17 year old Keira Mazey lives near Mildenhall and she is studying on a level three multi-media journalism course at West Suffolk College. Here she explains how her favourite TV shows help her through the bad times. Seeing what is happening in Ukraine at the moment has made realise just how bad a place the world can be. It’s absolutely harrowing watching the news at times. It reminds me of lockdown and Covid, where seeing equally distressing footage of hospitals filled with patients – surrounded by doctors and nurses being unable to cope – was the norm. All of this seems to pale into insignificance when I think about my own problems and I’m certainly not comparing my issues to what is happening in Ukraine – or what happened during the peak of Covid. However, we all experience difficult moments in our lives. And no matter how big or small our problems seem, it’s essential we find coping mechanisms to help us through. Most recently, I’ve had a few issues with some friends. It’s been tough for me personally and the best way I was able to take my mind off the troubles was by creating what I call a bit of a distraction therapy. Whilst others might turn to exercise, eating, reading or family time – for me – it’s always been TV. I think most people have their ‘go to’ TV shows that they use as a form of escapism. Mine are called Friends and The Big Bang Theory. I also like the lesser known programme called Anne with an E. For those that don’t know, Friends is a classic comedy that focuses on a group of young adults living in New York who ‘couldn’t be’ any more unsure of themselves. The Big Bang Theory is about a group of ‘nerdy’ scientists negotiating their way through life. And Anne with an E (based on the book called Anne of Green Gables) is set in the early part of the nineteenth century and follows the journey of a young girl who leaves an orphanage to work on a farm. What connects these shows is that the all have the idea at their root that having strong friendships in your life is one of the most valuable assets you can obtain. And in a world that is constantly changing I feel I can watch these TV shows - where everything stays the same – and it makes life seem OK. Whilst fall outs and fights occur, the characters always end up helping each other out when they need help the most. Everyone always has someone to lean on. I’ve watched all the episodes many times. I know most of the lines that are said. But even more than that, I’ve been able to break down my own friendships whilst watching these programmes to give my own problems some kind of context. Sat their watching my TV with these familiar faces has been an enormous comfort to me. They have proved to be a great form of escapism – through both global issues and friendship fall outs. I’d like to think that the issues will eventually be resolved with my friendship group. Life really is too short to have unnecessary fall outs. Maybe we are on a break. Maybe we are meant to be like Ross and Rachel from Friends. Or maybe, they no longer want to know how I’m doin..... Whatever happens, I can always fall back on my TV friends to help get me through. And if I want to see other people with real problems to remind me how lucky I am, I can just switch on the news........

I have a love for something so simple yet beautiful - art. As someone who suffered badly from mental health during lockdown, seeing other people express their emotions through their work was inspiring to me. A reason why observing and creating art is a passion of mine is the mere simplicity yet complexity of it all. You can see the art in its simplest form - for what it is, yet you can also acknowledge a deep sense of understanding of what is presented to you. For myself, creating art was never something I saw as a pursuit - as my art was mediocre at best. My determination never stopped me from going ahead and indulging myself in my art pieces though. Most of the time, I loved the process of creating my art pieces, rather than observing my own at a later date. That is the one thing I love about art - whether you are creating it or observing someone else - you tend to feel in the moment. You often stop to think about the world around you. A break in reality, one might say. An artist I’ve always liked is the notorious Bob Ross. For me, his pieces stand out. These beautiful and peaceful landscape paintings which are full of colour, helped me escape what was happening throughout the world during the pandemic. Another artist I have recently discovered is Brellian. Her artwork - similar to Bob Ross in my opinion - is landscape paintings. For me, I adore the majority of her artwork. The tranquillity and quietness of it all. A reason why art is immensely popular throughout different generations is because of the many benefits it brings. As I mentioned earlier, some people use art as a form of gentle escapism from the daunting reality of real life. This can help healthily relieve stress. In other cases, it helps form meaning and understanding of the world. I find that with everyday life being so busy (with work, school, family etc), a lot of people never get to stop and relax. This is one of the many reasons why indulging yourself in a hobby can be beneficial to your life. A lot of built-up stress can be relieved by spending a few minutes each day doing what you love. Many of my artworks hold special meanings behind them. One of my favourite pieces of art I did was during lockdown. At the time, I had no passion for anything and struggled with creativity, like most of the world during that period. The art I created helped me cope with the intensity of my emotions, which underlies most of my artwork. I've never been confident in the art I produce, but for many reasons, it is why I love art regardless. Showing people my art to people always made me uneasy as I, along with many others, always put a piece of ourselves in our work. Even to this day, I rarely let people see my artwork, because in a metaphorical sense my art is fragments of myself. This is why I congratulate artists that are confident, and willing enough to share their work. When I was little, I had no family members who had artistic capabilities, but I always was thankful for the house I grew up in. It was quiet, with woods in the back garden (which I took a liking to playing in). Strangely. I guess the love for the trees in my garden played a large role in my adoration for woodland landscapes. Who knew a love for trees could sprout into a love for something completely unrelated?

