A complete list of our posts addressing various citizenship issues can be accessed by clicking through the chronological list on the right hand side of this page. Alternatively you can use the 'Search This Blog' option below the Torquay Girls Grammar School Logo.

Please note that comments for pre-2013 posts have now been disabled. However, we encourage you to leave a comment on any of the new 2013 issues that interest you by clicking on 'comments' at the end of each post. All comments are moderated by school staff prior to posting.


Monday 20 May 2013

Don’t be the generation to wipe out whales and dolphins forever!

Thank you very much for showing interest in my blog! My name is Rebecca and I feel very strongly that we must stop whaling and the captivity of whales and dolphins before it’s too late! So many people who go on holiday to sea parks do not realise the cruelty that whales and dolphins face. Many die within two years of being there; they are beaten, starved and kept in tiny tanks. When you have read my blog I hope that you will know a bit more about the inhumane treatment of whales and dolphins and you will know about a bit of the amazing work that WDC do.

I was shocked to find out that 1600 whales are killed commercially every year, 300,000 whales and dolphins are killed in fishing nets every year and 6.7% of whales die in captivity every year.

On top of that most whales and dolphins which are being caught for captivity die when they are being caught. Animals are severely hurt when kept at marine parks, breaking bones, flesh coming off and that’s just the start. They are separated from wild family from the age of under 1 year old. If they survive the journey to the marine park they will be confined to living in a tiny tank for the rest of their lives.

Then there is the scandal of whaling, for killing such majestic creatures it is a tragedy to know that whalers can make up to $10,000 for around 450g of waste whale meat! Unfortunately some countries which have been banned to kill whales still do, these countries are Iceland and Norway. Japan kills 1200 whales every year; they are killed brutally and have no escape. When I first heard of whaling I thought, why are people doing this? People kill whales because it is an industry with money, the oil is precious and whale meat is a delicacy in parts of Asia. If things carry on this way whales will be extinct in 20 years, this would be a tragedy, so think, if you do not save today who will?

This is why I have chosen to advocate for WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, http://www.wdcs.org. They aim to ban whaling and free al whales and dolphins which are being held captive presently in countries in Europe and America. Ways of supporting them include adopting a whale or dolphin. They need to help though to save these majestic creatures.

Thank you very much for reading this far. I would greatly appreciate if you could comment on my blog briefly answering the questions below and please state your local town or country if you do not live in the UK.
  • Had you heard of WDC before reading my blog?
  • Do you now feel more informed about WDC after reading blog?
  • Would you now be prepared to a) make a donation towards WDC, b) start or join a fundraising campaign, c) sign up to regular updates about WDC, d) adopt a whale or dolphin, e) tell your family and friends about WDC?
Thank you for reading my blog, Rebecca

Light up the lives of sick children - help Starlight make their wishes come true!

Hello, my name is Rachel. Thankyou very much for taking an interest in my blog about Starlight Children’s Foundation! I hope that once you have read my blog you may consider supporting Starlight by:
  • Donating some money
  • Sponsoring a Starlight wish
  • Attend a Starlight fundraising event
  • Sponsor a friend
  • Sign up to “Give as you Live” – no extra cost to you when you shop online
For more information visit www.Starlight.org.uk

Starlight is a charity that brightens and transforms the lives of over 500,000 sick children in the UK per year with life threatening illnesses, providing fun and entertainment in hospitals and hospices. Starlight aims to distract children from pain, fear and isolation. Children can also be granted a once in a lifetime wish so that they can fulfill their dreams.

Starlight provides parties, pantomimes, escapes, fun centres and distraction boxes filled with toys and puzzles for worrying medical procedures in hospital wards throughout the UK to entertain children.

This is Chelsie’s story. Sadly, Chelsie was born with a life shortening disease called Cystic
Fibrosis that seriously affects the internal organs. When she was four years old, Chelsie fell in love with dance and she wished to dance on the West End Stage in London. It was a big challenge for Starlight, but they granted Chelsie’s wish and put together a pantomime, Cinderella: The shoe must go on! The wish changed her life forever as she danced the foxtrot with professional dancer, Benny, performing in front of 1200 people! It was the best day of her life and gave her something exciting to remember during the hard times.  It gave inspiration to her family too, to carry on.

Why should you care? Because it could happen to any child!

