✩ Starting Fresh For 2016 ✩

Hello lovelies,

Recently I became inspired to restart my blog and become much more active in the blogging community just like I once was. I was shocked when logging in to see I have only uploaded two posts during 2015, I honestly have no idea where this year has gone! This is just a quick post to remind you all that I'm still here and to expect many more regular posts in 2016 (I can't wait to start posting content for you all again).

I'll leave you with a few of my favourite photos and memories from 2015💖

Disneyland March 2015

Hello all! 

Earlier this week I spent four days away in Paris and Disneyland with my college. All my life I have waited to visit Disneyland and it most definitely didn't disappoint. 

On the first day we spent the morning in Paris and I was able to go up the Eiffel Tower and visit a number of different landmarks. Although we weren't able to go to the very top we still got an amazing view of the city.

After visiting Paris we travelled back to the Disney Parks. We spent the first afternoon in Walt Disney Studios. We managed to get onto three rides including Crushes Coaster, Parachute Jump and RC Racer. 

Once the parks closed we went over to Disneyland where we managed to quickly get onto Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast before the Disney Castle light and laser show. The show was amazing and was one of the best displays i've ever seen. 

That evening we visited the Disney Village where we bought Nutella Crepes for dinner which were delicious although not very healthy at all. We also looked around the shops before having to meet up with the rest of the group to return to our hotel. 

The next day was spent completely in the parks. We started the day off in Walt Disney Studios as there were a few rides that we were yet to do. These included Ratatouille, Rock n Roller coaster and Tower of Terror. I was terrified of going on Tower of Terror and at the beginning of the trip I was determined I wasn't going on it however once i'd done it I wanted to get straight back on it again. 

Once we had done these we went over to the Disneyland Park. We managed to get on most of the rides including Star Tours, It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones and Big Thunder Mountain. Once we had done these we got a text from our friend inviting us to go back onto Tower of Terror however this time with a majority of the people on the trip including all the teachers and of course we didn't refuse. We managed to fill a whole lift and after this time I can officially say the Tower of Terror is my favourite ride. Most people bought the ride photo, including myself and it is definitely one of my favourite memories on the trip. 

After this me, Kayleigh and Patricia joined up with Murron and Fab and went onto It's a Small World again and the Snow White ride before watching the parade. 

After the parade we went over to Planet Hollywood as the teachers treated us to our final meal of the trip. I ordered ham and mushroom pizza and it was delicious. Once the meal was over we were allowed to spend the evening in either the Disney Village or inside Disneyland to watch the fireworks again. We decided to go back into Disneyland and we did some shopping to pick up the final bits before travelling back the next day. 

I had an absolutely amazing time on the trip and I wish I could go back! I can't wait for further trips I go on with the Media and Film department at college as they're always so much fun. 

I look forward to writing more blog posts like this one soon as there are a number of experiences happening throughout March both with and without college and I can't wait to tell you all about them. 

Jessica xo

✩ My 2014 Recap ✩

Hello all! 

2014 was an absolutely crazy year for me and I thought that today i'd do a super quick recap of everything that happened in my 2014!

✩ JANUARY ✩

Not that much happened throughout January and it was honestly quite a boring start to my year. The highlight of January was definitely meeting up with Emilie in my local town and spending the day shopping. From the day I particularly remember going into toys R us and trying on all the children's dressing up hats.

✩ FEBRUARY ✩

In February my highlight was going to the youtube meet up in Jubilee Gardens and made me realise how much I actually missed attending them. I got to meet up with a number of my youtube friends who I hadn't seen in about 6 months however this was the only meet up I went to in 2014 which I regret and I wish I went to more. In February I also knuckled down with all my school work in preparation for my GCSE's that I took in the summer. I remember particularly focusing on dance as I had a number of dance mocks throughout the month of February. 

✩ MARCH ✩

In march in finally turned 16 years old which meant I could officially begin working. Throughout March I applied to a number of vacancies however they proved to be unsuccessful so I decided to focus my energy on getting good grades and put job searching on hold.

✩ APRIL ✩

In April I attended The Vamps Teenage Cancer Trust Gig at the O2 Empire in Shepard's Bush. This was one of the biggest highlights of my 2014 and if you'd like to hear about it in much more detail click here to be directed to a video I made specifically about the event.

✩ MAY ✩

During May I officially began my study leave which technically meant i'd left school. I also had my leavers assembly which was emotional as it was the last time my whole year group would be sat in the same hall together. 