18 year old Sinead Durell from Bury St Edmunds reflects on her determination to become a journalist, despite a number of serious setbacks in her life. No matter what life throws at you, you have to be resilient. I have had many challenges thrown my way, including my mum passing away when I was five and losing my dad to cancer during Covid in 2020. These have been incredibly tough experiences for me. It would have been easy for me to have given up on education. But I’m determined to keep going. I started at West Suffolk College last year and initially felt that psychology was for me. But after a bout of Covid meant I missed my exams, I took a bit of time out, got a job and then considered my options. Over the summer, I looked in to doing a journalism course at the College. I’ve always had a fascination with crime documentaries and this is an area of journalism that I’m keen to work in. I like the idea of investigating and digging in to stories and finding out why criminals do what they do and how their brains work. Most recently I’ve been watching a series on Netflix about the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The topic just fascinates me. My plan is to try and get as much work experience as I can. I’m hoping to talk to the communications people who work for the police. I’m going to reach out to people who are in charge of public services courses at the College to see if I can do some stories about their industry links. I also want to develop my writing portfolio in terms of crime so I’m hoping to go to Moyses Hall to find out more about a story that is referred to locally as the murder in the red barn. In terms of the course more generally, I’ve learnt alot so far and I’m only four weeks in. I’ve conducted interviews in the town centre and been involved in creating some vox-pops for the Bury Free Press - and I’m really looking forward to doing more of that. I’ve also been part of creating a pilot TV news show. In terms of our TV news show and magazine, we’ll have everything from fashion to sport via gardening and I’ve already tried my hand at videoing, editing and I’ve also been a guest on the programme. I understand that a life in journalism isn’t a nine to five job but it’s a great career where you get to meet to lots of different people and write for a living - so I aim to grab this opportunity and get involved in as many stories as I can. You get to have a go at everything here and that is why I think others should choose this course if they are serious about a career in the media. It (the course) gives you skills across the board and also personalises the programme so you can follow own interests. For someone who has had a bit of a tough start, I know the importance of being resilient and although it’s been difficult at times, I’m determined to see this through. The journalism programme has given me a real sense of purpose. I’ve had a few ups and downs and I know that in life, the problems don’t always disappear. But, if I stay focussed and with the support of the college and the people on my course, I’m confident that I will realise my dream of becoming a journalist who specialises in crime stories.

Una Upaniece, 16 from Bury St Edmunds is studying on a level three multimedia journalism course at West Suffolk College. Una is part of a team who will star in a new news and entertainment online TV show WSCtv that was launched this week. Here Una tells people what to expect from the TV programme - and who her dream interview would be. I finished my GCSEs this year and chose to study journalism at West Suffolk College. I enjoy writing and the course sounded really interesting. So far it’s been a great insight into the media. Everything is really professional and I like the environment. I feel like I’m learning so much and being pushed out of my comfort zone. It’s so different from school. It’s more empowering and I get to do what I enjoy every day. The highlight of the course so far was filming an upcoming feature on a collaborative project that is helping feed local people in need who are living in rurally isolated areas. Essentially, local supermarkets donate food, our students cook the food, the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw company deliver it - and other supporters have included Abbeycroft Leisure, Aspect Living, Bury St Edmunds Women’s Aid, Bury Town Council, Gatehouse, Home But Not Alone, St Nicholas Hospice Neighbours, Tesco The Befriending Scheme, The Suffolk VASP, and West Suffolk Council. I recently went out on a rickshaw with my colleague Matt and we got caught in a massive hail storm – but that didn’t matter. It was just nice talking to people and support them in their hour of need. The storm they are facing is far bigger than what mother-nature could throw at us. The feature I just mentioned will be featured in an upcoming new TV show that is being produced by the multimedia journalism students at the College. We’ve been filming lots of pilot episodes so far to make sure that we are ready, when we go live. It’s very professional for a college in my opinion and I guess the way to describe the programme would be to call it somewhere between The One Show and This Morning. It will have lifestyle features about people and places with an eye on what is happening in the news. My upcoming contributions include a gig review and I’ll also be exploring a documentary idea looking at why people decide to have plastic surgery. I think that people should tune it to our new programme as it is something new and it will be worth watching to see how we and the show evolves. In the future, I see us getting more high profile guests and everyone is gaining confidence and getting more comfortable being in front of the camera. I guess my role is as a roving news reporter and it’s inspiring me to believe that TV presenting is something I could do as a career in the future. Presenting aside, I love writing as well so I’ll be keeping my future career options open. I don’t to pin myself down to one thing. I was recently asked who would I would most like to interview out of anyone in the world and it might sound corny, but I would have to say it would be my parents. They came to the UK from Latvia around nine years ago and they inspire me every day. They moved here and started with nothing. They work so hard to give me more opportunities and they keep me going. They are glad that I have found something that I want to do and they believe in me and think I will go far. Although society is celebrity obsessed, it’s not all about that. Life for me is all about ‘ordinary’ people who do extraordinary things and that will be my motivation when producing stories for our new TV channel. I get that sense of reality from my parents. I hope I make them proud.

