Read the texts and match them with the charts.

1) A mobile phone is stolen in the UK every three minutes. Almost half of the victims (48%) of mobile phone theft are under 18. The average age of the thief is 16. In 2000 – 01, 28% of all robberies involved a mobile phone, compared with 16% in 1999 – 2000. This was double the number for 1998 – 99, when only 8% involved a mobile.

2) Smoking among 15 year olds fell from 30% to 23% between 1996 and 1999, while mobile phone ownership among 15 to 17 year olds rose from low levels in 1996 to 70% by August 2000. Is there a link? Experts think that using a mobile satisfies the same teenage needs as smoking. Both are a way of taking part in the social life of the group. Both offer a sense of style and individuality, making the user feel adult and independent. And many teenagers can’t afford to do both.

3) According to research, the majority of 18 to 24 year olds (88%) currently have a mobile phone for personal use. In a recent survey of their views, 32% said they can’t live without their mobile phone. One in three (33%) said a mobile is important, but not essential and 28% said it’s nice to have a mobile, but they could live without it. Only 7% said it doesn’t matter whether they have one or not.

Project task. Find out how many students in your academy have mobile phones, smoke, drink alcohol. Interview at least 10 people. Draw your chart and present it to the group. Are having a mobile phone and smoking interrelated according to your survey?

Read the poem. What is it devoted to? Is the author young or adult? Are there such people on the streets of your city?

Living on the street

by Jade from Wrexham

Can you imagine a night on the street,
Waking at dawn with nothing to eat,
The howling wind and the pouring rain,
The busy streets and the loud cars that reign.

Can you imagine a few days on the street,
Sleeping on the concrete with very cold feet,
Thinking of food and how much you could eat,
If you had it right there on the street.

Can you imagine weeks on the street,
Trying to get money then fighting the creeps,
Who at the dead of night,
Turf you out of bed,
Maybe with a knife or something else that brings dread.

Can you imagine months on the street,
Thinking of home and how it used to be,
Drinking hot cocoa while sitting by the fire,
Whiling away the hours in any old manner.

Can you imagine years on the street,
Still fighting for food,
Still fighting the creeps,
With nothing to say to anyone,
If they would listen which they probably won't.

And I haven't mentioned the terrible noises,
That come in the night when you don't want it,
Creeping silently into your head and bringing on that same old dread.

Now you go out onto the street,
But keep in mind my longing plea,
For you to just spare a minute for me,
Then when you see us ugly dossers,
You may still not want to throw us coppers,
But give us a smile or a friendly wave,
Just to make us feel snug and brave.

Read the poem again and show its content in the form of a map.

Do you help the homeless? If yes, what do you do?

If you had enough money and authority what would you do for them?

Read the following rhyme words. Are they associated with unemployment? Make up some sentences using these words.

homelessness – hopelessness; aggression – depression; unemployed – avoid; noise – no choice; wonder – go under; night – fight; cheaper – a street sweeper; money – funny; park – dark; mind – kind; gold – cold.

Try to write a short poem about the homeless and unemployed. Choose the best one.

Ex.:

There was a man, who had a good job,

Who had several cars and a house superb.

He went to Bahamas

And spent there summers

And lived like a cultural snob.

But once he fell ill

And lost all his will.

And now he is unemployed.

39. What can be done to solve youth problems? Brainstorm ideas!

Read the following interview with an 18 year old boy whose wish is to help homeless youngsters. Describe his idea to your partner.

Youth mayor to help homeless

Terry Jones wants to set up a dedicated hotline offering advice to homeless youngsters in the area.

The 18-year-old said improvements to the current service are vital to help young people.

"There are a lot of young people who have nowhere to go," he said.

Terry was elected by members of Bridgend youth council, which is made up of 14 to 25-year-olds from different backgrounds.

"During my time as youth mayor I want to focus on this problem mainly because I have had problems with it myself."

"I'm living in supported housing now but before that I was a 'sofa surfer' - sleeping in friends' houses."

"There is a big problem in the area."

"Lots of young people are sleeping in friends' houses and the problem is worse for boys."