✩ JUNE ✩

During June I took most of my GCSE exams. This was an extremely stressful month for me however I got through it a whole load better than I expected I could. I also officially left school during this month which made me free to do whatever I wanted with my summer. During June I also had my prom. Prom was honestly one of the best nights of the year. I felt so beautiful and confident for the first time as I got out of the car with my friends and the crowd around us started cheering. I also went on holiday with Emily to Hastings in June. I got to take some lovely photos of the town and the sea that was so close to where we were staying. The views were also incredible and I had an amazing time! June was definitely my busiest month.

✩ JULY ✩

In July I took part in one of the most memorable and my absolute favourite thing during 2014. That memorable thing was of course NCS! If you ever get the opportunity to take part in NCS i'd definitely recommend taking it. Whilst on NCS I got to take part in a number of different activities that before I could only dream of taking part in. I built my confidence up so much throughout July which really helped me through the rest of 2014. 

✩ AUGUST ✩

In August I moved into our new (temporary) home. Through the rat of August I spent the time meeting up with friends and settling into my new home area. I also began applying for jobs again and managed to land some interviews. In August to celebrate my sisters birthday we also took a day trip to Brighton to do some shopping and visit the pier. 

✩ SEPTEMBER ✩

In september I started college and took Childcare, Media, Film Studies and Psychology. I am still taking all these subjects and am enjoying them a lot. I also landed myself a job which I am still currently working at! I was so happy to finally have my own weekend job which allowed me to earn my own little bit of money which I plan on going towards more experiences during 2015. 

✩ OCTOBER ✩

Not that much happened in October for me. The highlight was definitely having Courtney over on halloween where we went to a restaurant to mostly celebrate her birthday which was only a few days before. 

✩ NOVEMBER ✩

In November the event that particularly stood out to me was Abi's halloween party! It was the first halloween party i'd been to in years and it was such a good night. It was the first time I actually enjoyed halloween. 

✩ DECEMBER ✩

December obviously means CHRISTMAS! I had an amazing Christmas this year even though it was extremely different to those in the past. This christmas I decided to vlog christmas eve, christmas day and boxing day and uploaded the videos onto my main channel which became a big success! I also really enjoyed meeting up with Abi and going shopping with her in Guildford! 

Thank you for sticking with me throughout 2014 and here's to an amazing 2015! I hope you stick around for another year. 

x

✩ The Liebster Award ✩

Hello everyone, 

As per usual this post will begin with an apology for the lack of posts recently i've been lacking ideas and i've been drowning in coursework! But that's enough of that. I logged onto my blog to see i'd been nominated by the lovely emmadaisy and I couldn't wait to complete it! I'd previously done The Liebster Award on my previous blog and I enjoyed it so much that I just had to do it again! So lets get started.

✩ All the rules: ✩

1.  Post the award on your blog,

2.  Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and link back to their blog,
3.  Write 11 random facts about yourself,
4.  Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve the award and have less than 500 followers,
5.  Answer 11 questions posted by whoever nominated you and ask your nominees 11 questions.

✩ My 11 random facts ✩

1. I have two different coloured eyes. One's blue and the other is a mixture of blue and brown. 

2. I have two youtube channels: itsbeingmejess & beingmejess! I like to upload hauls, daily vlogs, collabs etc. 

3. In 2012 I met my inspiration in both the vlogging and blogging world, Zoe Sugg.

4. I have influenced most of my friends to either start a youtube channel or a blog.

5. I can usually find something to moan about however I always try to appear happy.

6. My first job was at a shoe shop (which I still work in today).

7. Recently Yoga has become a large part of my life.

8. I am constantly trying to loose weight and tone up. 

9. I did 6 years of theatre school. 

10. I have a slight obsession with musicals with Wicked and Les Mis being my favourites.

11. I could live off of sweet and salty popcorn.

✩ Questions from Emma ✩

1. Ultimate birthday party theme? 

Definitely a night at the movies where everyone can dress as their favourite movie characters. I absolutely love the movies and i'd be so interested to see who everyone would appear as. 

2. If you had someone to play you in a movie of your life who would you pick?

This is a super hard one for me as I can't imagine any actor recreating my whole life on the big screen! I honestly couldn't choose an actor. 

3. Morning or night?

I'll have to say morning! I'm almost always falling asleep in front of the TV by 9pm however you can almost guarantee i'll be up and about by 9am in the morning. 

