Teenage voices #3

Hello!

      I hope you've been enjoying my teenage voices series. I've loved being able to talk to different people and find out what their opinions are. Here is number 3 of the teenage voices series.

Teenage Voices #3

This time I had the pleasure of talking to posi leaf-airy! Posi leaf-airy is part of the #posiposse on twitter which I love as they are constantly spreading positivity. Here are posi leaf-airy responses to the questions I asked, enjoy!

The older generation often believe teenagers don’t have any opinions, do you think this is true?

As a seventeen, almost eighteen, year old teen I am amongst a large proportion of the population, (around 30% of US pop. according to washington post) obviously this may make my article entirely biased as I am representing the target audience being discussed and have limited (non existent) knowledge/experience of being an adult/member of an older generation, to really be able to understand where their views on my age range stem from or why they protrude when teenage voices continue to excel in changing our understanding of the world and accomplish important marvels every day, Malala and Kelvin Doe being just two examples of this. But even if you haven't made a life expanding discovery, should that make your voice any less valid? 

Do you think teenager’s voices/ opinions are listened to? If not, why?

Of course, a lot of generalisation is occurring here, not every teenage voice is suppressed, not every teenager wants to discuss politics or wants to discuss anything and sure enough not everyone older than twenty-five is trying to belittle or ignore you. However, some people will, and do, this again can vary dramatically, from simply telling a child to be quiet over dinner or that 'you'll understand when you're older' to extreme and abusive environments. Why would someone whose been told their whole life to lock any thought or opinion away in some far away volt and chuck it out to sea suddenly understand every right or wrong and discuss whatever topic for days on end with elocution and grace the second they blow out some candles on a birthday cake that supposedly marks the end of their teenage years?

What do you think needs to be changed for teenager’s voices/ opinions to be listened to?

 Personally I believe there is an issue here, sure, it may not be as immediately destructive as say famine, but nevertheless it is still an important and valid issue that should be respected and discussed. In the same way teens (or anybody of any identification) sharing opinions should be. Of course, that doesn't mean to say any teen speaking out is necessarily right and obviously you don't have to agree with them by any means, but the courage that is required to use a voice and a mind you have been given as a birth right in a world where everything is trying to kill you and steal that voice and that thought, should be greeted and dealt with respect and dignity as it is not a sin. 

How important do you think it is for teenagers to have a voice/ opinion?

Although there are many contributing factors and every case is different, I believe the issue here stems from education and socialisation. The majority of teens (depending on location, culture or individual circumstances etc.) will have spent their entire lives in a governmental education system which dictates what they do at what time, what they are exposed to, allowed to discuss and the topics and things they should be interested in and learn about, this is obviously going to impact the teens on the way they view the world, how they are valued in that world and how they should act in that world. Some people say teens either don't care and don't have opinions or that they are too young/inexperienced to be taken seriously or listened to, I believe that everybody has some thought or feeling on anything if you give them the time and the resources to muster one, the youth of an individual is not a choice and I don't believe someone should be limited or be held accountable for their age when expressing an opinion, there may be some truth in the lacking of experience, but depending on the individual and the circumstances age doesn't define experience or knowledge or passion. I also believe the development of technology in modern society has a part to play in this, for past generations where social media or the internet weren't readily available to the masses learning about things not on a set educational curriculum may have been more challenging and rare, however for the teenagers of today forums for discussion, blogs and other available research allows for, I believe, an increased awareness and therefore opinions and passion surrounding topics that teens may not have been previously associated with discussing, and therefore a presumed lacking of caring, when in reality they may not have had the opportunity to speak out. This creates a social stigma for the teens of today who do discuss their opinions on said topics or taboos may not be treated with an equal respect as they haven't been seen to do this before, based on past generations of teenagers. This stigma is further created and emphasised through the media representation of teens, if you look at tv shows or films etc (obviously not all, but the default) teenage characters are always seen to be making mistakes or set in high school environments where, yes a lot of teens are, they are shown to be somehow more childish or lesser as they are simply animals in a petting zoo following the daily routine of the bell and raising their hand to an adult having to gain permission to use the bathroom. (Please don't get me wrong, education is very important.) 

With issues surrounding teenagers, what’s one issue that you have a strong/ personal opinion on?

Overall I think this can be dealt with over time by closing the gap between children/teens/adults. By creating more harmony and less segregation hopefully a unifying bubble of respect will be created allowing teens to feel safe in expressing their thoughts, feelings and ideas which could potentially shape the world we all live in. I'd recommend this TedTalk, it's very interesting and basically says a lot of things better than I have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OkOQhXhsIE … 

Thank you so much for reading! I really hope it made some sort of sense and I'd definitely love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Also if I said anything you don't agree with, I'm always open to listening and learning to improve my understanding and own thoughts, thanks again!

I hope you enjoyed reading posi leaf-airy's responses, if anyone else wants to take part please do let me know!

Things to do this summer

Hola!
    For me the summer holidays have already begun and it won't be long until the rest of you break up for summer.

6 weeks is a long time off (even longer for me as I don't start university until mid september) and this can soon lead to us all getting bored easily.

I've made a list of fun things you should do this summer to stop you from getting bored.

