Arvinder and Ashlea

‘Expression not Depression’ -Ignite the town is an upcoming event for youth and by youth at Rouse Hill Centre. ‘Expression not Depression’As human beings we sometimes suppress our feelings and, as one wise man once told me, depression is not a medical problem, it is the inability to express ourselves and therefore suppress our emotions.The Ignite the Town’ project is the chance to express yourself, share your talents and learn new skills.Professionals will facilitate workshops including Photography, video production, Hip-Hop (song writing) and Street Theatre and Drama.Young people who participate in workshops will be invited to showcase their talents in the Main event Ignite the Town on the 17^th of June at Rouse Hill Town Centre.Syko (Shane Hubbard) a youth celebrity, a rapper and Babushka Street Theatre will facilitate the workshops.‘Expression not Depression’

Click here to check out the Flyer TAFE Rouse Hill Expression Not Depression Workshops 2010

Bobby Wu receiving prize from Oscar Cortez (HCA)

Congratulations to Robert Wu who won an ipod for his ongoing submissions to Connectus. Robert has made several contributions of video and content and is seen regularly around the HCA office. Robert was pivotal in securing  Shane Hubbard aka Syko to run Hip-Hop workshops as part of  “Ignite the Town” youth program at Rouse Hill . As if that wasn’t enough work, Robert also volunteers at 2CCR community radio and is studying media at Tafe. Robert is a good example of how busy people get things done both for his own goals and for the community. Thanks Bobby. Stay tuned to Connectus for feature on “Ignite The Town” Youth workshop project.

Photo taken by Alina Yang

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” asked Alice.

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

- Lewis Carroll

Depression.

What does that word invoke in you?

Many describe it as dark, chilling, lonely, cold, cloudy. Others speak of it as abnormal, realistic, numb, escape, emotive. The pharmacists elaborate on medication. The counsellors say ACT.

So what is it really? And more importantly, how do we stay away from it, or can’t we?

There is still a social taboo surrounding depression and many myths which are brought up again and again in the media and daily life. Think of the human mind as resembling the weather. Just as there are days ‘overcast and cloudy’ so too will there be days ‘clear and sunny’. Sometimes, there will be days ‘with a chance of a shower’ or it may just be that ‘a hailstorm is approaching’.

Firstly, let’s get one thing clear: feeling sad and down at times is a normal and essential part of the human experience. Returning to our weather metaphor, the crops cannot grow and there can be no harvest without rain.

However, depression permeates in people when they feel that the rain will never go away or they may refuse to accept it. Constantly comparing and judging themselves is also common, with depressed people constantly questioning ‘Why?’ Why are other people always so happy? Why are their lives perfect? Shouldn’t I be like that too? What’s wrong with me?

There is nothing wrong with you. Did you know that 1 in 5 people will experience depression at some period in their lives? Did you know that women are 5% more likely than men to confront it? Can we really call depression abnormal if we are currently undergoing this epidemic of suffering?

The sooner you accept your feelings, the sooner you can get back on track. Think of depression as a detour in your journey. Or as a barricade in the form of a hairy monster blocking your way. Depressed people refuse to accept the barrier. They may even run away from it, back to the past where they ruminate, regret and relive their past. These actions don’t produce much effect.

Sometimes you just have to carry the hairy monster along with you as you continue on your journey, dragging behind you some negative feelings. The most important thing is that you continue in the direction you had wanted to take. Eventually, after much trial and error, that emotional baggage will wear away and you won’t take much notice of it as you continue with your life.

Some people advocate for many reasons (business, personal, monetary) that medication is the best treatment for depression. In fact, they may even refer to it as a biological illness. “You just have it,” they say, “and it’s not your fault. You can’t do anything about it.”

This brings us to our second point: laughter is the best medicine. Don’t treat depression as a light matter, but taking the latest tablets and pills and just sitting back and expecting them to cure you instantly will not work. It may produce results in the short term but the truth is that depression does not occur in a vacuum.

Depression is a culmination of various life events and the way that you have dealt with them. It is a warning sign your body has given you to let you know that something is not right with your life. Perhaps you took the wrong turn in the road. Now that you know not everything is functioning efficiently, you can take steps to correct it.

You don’t just ‘have’ depression. There is something you can do about it. It is not a genetic thing. It is a result of your reactions to situations. The fact that depression does not happen in a vacuum brings us to a critical point. Antidepressants cannot make lifestyle changes for you. Only you can. When you begin to do so and change the way you think, you will find that change can occur very rapidly.

You may think that depression is inevitable in a stressful environment. Stress does contribute to increasing levels of depression in our society, but the link between stress and depression is not a cause and effect relationship. You need to find effective and healthy ways of dealing with stress. It may be easier said than done but practise making small changes that will eventually lead to big lifestyle turning points.