4. If you could have any hair colour what would it be?

I have have a brown with a purple tint running though out! I would try it i'm just far too scared. 

5. Mac or PC?

Buying my mac was honestly the best investment I ever made!

6. What is your favourite christmas song?

This is a hard question cause I love all christmas songs but in my latest video I settled for 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree'. 

7. Dream job?

My all time dream job would to be a video editor for TV and film or a cinematographer!

8. What is your go to dance move?

That would have to be the robot.

9. Favorite social media platform?

Most definitely youtube! I love clicking onto youtube and being greeted by all your favourite youtubers with new videos just waiting for you. 

10. What quote means the greatest to you?

"The people that mind don't matter and the people that matter don't mind"

11. If you could have a chat with anyone (alive or passed away) who would it be and why?

As I said in my 11 facts Zoe is a huge inspiration to me and i'd love to sit down with her and discuss youtube and blogger! 

✩ My Questions ✩

1. What is the one item you couldn't live without?

2. If you had your own youtube channel what would you name it?

3. Who's your biggest blogging inspiration?

4. If you could travel anywhere where would you go and who with?

5. Why did you start blogging?

6. You can take 3 items to a desert island! What do you take?

7. Would you rather sit at home in your pi's or go to a party?

8. If you could have one job for the rest of your life what would it be?

9. If you went to a party with the theme of the movies who would you dress as?

10. Wo's your biggest inspiration in life?

11. Favorite small youtuber?

✩ My Nominations ✩

Abi

Emily

Courtney

Hope

Cassandre 

Jessica

Patricia

Elena 

Georgia

Julia 

Kate

Please check out the above blogs! They definitely deserve so many more followers x

Dear October 2014

Dear October, 

You were surprisingly warm this year which threw all my plans off track. I expected to have to wrap up warm in thick, cosy, oversized jumpers like I have in the previous years that you made an appearance. Instead I found myself wearing tshirts and thin cardigans. To me you officially mark the start of autumn, my favourite time of the year. Usually I welcome your appearance with open arms however this year, this year was different. This year you bought change in friendships, some for the better and some for the worse. You also bought back deep sadness and anxiety which I so hoped would disappear with September. Although it sounds negative not all was bad. You bought an amazing party which I attended on halloween making this the best halloween i'd had in years, I managed to earn my first pay check leading to a rather large shopping spree and celebrate Courtney's birthday by eating a meal at a rather nice Italian restaurant quite local to me. You've been an alright month october however I hope that November will bring what you bought and more. 

From Jessica.

Meet The Vamps Tour

Hello all, 

Where has the time gone? It feels like yesterday that I was writing my last post definitely not two weeks! I'm really sorry for the lack of posts in the last two weeks but now's my chance to turn that all back around. 

Two weeks ago today (Wednesday 15th October) was the day I got to see my favourite band perform once again. This band is called 'The Vamps'. There's honestly not too much to say other than the fact that they were amazing! The entire show was planned to perfection and I loved the way that each member had the chance to have their own 5 minutes in the spotlight. It was also great how they remembered their routes and exactly how they started and this was evident throughout the show. 

This was the fourth time i'd seen The Vamps live and I believe that this was definitely my favourite! If I could live the entire night again no doubt about it I would. 

I will now leave you with some photo's that I took throughout the night!

Thank you for reading! 

Jessica x

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♡ Living With Anxiety ♡

Hello all,

If you follow me on twitter you may have noticed that i've been contemplating a blog post on this topic for months now but finally I believe that I am ready to share my experiences with anxiety with all of you. If this can help just one person i'll be extremely happy. I decided now would be a good time for me to finally upload a post surrounding this topic as just last week was 'Mental Health Awareness week' and Zoe started her campaign of the 'Don't Panic Button'.

About a year ago now I drafted an extremely long post on my old blog however I never got around to posting it. I've now decided it'd be better to give a concise overview of my experiences and if you'd like to know more then i'll create another blog post rather than bombarding you with loads of information in just one post! 

So where do I begin? I guess from the very beginning. I started suffering from an anxiety disorder back when I was 7 years old. This first occurred during the transition between infant school and junior. I'd avoid school as well as need a lot of time off due to the symptoms anxiety left me with (severe migraines & tiredness). This all lasted for around a year and then sort of seemed to 'fade away'. I can't particularly remember anxiety dominating my life in years 4,5&6 however I do of course remember times where i'd become overwhelmed by this awful feeling. 