Matt Canham, 17 from Euston is studying on a level three multi-media journalism course at West Suffolk College. He has a passion for gardening that he is hoping he can turn in to a career on the television. So can Matt become the next Monty Don? My love of gardening started when I used to put gnomes out every spring time at home when I was a child. Then when the weather turned, I’d bring them in, paint them up over the winter and take them back out when the time was right. That initially got me in the garden and then things blossomed from there and I started to gain an interest in plants. My grandad also had a big garden and his interest inspired me to find out more. And my uncle used to give me tomatoes and told me what to do to make my own. Thanks to this interest, I realised that being outside is good for the soul. I know people who have mental health problems are encouraged to try and develop a love of nature and I can see why. It can be so therapeutic. At the moment I only have a small garden area at home that I am constantly looking to transform and I get out there as much as I can. Outside of the college, I work on a cattery that is situated on a farm and when I have a short break, I always take the time to go outside and get some fresh air. Just listening to the birds singing and hearing the wind blowing is one of life’s free luxuries. The other great thing about gardening is that anyone can do it – as long as they don’t mind getting their hands dirty - and you can do it at any age. I know young people aren’t really associated with gardening – so my job is to try and promote my love of this subject to new generations. Lockdown created more of a passion for this pastime. So I definitely think I can be a green fingered ambassador. Long term, I think my aim is to become a TV gardener. I look up to people like Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh and I also like Jeremy Clarkson. I guess I’d model myself on a mixture of those three. Through my course, I’ve started creating short videos for the magazine that I help to run at West Suffolk College called DSTV. The reaction has been good and I’ve had lots of likes. It gives me the confidence to think that I could do this as a career. I enjoy presenting and I try and adopt a relaxed and calm style with a comedic twist. I call myself the ‘down to earth’ gardener. My College is trying to hook me up with current TV gardeners and I’d love to meet up with someone like Adam Henson from Countryfile. I think overall the course is helping me get to where I want to go. As part of my end of year project I had to create a short documentary and the feedback I got from my friends and people on my course was a real confidence booster. I think my plan is to try and feel my way in to the media world through employment after education. My dream would to be at the Chelsea Flower Show working for the BBC or creating my own content on a YouTube channel – or working for any media company. When I’m asked if I could be the next Monty Don I have to believe that the answer is yes. Matt Canham – the down to earth gardener – I hope that name grows on people.

18 year old Travis Wright has packed in more than most in less than two decades on planet earth. The resident of Weeting in Norfolk has been on a level three multimedia journalism course at West Suffolk College for almost 18 months as he is keen to carve out a career in the world of media. This is his story so far. I was part of a small team who got offered a serious amount of money for some accounts that we had created on Twitter. The reality of becoming an internet millionaire was close. This is because I was part of a team who helped build the Politics, Sport and News for All Twitter accounts. Collectively around 900,000 people followed us. Big companies, politicians and celebrities followed us. And someone got in touch and offered us £1.5 million to purchase the brands. We decided to turn the money down. Within days our accounts were suspended. Now it looks like they will become unsuspended. So the aim is to start up again, get back to where we were and build up the accounts. It will take a bit of time – but I’m sure we can go on and have an even bigger impact second time around. I guess some people would think we should have taken the money – especially in terms of in the UK cost of living crisis. But ultimately, I believe the company will be worth lots of money soon. You have to trust your instincts. I was recently asked what advice I would give to other young people is in terms of becoming a social media superstar. It’s a very difficult question but ultimately you have to follow patterns and trends and you have to be unique. If you could merge those quite contradictory ideas, you stand a good chance of having an impact. Apart from helping to run these accounts, I play a leading role in a new WSCTV channel that was launched by the College in September. Fellow students and I get the chance to perfect our presenting, writing and technical skills and it has been a great learning experience that has given me more strings to my bow. We are always looking to promote community projects, not just stories going on at West Suffolk College, so if you have an interesting tale to tell – then please get in touch: linzi.stivey@wsc.ac.uk – and we will try and help. We were recently talking about ideal guests we would like to interview on the show and I’d have to say Boris Johnson. Not necessarily because of political allegiances. I just find him an interesting character. I’d like to ask him about his unconventional style – and how deliberate it is. Journalism aside, I’m also the youngest non-league club secretary in the country thanks to my work with Lakenheath Football Club. In addition to my work off the field, I’m also a registered football referee and enjoy this role and would love to get to a decent level in the future if the media stuff doesn’t happen. I’ll be combining all of my loves together to create a football documentary as my final College project. The market is a bit saturated at the moment, thanks to the popularity of Welcome to Wrexham and the All or Nothing franchise. So I’ll be looking at creating something a little more ‘warts and all’ on Lakenheath. I’ve decided to do as many different things as possible now, as I believe this will give me more options in the future. I was recently asked would I prefer to referee the World Cup final or become an internet millionaire. I’d ultimately have to go for the latter. However, if I did manage to become an internet millionaire, I wouldn’t send myself in to space. I’d try and do something more worthwhile, like sponsoring a children’s hospital. That would be the right thing to do..........