He said that boys were not seen as a priority for housing and that many were often forced to sleep rough because they had no where to go.

"It is quite annoying because there are a lot of properties which are boarded up and yet there are people sleeping rough," said Terry, who moved to Bridgend from his home city Birmingham.

He said that he plans to meet with housing officials later in the summer to discuss the problem and find ways of helping tackle the issue.

Terry, currently unemployed and a keen rapper in his spare time, took up the voluntary post of youth mayor for Bridgend after spending time as a member of the youth council.

Bridgend Council said that it was working closely with Terry and the rest of the youth council on the issue of homelessness in the area.

It said that it recognised the need for a 24-hour helpline and for more housing to be made available.

"The council is already working with the youth mayor to identify the requirements for the 24/7 helpline," said a spokesman.

"There has been a follow-up meeting with the youth mayor and other members of the youth council to move forward on this helpline.

"Further discussions offer the opportunity to listen to the needs of young people," he added.

41. Do you know some examples when schoolgirls become moms? Does it often happen in Russia? In other countries? Read the text about Cyfle school and match the words with their definitions:

42. Read the text once again and complete the sentences:

1. Cyfle is a …

2. When they hear about a pregnant pupil they …

3. Their aim is …

4. At Cyfle they teach …

5. On Mondays …

6. A pupil can leave the class if …

School for pregnant pupils

There's a school is Wrexham allowing pregnant schoolgirls to continue their education. Here, Teresa Foster Evans, the teacher in charge, explains more: “Cyfle is a small school, known as a 'pupil referral unit' or PRU. We can teach up to approximately a dozen young moms each year and we also have an on site crèche so the girls can bring their babies with them. We will also offer other forms of support to the girl's family and sometimes the baby's father if he wants us to.

Girls are referred to Cyfle, usually by their schools or sometimes through the midwifery service. Occasionally parents have even been known to contact us directly.

When we first hear about a pregnant pupil we arrange to meet the family to discuss what will happen to her education. In Wrexham, school-girl moms are fortunate in that there is a special provision for them where they can get a high quality of education. Our aim is to support the pupil in as many ways as we can. This includes talking to her school to ensure that she can continue going to school safely until she is at least 28 weeks pregnant. If the baby's father is also at school and wants to attend antenatal or baby clinics we will also negotiate with the school to allow him to participate as fully as possible in his baby's care.

Once we have talked to both the parents and the school the girl continues in school until she is between 28 and about 34 weeks pregnant. At this point she transfers to Cyfle for teaching.

The girls are brought in by taxi each morning for 9:30 am and attend normal lessons for 4 hours, four days a week (Tuesdays to Fridays). We teach a core curriculum of GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) English, Maths, Science, Child Development and Business and Communication Systems (ICT). We also cover GCSE Short Course RE (Real Estate) and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education). If a pupil comes to us and she has already started other GCSEs which she wishes to continue then we will do our best to teach these subjects too. We try our best to match in our lessons to cover the same work as the pupils were doing at school.

We have excellent contacts with the maternity service. One of their midwives is a regular visitor to the unit and we call her in if we encounter any problems during the day. We expect all pregnant pupils to attend the Mums2B Clinic on Monday afternoons for their antenatal care and parenting classes. This is why there are no lessons at the unit on Mondays.

Once a pupil has had her baby she is given two weeks' maternity leave. Occasionally, a pupil has medical problems following the birth and so the leave can be extended provided a doctor or midwife certifies that she is unfit to attend.

When she returns to the unit the new mom brings her baby with her. We have an on site, free crèche. There is no expectation that the girl will immediately dump her baby in the crèche and be prevented from seeing it again till lunch time. In fact, it is quite usual for the pupil to bring the baby into the classroom for a few hours or even days until she is completely happy to leave it in the care of our highly qualified crèche staff. If she breast feeds she can leave the class to do so at any point in the day, as she can if she has any worries or just is plain missing the baby. Our aim is to encourage bonding and for the girls to learn to take as much responsibility for their babies as possible whilst giving them the freedom of a few hours a day to learn in the same way as any other teenager in Britain.”