Instead of turning to food, caffeine or sugar, why not take a walk, read a book or even just reach out to your family and friends. Remember, they want to help as much as they can.

If we go back to our weather metaphor, think of your mind as the sky. Clouds pass and weather changes occur, but in the backdrop there is always the blue sky. Now when a negative thought passes your mind, pick it up and place it on a cloud. Now lay back and watch that cloud slowly drift above you. It may not go away but it’s not a part of you either. You are now just watching it, viewing the issue from an objective rather than subjective perspective. Whenever you experience a thought, just put it on a cloud and visualise your mind as the blue sky dotted with clouds.

Only remember, clouds are inevitable.

Once you know a little more about depression, the third thing to remember is: Ready? Steady? Action! Just get out there and do things. The more inactive you are, the lower you will feel. Get some exercise in your life, even if it’s only a little bit. Do those things you’ve always wanted to do.

Depressed people usually turn their backs to the music but it’s time to face it. Once you deal with your problems as they arise, rather than ignoring or bottling them up, you will start to feel clearer and more in control of your life.

Clarify your goals. What are your values? What do you want from your life? If you don’t know yet, don’t worry. Many young people don’t actually know. Even Michelle Obama admits that at the grand old age of 45, she still does not know “what I want to do when I grow up”! The only thing I can tell you, from experience, is exactly that: experience. The best way of finding out who you are is to do different things and do all those things that you had always wanted to do but may have felt too scared to.

Alice asked for directions at the beginning of this article, but she found out that no one except her self could tell her that. As the cat informed her, you need to clarify your values and then no matter what the obstacle, come rain, hail or shine, the blue sky will persist in your mind and you will continue to move in the same direction.

Your values might tell you that you want to reach the horizon or to keep going east. The mountains, rivers and forests are goals you want to reach. But no matter what, you will always keep going in the same direction – that way!

Photo taken by Taraz Lalehzari

“Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man, and I will show you a failure.” —Thomas Edison

I’m never content, and apparently, I’m in good company. I just read an article that says the entire planet is also “restless.” (Translation: Seismic activity has been and is likely to continue increasing.) Well, at least my restlessness doesn’t result in devastating earthquakes.

Being restless can be frustrating: Something new, something better, is always across the way in that spectacularly green grass. Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not unhappy or ungrateful. I have a nice house, a fantastic family, and a list of about 17 billion other little blessings. All in all my life is pretty rad. It’s just that somewhere in the back of my mind lives an over-caffeinated Chihuahua who is constantly yelping, “Hey, look over there!” And I don’t know whether to listen.

I have often wondered what it might be like to feel satisfied, settled. It seems nice, doesn’t it? I’d certainly feel more rested if that damn Chihuahua wouldn’t keep me up all night barking about grass. Contentment sounds downright peaceful. In fact, the Bible and many Eastern religions spend a significant amount of time exploring calm and peace. Hmm. I’m not sure I would want that. I need to be able to explore my unsettled feelings on faith and God. How could I stop questioning, pursuing, learning, evolving?

Perhaps there’s nothing wrong with being a restless spirit. I’ve often heard it’s a curse of the creative type or the impetus of revolutions. Whatever it is, I’m beginning to think this whole restlessness thing isn’t so bad. As of right now, I’m officially content to be restless. (Wait. Can I do that?)

Do contentment and restlessness have to be mutually exclusive? I vote no. Plenty of moments can bring calm, peace, and prayer. And just as many moments can cause me to question and search for something I can’t quite identify.

Written by Robert Wu

Syko (Shane Hubbard), is a 19-year-old unsigned rapper from Doonside in Western Sydney, and is bringing a new style of Hip-Hop and R&B to the Australian music scene. Syko is a rapper with addictive melodies and fresh rhymes that is making noise in the industry.

Robert: Thank you for taking out your time today for this interview.

Syko: All good my man, it’s for the youth, how could I say no!

Robert: Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your music? What is the true meaning behind your music?

Syko: Well my music is a self reflection; a lot of my music has been developed from parts of my life. The highs and lows of life, from heartbreak over girls, to losing friends & also everything I’ve gone through has basically shaped me into the man I’ve become so far. So my music is an insight into the life I’ve lived and also how I perceive life.

Robert: What is the story behind your song Rainfall?

Syko: I wrote Rainfall about a close friend of mine at the time who was suffering from a case of depression. I wrote it so everyone else could understand from my perspective what it’s like. Not everybody goes through it, but it is a serious issue in the youth of today that I believe can’t be ignored.