Thankyou very much for reading my blog.  I would be grateful if you could please answer the following questions and leave a comment. It would be helpful if you put your first name and where you live:

  1. Had you heard about Starlight before reading my blog?
  2. Do you now feel more informed about Starlight?  If so how?
  3. Would you now consider supporting the charity after reading my blog? What would you do?
  4. Would you now tell your friends and family about the charity Starlight?
70% of Starlight’s children make a full recovery and your support could make a difference. Please make a donation today.

Many thanks for taking an interest in my blog
Rachel

Help Cancer Research Uk bring a smile to a child today!

Hi, I’m Poppy, thank you for taking some time to read my online blog! Cancer Research Uk is very close to my heart and I feel very strongly about advocating the wonderful help that they do. It may be hard to imagine being diagnosed with Cancer, or having a loved one diagnosed. For millions of people every day is a struggle for their life or a worry for a family member or friend. Hopefully by the end of my blog you will know a bit more about the ways Cancer Research Uk help millions of people across the world and will know about the problems faced by the millions of people like my Grandma (in the photo above).

My greatest inspiration is my Grandma! She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on 14th January 2006, at just 64 years old. They found a pea sized lump in her left breast and the doctors decided that surgery and radiotherapy was the best route to take. After surgery Modified radical mastectomy: my Grandma had radiotherapy for 7 ½ (53 days) weeks daily- except the weekends. Cancer Research Uk helped my Grandma by having a McMillan nurse who saw my Grandma regularly and checked that she was okay physically and mentally. My grandma also took therapy at the Holistic centre. Here she took calming therapies. My Grandad also underwent therapy for calming down whilst my Grandma was ill. She was ill for over 110 days.


Cancer Research Uk save millions of lives everyday and have carried on there hard work since 1902. 'Every step we make towards beating cancer relies on every pound, every hour, and every person. And as a collective force we’ve helped double survival rates in the last forty years. But we can’t stop there. More than 1 in 3 of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives and with our ageing population, this statistic is getting worse.' Everyday someone’s life is cut short by cancer and Cancer Research UK is fighting to stop that. There ambition is to bring forward a day where all Cancers are cured. Also to save lives; to add years; to make treatments kinder; to inform, prevent; to expel fear and to cure. Cancer Research Uk are the only ones fighting over 200 cancers – including the 1 that matters most to you. A courageous spirit can drive anyone forwards in life- whether it be surviving and curing. We will cure cancers sooner or later- so let’s make it sooner!

Thank you again for reading my blog- I really appreciate it! Before we go could I ask that you answer the following questions and leave a comment?

  • Do you now feel more informed about cancer research?
  • Do you now feel more aware of the troubles of cancer?
  • Would you now be willing to...?
  1. Donate to Cancer Research Uk?
  2. Advocate about Cancer Research Uk?
  3. Tell others of the beautiful work that Cancer Research Uk do?
Thank you again for reading my blog. Please leave a comment about what you think and any additional thoughts. Please leave hometown and country. (If not United Kingdom.)

Thank you,
Poppy xxx

See The Future - We need to help blind people to see the future.

Firstly, thank you very much for taking an interest in my blog about the RNIB- I really appreciate it. The purpose of my blog is to raise awareness of the RNIB and possibly persuade you to donate. If I manage to achieve any of these objectives, the RNIB and I would be really happy- also I would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to post a comment at the bottom of the page to tell me what you thought. The RNIB is also known as The Royal Institute for the Blind. The RNIB is a charity whose aims are to:
  • Stop people losing their sight unnecessarily
  • Supporting blind and partially sighted people to live independently.
  • Creating an inclusive society.
My aims are:
  • To raise awareness of the work of the RNIB and its work with visually impaired
  • To try and gain support for the RNIB
  • To help to create an inclusive society.
There are some things you should know about blindness in the UK:
  • There are 2million people in the UK living with sight loss.
  • 1 in 5 elderly people develop sight loss.
  • Every day 100 people in the UK start to lose their sight.
  • 80% of all visual impairment can be avoided or cured.
The RNIB try to reduce these numbers, and where they can’t they give support, advice and offer equipment.

We need to do something to help blind people and need to support the RNIB by donating, spreading the word, or just commenting on my blog- by doing this you are helping the RNIB. Thank you again very, very, very, very much for reading my blog. Again I would appreciate it you would leave a comment, possibly answering a few

Questions:

  • Did you already know about the RNIB?
  • Do you no feel more informed about the RNIB?
  • Would you now consider donating/supporting the RNIB?
  • If possible could you please tell me where you come from (city, town, country etc.)
Thank you so much for your time!

