3%. When Reclaim the Night marches were first started in the 1970s, women were appalled that only 1 in 3 rapists were ever convicted; today that figure is 1 in 20. This is why the Northern TUC have revived the tradition of Reclaim the Night. All women have the right to use public spaces both in the daytime and after dark without the fear of sexual harassment and assault. Join with women around the world to mark the United Nations International Day to End Violence Against Women and take back your night.

 

 and while we're on the subject of rape, please check out the Justice for Jane campaign to get a bill through Parliament to stop allowing rapists to be granted bail after murdering the sole witness.

No Excuse for Homophobia

Our guests for this programme were Catherine Mackereth of the South Tyneside PCT, Graeme from the Outpost Housing Project, Paul, who is writing a policy doument on homophobia for a local charity organisation, Carole Gibson from Safer Gateshead and Professor Jo Phoenix of the Research Centre on Sex, Gender and Sexualities at Durham University.

Interviews were sent in by Headliners, a youth journalism project, Pride Radio, who kindly let us use an interview they had done with Show Racism the Red Card, who are starting a similar project for Show Homophobia the Red Card. Our colleagues at Spice fm also sent in a discussion between women of different faiths in the local Asian community about attitudes towards LGBT people.

First the term LGBT was defined : it refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender people.
The term 'homophobia was discussed and Professor Phoenix spoke about the confusion between cultural intolerance of open homophobia and formal legal and substantice equality for LGBT people. It is clear that legally there is still a wide gap between the rights of heterosexual and lgbt couples.

Outpost Housing Project 
helps young people between 16 and 25 to find housing and also gives support and information on benefits, education, independent living, coming out, relationships, emotional and sexual health and much more.
Address: 2 Osborne Road, Jesmond, newcastle NE2 2AA
Tel: 0191 281 0099
email: admin [ @] outpostproject.org  (remove brackets to send to this address)
www.outpostproject.org

Professor Phoenix spoke about the Research Centre on Sex, Gender and Sexualities which will be launched on 17 November in Durham. the Centre wishes to engage ALL relevant stakeholders and not just LGBT to help ensure that their research has the maximum benefit and to help identify the nedt big questions and issues.
Contact: Jo.Phoenix [@] durham.ac.uk

There was also some discussion about oder LGBT people who may now be in care homes - is their situation spoken about, are they recognized?  they probably grew up in an era when these things were not discussed openly and - in the case of gay men - may also have been illegal.

Other useful contacts:

Victim Support Newcastle: 0191 281 3791
Victim Support Gateshead: 0191 477 8395

MESMAC - the major help organisation for LGBT people, giving advice on many aspects of health - including HIV testing. Mesmac also offers counselling and holds special groups for men only, women only, young people and older people

Telephone: 0191 233 1333 email: all [@] mesmacnortheast.com Website: www.mesmacnortheast.com STaG Project 13 Walker Terrace, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 1EB Tel: 07090 421 529 . Fax: 0191 490 1706 Advice/Helplines - Newcastle STaG offers a helpline, face-to-face sessions, counselling and a social group for people living or working in South Tyneside or Gateshead. Opening Times: Mon 10-12am, Weds 5-8pm, Fri 2-4.30pm PODCAST

Racism and Hate Crime

We are sorry about the late update of this page which has been due to a problem with the computer....
Some very brief notes to get you started - we will post a fuller version as soon as possible.

ALL racism/hate crimes should be reported:
In an emergency call 999
To report all other crimes or incidents or for general information and advice call 03456 043 043
or text 07786 200 814

for the deaf or hard of hearing Minicom 01661 820 915
or text 07786 200 815

to contact the Newcastle Community Cohesion Team:
PC Janine Turnbull 07771 980 433
Community Support officer Vadoo Aghajani
Community Support Officer Vadim Murasko
03456 043 043 ext 62315
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ARCH incident report line: 0800 32 32 88 - 24/7 confidential freephone. 100 languages spoken
Gateshead ARCH 0191 433 2648

Arch offers help from a range of organisations including the Police, Victim Support, Your Homes Newcastle/ Gateshead Housing Company, Raciam Harassment Prevention Team, Private Rented Project

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Victim Support 0845 30 30 900
Care Unit: 0191 281 0491      07891 582 066

See also GYMAG  - Gateshead Young Muslim Advisory Group film on YouTube

PODCAST