12–14s

Identity

Which celebrity would you most like to be, and why? Every day on the TV, on the internet or in magazines there are different images suggesting what type of person you could be, who you should be and who you will become. So, how are you going to make up your mind about who you are going to be? Are you going to listen to your friends, your parents, your teachers or will you simply become a copy of one of those images? Maybe you should stop trying to look like, act like or speak like others and just try and work out who you are? In this set of questions we look at the topic of identity and consider how you would describe yourself in three words.

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Friendship

Having friends is hard. They can make you smile, laugh and help you enjoy life. They can also make you sad, angry and frustrated. But most of all they are there when you need them the most. When you need company. When you want to go to the shops but don’t want to do it alone. Sometimes when you just need a shoulder to cry on. Friends can be the most important people in your life.

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Transition

A butterfly only becomes a butterfly after it has gone through an amazing transformation. It starts out as a caterpillar and then progresses through a series of different stages that are literally life-changing. Humans also go through a similar change as they move towards being an adult. We leave behind the stuff of our childhood and take up the challenges of adulthood. You get to choose a lot of the changes yourself: friends; clothes; subjects you study at school. But some changes happen that you cannot control, like your parents separating, or your having to move to a different home or attending a different school and having new people to get on with. So, what are you like at handling change?

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Digital Living

The world is changing quickly. What was considered an advanced computer just five years ago is now slow and out of date. Mobile phones can now also be used as a home computer with ultra-fast internet. With changing technology come more challenges to how we communicate with other people. Do we write in full sentences like we are taught in school, or shorten them? Do we use a “#” to show when something is important? If you have an online identity you have to figure out how much you will tell people about who you are or what you get up to or who you are going to be friends with or not. With so many technological developments happening it is easy to be caught up in wanting the next gadget. But, an important question to think through is whether every piece of technology is good for us.

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Home Life

What makes the perfect family? Two parents? An address? Brothers, sisters, grandparents? Or all those people that you were introduced to as “aunt” and “uncle” when you were younger? Is it a home where you have your favourite things? Maybe even a smell. We are surrounded by images of the perfect family — and faced with difficulties and tragedies of families too. You might find it unbearable to live with them, but can you afford to live without them? For some people, home is the best place on earth. For others, it is a place of conflict, pain and struggle. What do you think makes home and family important? And, are all families difficult? If you were to pick a family from the TV, which one would you say was most like yours?

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Big Issues

Everyone has the right to an opinion. Everyone has the right to consider the big questions of their life and to make up their own mind about what they think. Today there are lots of very important questions that each one of us needs to think about. We need to think through questions like: What do you believe are the causes of famine in the world, or what is the reason why countries go to war or whether all pupils should be made to wear school uniforms. All of us can make a contribution to the big questions of our time. But, first of all, we need to work out what we think ourselves about these big questions.