Robert: Do you have any current or future projects that you can discuss with us?

Syko: At the moment I’ve just finished up my free mix tape which will be released exclusively through my MySpace page. It will be available really soon, I’m not giving a date! It will drop when I drop it.

Robert: What draws your inspirations to create such a song like Rainfall for example?

Syko: Just life as a whole, a lot of people choose to ignore the current issues we face in the world. Everybody in life has a story, wether im a signed artist or unsigned I will continue to express those stories either good or bad as long as im around.

Robert: What do you think about today’s youth’s struggle in society?

Syko: I believe that the youth struggle has been the same since the start of life. The only thing is now it is displayed more through the media. Depression, drugs and so on will always be around. It’s just about educating the youth, but the way we are doing it right now is clearly not working. The only way to reach kids is to educate them through pop culture. Hopefully one day ill be able to help with the struggle of the youth through my music. It’s all about being the change in the world we seek.

Cyberbullying and Youth

Written by Robert Wu

With advancement in technology in today’s era (2000’s) there has been a whole new world awaiting new users, through the use of the Internet and Telecommunications. Such examples can be: mobile phones, instant messaging (eg. MSN), emailing, blogs, forums, social networking & so forth. Abuse of such technology can potentially endanger today’s generation.

Cyber Bullying is a common problem which can potentially affect anyone using the Internet; at home as teenagers come home from school and start browsing the Internet, or an employer who rushes to work and turns on the computer to check his/her email.

Cyber Bullying is known as the abuse/harrassment/threat made through the Internet or telecommunication tool.

Such a situation can take place through, for example, social networking sites such as MySpace, Bebo, Facebook, and Tagged.

The following story is a fictionalised account of cyber-bullying:

Tony and James do not know each other. James stumbles across Tony’s Myspace one evening. He then browses through his photos and reads his profile description, and upon boredom James posts an article on his blog regarding his recent stumbling upon the “Most Ugly Person he has ever seen”. Upon posting on the blog he also comments on Tony’s MySpace, with comments like “you are so ugly” and links to his blog post.

Tony logs onto his myspace the next day and reads through his comments, including the comments James made before. He browses on the blog, and stumbles across photos and comments that James made about him.

Potentially What can happen? I think we all know the answer: In retaliation, the exchange of violent words will be made.

Why do people do these kind of acts you may ask yourself? They may do it for the sake of humour, bordome, high ego, pleasure & so forth.

With such an issue it can potentially affect the victim socially (how you react to your peers); mentially (how you think and future made decisions) and physically (as what you might do to your body).

With such a situation you may wonder what will be the best way to resolve this issue. You may alternatively send a message to the cyber-bully and sort out the situation politely, or just don’t respond and block the bully. If further action is needed, contact a counsellor or the Police regarding the bullying.

Interesting fact:

Facebragging – To use Facebook as a platform to brag. Normally about a job, internship, trip, purchase or anything else that nobody really needs to know but you’d like to tell everyone because you’re awesome.

Written by Vincent Suarez

Sometimes you sit for a while, you stop everything you do and then look at the world around you. You then realise the natural beauty that surrounds you. You then remember the hustling of the wind through the trees, the soft touch of grass in between your toes, the chirping of birds and the sounds of thousand wings. It captivates you and you ask yourself, how could it be that I missed all this? How could I have forgotten all this beauty around me?

Today, beauty has passed from what is natural to what is made. Mankind has learned the craft of creating beauty and it has lead to forgetting the environment. The word beauty is a term used to describe a house, the way a person looks, a certain emotion, a city or even a car. We must remember that in the past it has been used to describe the art created by nature, the structure and movement of a ray of light, and the way the environment interacts with the life that lives inside it. Attraction to beauty has been re-directed and the decay of this action has seen its influence on the world. We now have a society that cares so little for the environment. We have the abuse of fossil fuels which has had an impact on the world itself. Global warming was once an issue dismissed by leading governments and scientists, and has taken such a terrible form that cities are expected to ’disappear’  under water in as little as 50 years time.

This is where we stop and say, let’s make a change. Often this concept is hard to understand because people normally ask themselves, ‘what can one person do to save the world?’ This is a question that has been answered by history many times before. There was a gentle man from India who wanted to raise the level of consciousness without raising his voice (Ghandi), there was a woman who travelled the world giving hope to those who had none (Mother Theresa), and a young Chinese student who stood in front of three tanks with nothing more than his shopping bags, asking the militants to leave his city (Tank Man).

The concept of the difference one person can make is a proven fact, it was simply forgotten. A change can be made to protect the environment, and capacity can be built for the attraction to natural beauty. We simply have to try, and believe that every little thing counts.