Things to do this summer

Visit the beach

Go swimming in the sea

Build the biggest and best sandcastle

Eat/ make your own ice cream

Go berry picking

Make your own lemonade

Discover a new place

Go abroad

Learn a new language

Learn a new recipe

Grow your own fruit/ veg/ herbs

Have a day out with your friends

Go on a roadtrip

Have a picnic in the countryside

Climb a mountain/hill 

Go on a nature walk

Walk barefoot in the grass

Go camping and have a campfire

Roast marshmallows over a fire

Make S’mores

Create a scrapbook (maybe make it summer themed)

Start your own art/ DIY project

Start your own blog/ youtube channel

Get into photography

Visit the zoo

Have a movie marathon 

Get through a whole TV series

Take up a new sport

Have a BBQ (turn it into a BBQ party)

Have a pool party

Do volunteer work

Have a water balloon fight

Visit the cinema/ theatre/ local museum

Sleep out under the stars/ go stargazing

Watch the sunrise/ sunset

Write a poem/ song/ play / magazine/ mini novel

Overcome a fear

Stay up all night

Make a blanket/ pillow fort

I hope this has given you some ideas on how to make your summer fun! Do you have any suggestions?

Being part of the blogging community

Hey there!

Over the past few months I have become part of the blogging community and I feel lucky to be a part of it. Here’s what it’s like to be part of the blogging community.

What is the blogging community?

For me, this is a group of bloggers who engage with one another and look out for each other. As well as being part of the blogging community in general, there are so many different blogging communities out there!

When did I join the blogging community?

Although I’ve been blogging for nearly 3 years, I only joined the blogging community a few months ago.

What is it like being part of the blogging community?

I love being a member of the blogging community and I’m proud to be part of such a fantastic community. Everyone is so lovely and supportive of one another. They are really friendly and are always welcome to newbie bloggers. I constantly see bloggers helping each other out and being kind to each other. The blogging community as a whole has a really lovely positive attitude and there are so many people who spread the blogging love throughout the community. I find being a part of the blogging community has allowed me to connect with other bloggers and make lots of new friends.

Are you part of the blogging community? What does being part of the blogging community mean to you?

Teenage Voices #2

Hello!

      Here is number #2 of the Teenage Voices series. I've been asking teen bloggers do they think teenagers have a voice and if so is it listened to?

Teenage Voices #2- Allie M

This time I interviewed the lovely Allie M and asked for her opinion on teenagers having a voice. Here is Allie's response to my questions

The older generation often believe teenagers don't have any opinions, do you think this is true? 

I have to say yes, in a way. It's not just the matter of believing we don't have any opinions and we just mooch off whatever our parents provide, it's also that our opinions aren't taken seriously because we don't 'understand' the situation. When we really do. 

Do you think teenagers voices/ opinions are listened to? If not why?

Not as much as they should be. I feel as though people think we just aren't competent enough to make our decisions, which is ridiculous. Where I live, teenagers are depended on to help the family, work, take on responsibility. If a teen can work a job, why can't they be given a chance at voicing out what they think? 

What do you think needs to change for teenagers voices/ opinions to be listened to?

The image teens have somehow been given. There are a great many of us who know what we're talking about. We can see as plainly as any legal adult what's going on and how it's affecting us will obviously have repercussions in the future. Furthermore because of this image we've been given I think many teens just assume that role, of the rebellious irresponsible child, because that's all they know to do. 

How important do you think it is for teenagers to have a voice/ opinion?

Veeery important. Our opinions matter just as much as adults do-we have the resources to back up our opinion, we can debate about something in a civilized manner, it's just that there should be more of it. More education and less "you don't get it so don't get involved." If you don't think we know what we're talking about then tell us why. 

With issues surrounding teenagers what's one issue that you have a strong/ personal opinion on?

Issues surrounding teenagers...probably education in schools? I know that many schools don't teach life skills, they don't update their students on political situations with an unbiased approach, heck, they don't even teach you your human rights. I feel like there should be classes where we can learn how to mature ourselves, gain more knowledge/skills we can use in the future instead of sitting in a class for six hours bored out of our minds. This way when we go to uni, get a job, move into our own place, start a family, or begin a business we know what we're doing.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has taken part so far! If you would like to be involved, please let me know!

My 6th form prom

Hello lovelies!

Friday night was a very special night for me, as it was my 6th form’s prom! I had an amazing night and it was lovely to be with my year group for one final time.

Hair

I got my hair pinned up at my local hairdressers and my hairdresser did an amazing job. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know how much I love the boho fashion style, so I wanted a boho prom hair style. I spent a while looking for photo’s on the internet and I eventually found one I really liked. My hairdresser did a fantastic job of getting my hair to look how it did in the photo.

Prom hair (front)

Prom hair (back)

Make up

For my make up I did it myself (took me 20 minutes) and I went for quite a natural look. However, although I’m capable of doing eyeliner I asked my mum to do it for me so it would look perfect.

Prom Make up

Make up used:

· Benefit Pore professional Primer

· L’Oreal Infallible matte foundation

· Rimmel clear complexion finishing powder

· L’Oreal Secret stars kit (eyeshadow)

· Clinique high impact mascara

· Technique clear mascara

· L’Oreal Superliner eyeliner

· NYX baked blusher

· Essence velvet matte lipstick- shade 23

Prom face!

I also decided to paint my nails, I chose a navy blue polish and a glittery blue polish (to go with my dress!)

Prom nails

• Next matte nail varnish- Shade blue suede 
• Nails inc glittery varnish- Shade galaxy

Dress: New Look

Shoes: Marks and Spencers

My prom outfit wasn't new as I've had the dress and shoes for a couple of years now. However I really wanted to wear this dress for prom as it's summery and is elegant. 

Our prom was held at Judges which is a lovely country house hotel. The food was really nice as well (BBQ food). I had such a fab evening dancing with everyone and being with everyone, I danced for about 3 hours in my heels and my feet were dead the next day. It was one of my best nights and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Have you had your prom yet?