Features – Page 10 of 26

26Feb

By Mollie CarlyleNo Comments

Features

In conversation with: Alex Horne

Hello Alex! First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us ahead of the Horne Section’s tour and the release of Taskmaster Champion of Champions. You studied Classics at Cambridge University, did you know straight away that comedy was what you wanted to do, or did you have an alternative career path in mind? I’m still not sure it’s what I want to do – I’m going on a wood carving course next year - in fact, I don’t think you ever really need to be sure. After Cambridge I did a postgraduate Broadcast Journalism course at Goldsmiths. At that point I was pretty sure I wanted to be a journalist… Comedy should happen by accident, I think, not a career decision. How did you get onto the comedy scene? I always liked comedy and thought there was a chance I might be...

10Feb

By Michele TheilNo Comments

Features

Podfasting: A Podcast Phenomenon

Podcasts are an extremely popular way of consuming popular culture, media and general information. The iTunes Podcasts store is visited frequently by myself and many others in order to download and listen to the interesting content that creatives provide us. As Buzzfeed recently reported, there are a new sub-group of people who have discovered an entirely new way to listen to podcasts, which is to listen to them at double, triple or possibly even ten times the speed. This phenomenon is called ‘podfasting'. The reason for listening to podcasts at an increased speed is simple; to be able to listen to as many as possible in a shorter space of time. Every day, more and more podcasts are being created by dedicated creatives for their audiences to consume. Some podcasts release an episode ...

Edmilson Angelo’s Registered Charity- Change 1’s Life

6Feb

By Mariam GevorgyanNo Comments

Features

Edmilson Angelo’s Registered Charity- Change 1’s Life

“We can all be the change we want to see in the world”, is the mantra of Change 1s Life founder Edmilson Angelo. Starting out independently in 2013, Edmilson campaigned across Westminster University where he did his bachelor degree, urging students to donate unwanted clothes and other essentials which were to be distributed by Edmilson himself to street vendors, orphanages and homeless shelters in Angola. In less than one year, Edmilson’s vision for effectively combating poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa already proved likely and in 2014 his vision turned into an official UK-registered charity. With over 55,000 beneficiaries, teams established in Angola, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa as well as management operational offices in France and Spain, a constitution was formed with the ultima...

5Feb

By Michele TheilNo Comments

Features

Debrief: Rebecca Wilson

Speaking to Rebecca Wilson, a RHUL alumni who has taken the heartwarming decision to start her charity for homelessness, was a great pleasure of mine. We discussed her charitable pursuits, her personal motivations within charity work and the label of “activist”, which is a title she is “more than happy to take on”. At RHUL, Wilson studied English and Comparative Literature and began to want to get involved with charity work sometime during her second year when she felt that the tedium of writing an essay for her degree did not enable her to enact any sort of change in the real world. Her motivations were “initially quite political” as she is considered to be “quite socialist” in her views but they changed over time and, during her final year, “it seemed like the natural step to start [h...

28Jan

By Mariam GevorgyanNo Comments

Features

Retail Hell

Q: Can you give an overview of how you were treated during your time in retail? A: Overall I felt like a slave. Due to so many workers being available to replace you, you are treated as if you have no worth and in this sense you feel disposable. Q: Are there any particular experiences which you can recall to demonstrate the unsatisfactory working conditions which led to you feel this way? A: Certainly, one of my worst experiences was when I had booked a holiday which had been approved by my manager, however later on I was accused of lying about the approval, leading to my first warning. One time I had also told my manager that I could not do overtime which triggered him to who grab my arm and said that I had no choice, this was all in the presence of a customer who was silently watchi...

9Dec

By Shannon GrayNo Comments

Features

What happens after you attempt suicide?

TW: this article discusses suicide and self harm. When I was 16 years old, my father had to drive me to our nearest accident and emergency unit for an illness he didn’t know I had. For years, I had been suffering from depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder, all undiagnosed, all of which I had been hiding. I refused to let anyone know how broken I was, partially so no one would pity me, and mostly because there was such a stigma around mentally ill teenagers that I would rather suffer in silence than speak up and be mocked. I struggled for years to maintain the facade of being unbothered; I would make fun of myself before other people had the chance, I would be loud and bubbly so no one would think they’d bullied me into passivity, I changed myself into a person I cou...

6Dec

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Features

Free speech for all?

We have all been there: sat in our kitchens and seminars, facing the overwhelming urge to bang our heads into the table as someone says something we fundamentally disagree with. Everyone has the right to an opinion, but there is nothing more annoying than someone who believes their view is the only viable view. With this considered then, is it good news that the government has announced that universities are now being expected to pledge to uphold free speech on campus, or face being blacklisted? Changes announced by Universities Minister Jo Johnson state that plans are in place to challenge the culture of so-called ‘safe spaces’ and to force universities to answer for the behaviour of student unions that “no platform” controversial speakers. He also said any that any that failed to pro...

5Dec

By Oli RushbyNo Comments

Features

On Student Counselling

A recent YouGov survey of Britain’s students shows that one in four students suffer from mental health problems. Anxiety, stress, and depression are a few of the issues causing a growing number of students to drop out of university. Research finds that the student suicide numbers nearly doubled in the past decade. As troubling as those numbers may be, according to Help Me Investigate, the demand for student counselling services on campuses has risen by 33%. The decision to seek help can be a difficult one to begin with and something most students struggle with. Daniela: Approaching student counselling definitely made me nervous, fortunately I had a friend who was willing to come with me to make the appointment. Having someone there made me feel more comfortable, afterwards I realise...

4Dec

By Carly NewmanNo Comments

Features

You Are Not Alone

Everyone has mental health and whilst we’ve been conditioned to think that that sounds radical and scary, it’s true! Misunderstanding and stigma when talking about mental health is rampant, and part of the problem is related to a misuse of terminology, and lack of understanding. We hear the term ‘mental health’ in the media all the time, but this is often misused. In most instances, what we really mean to say when we say ‘mental health’ is in fact ‘mental health difficulties’. This has led to a collective misunderstanding of what mental health actually is, and what it means. Using the term ‘mental health’ always with negative connotations has led us to believe that mental health is always bad, and that someone only has ‘mental health’ when they are struggling. In fact, we all have ment...

‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Days: Is it possible to have both?

30Nov

By Bethany GoodingNo Comments

Features

‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Days: Is it possible to have both?

November is the time when the days start getting shorter and for a lot of us, this means our mood will also get worse. Late autumn/winter is one of the worst times of the year for those who suffer from conditions like depression. While the stigma surrounding mental illness seems to be diminishing, there is still an undeniable confusion and a lot of misconceptions that surround disorders such as anxiety and depression. Both of these disorders are fairly common, and yet they also seem to be the two most contested. Therefore, in anticipation of winter, I want to talk about what ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days really mean. There seems to be a misconception that if you are suffering from a mental disorder and you are seen as experiencing what is thought of as a ‘good’ day, you cannot possibly be menta...