Recession creates stress and anxiety in young people
Recession Sessions Editor, Claire Houghton, explores the impact of the economic crisis on the welfare of young people.
Recession Sessions
A source of information and inspiration for young people affected by the UK's economic crisis
Archive for the category “Recession updates”
The UK has sunk into “double-dip” recession – but what does that actually mean?
It was announced yesterday that in the first quarter of 2012 the UK economy shrunk by 0.2%, sinking the country into the first double-dip recession since the 1970s.
That means, in simpler terms, that in the first three months of this year, the country as a whole hasn’t managed to get any richer – in fact it’s made a loss, following on from the loss it made in the final three months of 2011(0.3%). When a country experiences negative growth for six months in a row (or two consecutive quarters) it is officially classed as in a recession.
According to the Office for National Statistics, part of the fall in economic growth is down to a decrease in construction output.
The UK economy was last in recession in 2009. When a country falls into recession twice within a relatively short time period this is classed as a double-dip recession, or a W-shaped recession.
For more information, look on the BBC article here.
Join Channel 4’s exciting ‘Battlefront’ campaign
Channel 4 is renowned for the constant opportunities it offers, with a great ‘Kickstart’ section on its Careers website, offering a flux of work experience placements and internships throughout the year, as well as countless open days and Q&As via Twitter. But aside from all of this, there is also Battlefront – an exciting initiative run BY young people FOR young people.
That’s right. Channel 4 is hiring people aged 14-21 to run an online/TV project for a whole year. For the budding presenters out there, they offer four fixed term contracts and these individuals become the face of the Battlefront campaign and present all the packages which are online on the Battlefront website. For everyone else, there is the opportunity to get involved in planning and content-making and all the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff that will create the bulk of the project.
‘But what has Battlefront done before and why should I get involved?’ I hear you ask. Well, aside from the fact that it’s a great opportunity to get Channel 4 on your CV, it is also a fantastic initiative which in the past year has helped 1000 young people find work placements, it has convinced the government to take the issue of young people’s mental health far more seriously than ever before and it has encouraged more young people to become organ donors. Now that’s pretty impressive, right? Imagine what a great feeling you could have knowing you have made a significant change to so many people’s lives!
Well, this year it could be you. The focus for the next Battlefront is going to be THE issue of the moment which is, of course, youth unemployment. To find out more, and for details of how to apply visit the website here.
The Lowdown on economics from a real econo-miss
Do recession updates confuse you? Do you watch stories about the economy on the news and wonder what the FTSE 100 is or what a W-shaped recession could possibly be?? Do you squirm at the thought of trying to explain what exactly a recession is to anyone who might be so inclined to ask you for an official definition?!
If all or ANY of the above apply to you, then you’ll be happy to know there’s someone who can clarify things for you…
Miss Abi Adams, a PhD student in Economics from Oxford University (now teaching Microeconomics and Quantitative Economics at Oriel College) , has started a blog which attempts to explain the ins and outs of the recession in ‘layman’s terms’, so to speak.
Many of her blog entries focus on new progressions (or contractions…) in the economy in the Eurozone, explaining how things have got to the point they have and what might happen in the future. She writes on the basic economic theory behind current debates and controversy, as well as other things which just take her fancy!
This blog is highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn a little bit more about Economics in words which may be slightly easier to digest than if you just googled them.
Check out Abi’s blog here: http://abiadams.wordpress.com/
Sanctions dropped for young people who abandon work experience scheme early
Latest reports from Parliament confirm that sanctions have been dropped for young people who decide to abandon their work experience. The controversial scheme has caused uproar because of its claims that young people who did not complete their full contract of unpaid work experience risked having their benefits taken from them. For the BBC report click here.
Talks in Parliament over Work Experience scheme
Today there are talks taking place in Parliament between the Employment Minister and the firms which are affiliated with the government’s work experience scheme offering young people 2-8 weeks unpaid work experience. Some of the affiliated firms such as Poundland are unhappy with the scheme because they believe applicants should be entitled to go back on benefits if they try the scheme and decide to drop out early.
To find out more, check the BBC website for updates on this story:
Welcome to Recession Sessions
Welcome to Recession Sessions UK. This website aims to provide young people with updates about the current economic crisis and inform them about new employment opportunities, particularly in the area of Media and Online.
The editor, Claire Houghton, will also be posting updates about her own search for employment and sharing her stories about work experience and job hunting.
You can also keep up to date with Recession Sessions UK by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
Recession Sessions 