In year 7 (aged 11) is when things became particularly bad for me. As of the first week of secondary school anxiety had almost taken over my life and has done ever since (5 years). As part of this mental illness i'd avoid school and my attendance got seriously low. I'd suffer from migraines and tiredness (as I had done previously) making the whole experience even worse and the thought of school was enough to make me extremely upset and cause an anxiety attack. I endured the same secondary school for four years and as I believed that the school was the cause for the stress and worry I decided to move. For most this would make you anxious but for me it was a mixture of excitement and extreme nerves. In fact I couldn't even turn up until 11 am on my first day due to continuous anxiety attacks. Once i'd settled into my new school I realised it was one of the best decisions of my life but did make me realise my anxiety didn't just revolve around school anymore but near enough anything and everything.

I've been visiting the hospital for 5 years due to my anxiety and have been through cognitive behaviour therapy twice and both times at CAMHS. Even though I found this useful whilst it was taking place I find it extremely hard once the course is over as I feel as if you're just left and I rapidly go straight back to stage one again. I'm still suffering from this illness and it still gets me extremely down. I am personally still looking for ways that could help me get through this but I believe talking to people is a great place to start (hence this blog post). So if you suffer from anxiety or any other type of mental illness please feel free to contact me and we can talk about it (information on my 'contact me.' page).

I hope my story has made you realise you're not alone and that i'll always be here as someone to talk to.

Please leave suggestions below if you'd like to see more posts on this subject in the future or tweet me!

Lots of love

Jessica x

Useful links:

Childline

Mind UK

NHS Useful links

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ZoellaBeauty Soak Opera & Let's Glow Review

Hello all, 

As many of you all will be aware Zoe (Zoella) recently released her beauty range 'Zoella Beauty'. Just like many others I was extremely excited to get my hands on some of her products. As soon as it was released in my local super drug store I was straight down there to buy whatever I could. The products were so popular that almost everything was out of stock so I was left with 'Soak Opera' and 'Let's Glow' which were high up on the list of things I was most excited about. I was slightly disappointed by the fact Superdrug had run out of 'Blissful Mistful' which I got to test in store and smelt amazing. So lets start by reviewing these two items.

Soak Opera:

Well I guess the first place to start with this is the packaging! It's super cute and so Zoe. That's what I particularly like about this range; it reflects Zoe in so many ways. The bottle size is perfect and I can tell it'll last me a while. I do love a good bubble bath and tend to go a bit over the top when it comes to bubbles but I used a fair bit of this and it hardly left a dent. The scent is exactly how I like it light and fresh. I guess you could say it was slightly floral/fruity. One things for sure this scent definitely isn't is overpowering. The scent sticks to you for a fair while after the bath which is also an added bonus. The cream is in no way drying on the skin leaving it feeling super soft. Finally probably the thing I love most about this product is the fact it's bubble bath but you're also able to use it in the shower as a shower cream! I can tell i'll be using this time and time again. 

Let's Glow:

Anyone that knows me would tell you candles are literally my favourite thing! I could spend an absolute fortune on scented candles so when I heard Zoe was releasing her own scented candle I could hardly contain my excitement. This scent is super light and goes perfectly with the scent of 'Soak Opera'. It's the perfect candle to have lit in the autumn or whilst having a pamper evening as the scent is in no way over powering. The packaging is once again adorable and I especially love the fact it comes in a tin accompanied with a lid. This makes it perfect for storing avoiding damage and allowing you to get the most out of the candle. 

Have you tried any of Zoe's products yet? What do you recommend I try next?

Lots of love

Jessica x

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Choosing The Right College and Course For You

Hello all,

It's that time of year again, that time where all the colleges hold their open days and you're expected to make what seems like the hardest decision of your life. I hoping that by writing this blog post I may make you feel a little more confident when choosing your college and courses. 

In no way am I an expert in this i'm purely speaking off my own experience seeing as I was in this position just a year ago. 

My first tip would be to keep open minded about all the colleges you are going to view.  Before even viewing the colleges I went to see i'd already made a judgement of how much I'd like each one and it's fair to say that what I thought was going to be my least favourite is now my college today. You can't make a decision when you don't really know anything about the college so try not to make a judgement before visiting. 

Secondly don't be afraid to ask questions. Many people give up their own time to help out at the open evenings and are purposely there to answer your questions so please use them. In each department there'll be both teachers and students of the subject able to give you first hand information on the course. This is particularly useful if you have a few colleges in mind as you'll be able to compare what each college will be able to offer you. This is also extremely helpful if you are unsure what courses to take as you can ask for information on the subject that you may previously never thought of taking! 