Olivia
www.rnib.org.uk

Friday 17 May 2013

Theres no place like home-support the RMHC today!

Thank you for showing a interest in my blog! The Ronald McDonald House charity is a great charity, providing a free home to home accommodation and support to families with a sick child in hospital. Not many people seem to have heard of the RMHC so I would love to raise more awareness toward this charity!

Kian was born on then 27th March 2003, He was a healthy baby weighing at 7Ib 15oz, everything was fine for 3 weeks until Kian became sick, he was admitted to Torbay hospital where after 2 hours he was fighting for his life and put on a life support. The doctors said that he needed special support and the best place for him would be at Bristol children’s hospital, in the early hours of the night Kian was taken to Bristol hospital where he would there spend the next 4 days in intensive care and a further 3 days in hospital.

As you can imagine this was a very stressful time and upsetting time for Kians family, not only did they have their new born son in hospital but also a three year old daughter who had never been left on her own without her parents, this was a extremely stressful time.

Not wanting to leave their Childs bedside, Kians parents were offered a room in one of the Ronald McDonald Houses, they were told that their daughter could visit and stay also; this gave great comfort to the family to know that they could still be together. Kian was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis and was suffering with apnea. He went on to make a full recovery without any side effects. Kian is now healthy again playing football 5 times a week I know this as a fact as Kian is my little brother.

With the difficult situation my family went through, the help and support from the staff at the RMHC gave great comfort to my family and made the tough time we were going through a little easier

Thank you so much for reading my petition. Please sign your name my goal is to get 50 signatures. Please sign if you believe more families should be given support and comfort whist going through the troubling time of having their child in hospital.

Thank you so much for reading my blog. If you have time lease leave me a response with your thoughts. In particular it would be great if you could answer the questions, and help in any way possible. Further details in helping the charity can be found at http://www.rmhc.org.uk/ Please help to give more children a chance to be with their families while going through a tough time

Questions..
Had you heard about the RMHC before reading my blog?
Do you now feel more informed about the RMHC?
Would you now be prepared to fundraise or support the RMHC in ways such as sponsored walks bake sales etc.?

If you do respond please tell me where you are from i.e. Your home town/country (if not in the UK)

Many thanks
Niamh

Behind every R.N.L.I rescue is a face like yours… it could be you!

Hello, I am Megan, and first of all I would like to thank you all for taking an interest in my Blog. By reading my blog, I hope to inform you with all of the information you need about the R.N.L.I. The reason, to which I have chosen to advocate the R.N.L.I. as part of my citizenship GCSE, is because I believe that too many people are unaware of the phenomenal work that they actually do, and awareness leads to action! Lack of equipment, and volunteers make the situation incredibly hard for the R.N.L.I., considering that they only rely on public donations and a voluntary crew. They are un-able to save lives without the support of the public, and behind every rescue is a face just like yours… one day, it could be yours!

Why should you care? You should care because behind every rescue, is a face like your own! Without the R.N.L.I, thousands of people would be left to defend for themselves in dangerous conditions in the sea! This would lead to atrocious accidents or even death, which are both un-necessary if the R.N.L.I, is there to save you! Help save a life, which could be yours!

The saving of an innocent life costs very little money! When donating to the R.N.L.I, the money donated will be used to buy lifesaving equipment used at sea, as well as to pay for the boats and generating voluntary income! But it is not possible to continue the savings of lives without the donations…. We need to act now, and fast!

Thank you so much again for taking the time to read my blog. Please do now post me a response with your thoughts and any additional comments. Particularly, it would be great if you could include a few words in answer to the following questions! Further details of all of the ideas listed below can be accessed at http://www.rnli.org/Pages/Default.aspx  Please help me to thank generations for their bravery, and to continue the fantastic work of the R.N.L.I!

  • Had you heard about the work of the R.N.L.I before?
  • After reading my blog, do you now feel more informed about the work of the R.N.L.I
  • Would you now be prepared to do any of the following things to help keep the charity running, and to help the R.N.L.I to continue saving thousands of lives…
  • Make a donation to the R.N.L.I?
  • Start or join a FUND raising campaign?
  • Tell your friends and family about the work of the R.N.L.I, and try to persuade them to help out in any of the ways above?
If you do choose to post a response, please can you tell me where abouts it is that you come from i.e. your hometown or country (if not UK!)

