91Èȱ¬

Every generation of teenagers has felt misunderstood in some ways. So as we head towards 2014, what really are the views of the next generation?  From jobs, education to role models, we hear the thoughts from teenagers across Britain. Guests include 18 year old 91Èȱ¬ Introducing artist Lauren Aquilina and Promee, a 15 year old student from an East London school. We hear the girl behind the headlines, schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai.  Why are teens so obsessed with YouTube Vloggers?  A teenage super-fan speaks reveals all to her bemused mother. And we end the programme with spoken word artist Kate Tempest and her powerful poem ‘The Teens’ Speech’.

In her campaign for girls’ education, Malala Yousafzai has become a global symbol of peaceful protest, and was the youngest nominee for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Last year she survived being shot in the head by the Taliban in her home country, Pakistan. She was flown to hospital in Birmingham for successful treatment. But she is also a teenager, a 16 year old girl who likes music and is teased by her brothers. Malala joins Jane to talk about the girl behind the headlines.

Why are teenagers so obsessed with YouTube stars like Jacksgap, Zoella and Charlieissocoollike?  From comedy sketches, beauty advice to answering life’s unanswerable questions, 13-24 year olds are spending more and more time watching such ‘Vloggers’.  Jane talks to the chronicler of Britain's YouTube generation, Benjamin Cook, a teenage ‘super-fan’ and her mum.  This is the ultimate parent’s guide to the world of Vlogging.

Kate Tempest is an English poet and spoken word artist who started out when she was 16 years old. She has written poetry for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Barnardo's and the 91Èȱ¬. Working with Amnesty International, Kate created a schools pack helping secondary school children write their own protest songs, and was invited to write and perform a new poem for Aung San Suu Kyi when she received the Ambassador of Conscience award in Dublin. In 2013 she won the Ted Hughes Award for her work Brand New Ancients.  In the spirit of today’s teenage themed programme, we broadcast her poem ‘The Teens’ Speech’ originally created for Barnardo’s in 2009.