As well as this i'd visit subjects that I feel i'd be interested in however not definitely going to take. You may find that one of the courses you choose doesn't work out so it's always a good idea to have a backup or two. Don't feel pressured into taking a course you won't enjoy because of pressure from friends as this will dampen your whole college experience. In the first couple of weeks most colleges will allow you to move courses around to make sure you're completely happy so if you feel you've made the wrong choice you'll always have the chance of changing courses later down the line.

Furthermore if you have a set career goal or an aim of a specific university course now is the time to start looking at this also. Some universities/jobs require certain A levels so it'd be a good idea to find these out early so you can choose the right colleges courses that can lead onto further education. 

Finally look at as many colleges as possible. Make sure you look at every college in a commutable distance so you can compare and make sure it's a place you can see yourself. Don't worry about where your friends are going just make sure you choose the right college for you. 

I know this whole experience can be extremely daunting however once you've started I believe college is 100x better than high school as long as you keep on top of the work load and attend every lesson. I could go on for hours about this topic but I won't waste anymore of your time. If you'd like to ask any questions then feel free to leave them in the comments and i'll reply asap. 

With love

Jessica 

x

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My Autumn Essentials!

Hello all

Yesterday was officially the first day of autumn and as anyone that knows me would tell you autumn is my all time favourite time of the year! I absolutely love the crisp cool air in the morning upon your face and the excuse to just snuggle up on the sofa in front of your all time favourite movie. I thought now would be the perfect time to let you in on my autumn essentials. 

1) Grab a mug of hot chocolate. Everyone knows that when the weather outside is a bit nippy we all crave the warm loving feeling that a hot drink gives us. Hot chocolate just screams out autumn for me so this had to be included in my list of essentials! 

2) Invest in red. When I think of autumn I instantly think of the colour red. That beautiful red that the leaves change to fills me with absolute excitement. If I could my entire wardrobe would be filled with these gorgeous shades of red during this time of the year. My absolute go to would be a red flannel shirt accompanied with a pair of skinny jeans and black ankle boots. 

3) Stock up on candy. We all know autumn means halloween and lots and lots of movies; this all calls for one thing! CANDY! Don't have the embarrassment of having no candy on halloween night so why not stock up now? If it somehow manages to vanish before October 31st it gives you the perfect opportunity to go and buy some more!

4) Snuggle in a big warm coat. When the weathers a bit cooler than you're used to having that extra layer is much appreciated. A nice big coat is super comfy, practical and offers a big fashion statement. 

5) Lots and lots of candles. I have a slight obsession when it comes to candles and when the evenings start drawing in I can't help but light a few candles around the room and relax in that calming glow they give off. Scented candles are my guilty pleasure and I could spend a fortune on them. 

With love,

Jessica

xo

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The Pointless Book Review

Hello all, 

Today I thought i'd try something a little bit different and do a cheeky book review for you all! As i'm sure most of you are aware Alfie Deyes (pointlessblog) recently released his much anticipated book 'The Pointless Book'. 

Ever since Alfie first mentioned the fact he was bringing a book out it was hard to contain my excitement and it's fair to say that this book definitely hasn't disappointed. For those of you that aren't sure what 'The Pointless Book' is it's very simply an activity book full of everything from playing games with your friends to baking a cake in a mug. You could say that Alfies book is very similar to the likes of 'wreck this journal' however the overall aim isn't to wreck the book. 

There's no competition with the book you simply complete it at your own leisurely pace however it's fair to say that it should take to a fair while to carry out all the activities and most of the activities you can carry out time and time again. It's definitely safe to say this isn't a book you'll get bored of quickly. 

The thing I like the most about this book is how interactive it is. The book comes with it's very own app which you can easily download straight to your smart phone called 'The Pointless Book App'. Some pages feature an image of a smartphone which instantly tells you theres a video that Alfie has created exclusively for the book giving you access to extra content! you simply open the app up and select the 'scan the page' option and a video linked to the page should pop up on screen! It's all magic if you ask me. 

Overall I believe that this book is a must have wether your a 'Pointlessblog' fan or not! 

RRP: £8.99

Available in most leading book shops.

Much love ♡

Jessica Benson

xo

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♡ NCS - Week 3 ♡

Here is an extremely long over due post about my final week on NCS a month over due in fact. So let hop back onto this old bandwagon and begin. 