Many thanks!
Megan

Balloons - Keep children smiling




Thank you very much for taking time to read my blog. Trying to help children who have lost a family member isn’t as easy as it sounds. Not many people know or can relate to the amount of suffering experienced by children who have lost a close relative. Once you’ve read my blog, I hope you feel more informed about these children’s worlds and the problems they have to face throughout one of the most difficult times of their lives, and hopefully feel like you want to help.

Here is charlotte’s story. Charlotte’s mum was given a diagnosis of a rare incurable cancer with 9 months to live. Sadly after 8 months Maxine passed away. No one ever thought that this loving, caring, clever woman with amazing steely determination would die and this news left charlotte in a state of devastation. Not long after, charlotte found how to cope with life and learn the new reality. She is now working her way through life as normal, not forgetting her mum of course, but carrying on with life as usual.
 
Charlotte’s new intake on life was helped to develop through Balloons charity, who were there to hold her hand every step of the way, supporting her through everything. Whatever the problem they were there to help. It only takes a small donation to change a child’s life for the better and enable them back onto the straight and narrow, it doesn’t take much to help a child like Charlotte, but they don’t receive enough donations from the general public.

Thank you again for taking an interest in my blog. Please post me a response to your thoughts. It would be particularly great if you could answer the following questions:

  1. Have you heard of balloons before?
  2. Do you now feel more informed about these children’s lives?
  3. Would you be prepared to do the following…
  • Make a donation to Balloons?
  • Start or help a fund raising event?
  • Tell your friends and family about this cause?


Further details of the ideas listed can be found at: http://www.balloons-devon.org.uk – help destroy the distress.

If you post a response, please can you tell me which home town country you come from (if not the UK!)

Many thanks
Megan

Time To Help The Tortoise Trust Stop Tortured Tortoises



Hello and welcome to my blog. I’m Maisie and thank you so much for taking an interest!  I will be talking to you about quite an unknown trust called the Tortoise Trust. I have chosen it because I think that it has very good aims and also deserves publicity. Also my citizenship GCSE is to raise awareness so it was a perfect trust for me. You can find their website at www.tortoisetrust.org

The Tortoise Trust has been the leading husbandry research group since the 1980s, and it mainly supplies information for the public to access online. There are so many FAQs on the Tortoise Trust, this is sure proof that it is help to many people. Lots of contributions are made by lots of different authors, and there is a huge range of information. They are currently carrying out research in Spain, a trip that the public can offer their services on, and aid the tortoise trust in their research. They gain their information through first-hand experience in the field, and at present are collecting and studying tortoises in the wild Mediterranean.

Having a tortoise as a pet can really improve a tortoise’s life, and with the help of the Tortoise Trust’s advice, it would be a very well looked after tortoise! Tortoises are somewhat hard to look after as they are reptiles, and owners may find it hard to understand their needs, so having such a perfect guide for carers and owners of tortoises is very handy! The tortoise trust also has an online rehoming site, so anyone who wishes to get a tortoise may do so through a trusted source.




Moving on from the subject of pets, massive numbers of tortoises are maltreated. Many species of tortoises are endangered, and so every effort has to be made to conserve this incredible species.  A lot of Asian countries have a hunger for tortoise meat, and products.  Tortoises are caught and shelled, boiled, eaten and turned into medicine. It has become a part of some cultures, and is extremely threatening to tortoise species. There are farms specifically for tortoises, as well as the natural habitats which they are stolen from.  However, all of the tortoises in pet shops have been taken from the wild, which decreases the number of wild tortoises.

Thank you again for reading, and if you could answer the following questions it would be much appreciated.

  1. Had you heard of the Tortoise Trust before reading this?
  2. Do you now feel more informed on the Tortoise Trust, and the problems tortoises face?
  3. Would you be prepared to do any of the following things to support the Tortoise Trust and the tortoises out there:
  • Make a donation to the Tortoise Trust?
  • Start or join a fundraising campaign?
  • Sign up to offer information on the website
  • Spread the word of the Tortoise Trust!
  • And any suggestions for improvements of presenting?

If you do post a response, please write where you are i.e. town or country

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Your pets - love them not leave them: Help Blue Cross achieve this aim.



Hi, we’re Lucy and Georgia, and welcome to our Blue Cross blog! Thank you for taking the time to visit our page. With this blog, we hope to increase your knowledge or notify you on what Blue Cross do, and encourage you to help!

We want to talk a little bit about what Blue Cross does. Their main aim is to help unwanted pets and we think that you should want to as well. So many pets are struggling for survival, even though only £2 a month can keep a poorly pet alive.

On a normal Sunday evening, Blue Cross got an alarming call. When they arrived at a country lane in Brixham, they found a box of distressed kittens with two older cats nearby. The kittens were crying and very nervous and the mum nearly got run over by a car. It took a lot of effort to coax all the cats into their arms but eventually (after 2 days!) they managed it. Because of Blue Cross, these cats are now safe and are being found new homes. Blue Cross come across many tragedies like this every day, but only with your funding can they continue the amazing work they do and a range of other things.

Thank you again for taking interest in our blog, we hope that you now feel more informed about what Blue Cross do and we hope you will consider supporting our petition and Blue Cross. Please leave a comment with your thoughts. Thank you! Further information on the Blue Cross can be found at http://www.bluecross.org.uk/

In your comment we would be very grateful if you could answer these questions.

  • Have you heard about Blue Cross before?
  • Do you now feel more informed about Blue Cross and the work that they do?
  • Would you now be prepared to do any of the following things to help the Blue Cross…?
  1. Make a donation to ‘Blue Cross’?
  2. Start or join a fundraising campaign for the Blue Cross?
  3. Sign up to receive more information and get copies of their magazine ‘Blue Print’?
  4. Support Blue Cross every time you use eBay
  5. Tell your family and friends about Blue Cross and try to persuade them to help out in any of the ways above?
If you do leave us a response, please can you tell us where you come from i.e. you home town and country (if not UK!)

Thank You!
Lucy and Georgia

Help Youth Music Give Someone A Chance



Hello and thank you for taking the time to read and take interest in my blog. Music is an important part of our society; it defines us in ways we don’t expect. Unfortunately, many young people do not get the chance to enjoy music. Not many people know about this charity, even though it is the leading UK charity that transforms the lives of Youths. Once you have read my blog, I hope that you will feel more informed about Youth Music and what it does, and I hope that you will want to help.

Many young people don’t have the chance to play music, where as Youth Music takes children from all over the UK, and changes them to a completely different person. They change their potential, it’s incredible what they do and how they do it. There are hundreds of projects all over the country, which encourages youths to recognise their potential. Youth Music has changed the lives of over 2.5 million children in the UK, in just 14 years. Youth Music was established in 1999 and has affected so many people, it’s amazing. Music can change your mind and change people. Many teenagers do not respect music because they think that it is not important. Lots of people take music for granted, where as someone living in poverty in the UK, would jump at the chance to be able to play music.

But why should you care? Some poor and underachieved children living in the UK, (who could be younger or the same age as you) would never be able to play music without Youth Music. Youth Music is a charity for children. Youth Music is for disadvantaged children, some who do deserve the chance but do not get it, and that is where Youth Music comes along.

Here is Ben’s story. Ben first came into contact with Youth Music when he was part of a program for young offenders. He made huge progress with his new-found musical talent which also turned his life around. Ben was in the most serious intervention available for young offenders other than prison. When Ben was part of that program he was referred by his local Youth Offending Service to a Youth Music project at the Plymouth Music Zone. Ben spent time taking part in music-based mentoring sessions. Ben was matched with suitable mentor Steve, where they both established learning goals for the project. The project Ben was placed in contained both musical and personal aims. Staff in this project reported how enthusiastic and committed Ben was. The staff could tell that Ben’s musical ability, attitude and behaviour had improved over his mentoring period.

Thanks to Youth Music, Ben has been given another chance in life.
You can find out more at           http://www.youthmusic.org.uk


 










Thanks again for reading my blog and I hope that you are more informed about Youth Music. I would be very grateful if you could leave a comment and if you wouldn’t mind answering a few questions.
  • Had you heard about Youth Music before?
  • Do you now feel more informed about Youth Music?
  • Would you now be prepared to do any of the following things to improve the lives of youths
  1. Make a donation to Youth Music?
  2. Start or join a fund raising campaign?
  3. Sign up to receive regular information about what is happening
  4. Support via the internet
  5. Tell your family and friends about Youth Music and try to persuade them to help out in any way?
If you do post a response, then can you please tell me where you come from i.e. hometown and country


Thanks Again!
Lucy