Week three is all about pursuing our campaign as well as completing a 100 challenge challenge day. 

Monday was a day off however this didn't stop us from all meeting up to start preparations early. Around nine members of our team headed towards 'Hobbycraft' to buy the materials needed to create a tree. (our campaign idea is on the previous post click here to see it) We bought two massive pieces of cardboard, some paint and paintbrushes. We noticed that inside hobbycraft there was a table free so on the off chance we asked a member of staff if we'd be allowed to use it. After explaining what we were doing they happily lent us the table for the afternoon and offered all their help by supplying us with things like scissors and craft knifes while we were there. As teamwork goes I think we worked well finishing most of the tree off by closing time.

Day two was left for shopping however as our team had already bought a majority of supplies the day before and online we only had a minimal amount left to get and this included glitter.. lots of glitter. We returned back to our meeting venue early and finished the tree off completely. We were all extremely happy with how it turned out and finally felt as if Friday was going to be a success. 

On Wednesday as a team we went and volunteered at a local charity shop called 'Relate' the staff were extremely lovely and seemed very excited to have us there. They had us doing all sorts of things for example: Setting up a book sale, working in the stock room and handing out leaflets to members of the public in the street. It was a great day and gave us all the opportunity to get experience of working in retail and giving back the community. 

On Thursday we carried out 100 Challenges to raise money for 'Relate' overall we did very well and raised quite a bit of money. The aim of the event was to complete 100 challenges in our town within about 5 hours. We managed to complete about 97 challenges in the end. The challenges included things like start a conga line and get 5 people to join in, Do the Macarena in public and start a Mexican wave.

Friday was the big day, the day this had all been leading up to. CAMPAIGN DAY. As a team we all walked into town carrying all our equipment for the day. It's fair to say we got a few strange looks from the public when they saw us carrying a massive cardboard tree. We got to town and chose a spot to set up. It started off s a huge success and our tree was filling up with lightbulbs nicely however at about mid day this began to slow down a bit. Some of us went off to lunch and noticed that the town centre was much busier than where we were originally situated and so we decided to move. We managed to attract a whole range of new people and even had people asking about what we were doing and about NCS. At around 2pm a huge thunderstorm came over and resulted in us having to close the campaign early however I believe it was an overall success. 

This was then end of NCS and we were all so sad that it was all over! I haven't all met up as a team as of yet but we're trying to plan something for the near future. 

I would recommend NCS to anyone aged 16-17 and it really is an opportunity of a lifetime. 

I hope you have all enjoyed these little NCS blog posts. Let me know what type of posts you'd like to see in the future by leaving a comment below! 

- Jessica x

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♡ NCS - Week Two ♡

Hello all! 

I'm back again to tell you about my experience of week 2 on NCS. During week 2 you stay in university accommodation as well as studying 1/6 subject choices in the university. Of course I chose media so I was in my element video editing, filming and trying out a bunch of new equipment.  I can only tell you about the media side of the programme however there's also the choice of: Sport, Enterprise, Music, Drama & Photography.

During the first two days as a team we visited a local elderly home where we spoke & interviewed some of the residents as well as staff. It was great to hear all their positive stories about the home and how the home doesn't live up to the current awful stereotypes. We filmed the residents and some of the activities that they took part in to make a short promotional film for the home to use. On the second day we played carpet curling against the elderly residents which they won and seemed extremely proud of. 

On Tuesday evening (Day 2) we all took part in a talent show which our team were awful at! Our excuse was "we're the media, we're meant to be behind the camera not in front of it". After much debating we came up with the idea of 'aeronicks' where our team mate Nick lead an aerobics session. The talent show was a lot of fun even though we came last.

Wednesday (Day 3) was left for editing. We had a mad rush near the end to make sure everything would be ready for the showcase which was that evening. During the showcase family and friends came to see what each group had created. Each of our team members got up and said a few words before presenting our short films, this was more of a challenge for some than others. The showcase was a success and i'm so proud with how our short film turned out. 

On Thursday (Day 4) we left the media side of the programme behind us and it was time for us to come up with a campaign idea. We wanted to raise awareness of something and many ideas were thrown around before we came up with the idea of Depression and Anxiety. Many of our team members currently are or have suffered from these conditions so it was something we were all passionate about. The main aim of our campaign is to raise awareness and to make people suffering from these mental health issues not feel alone. As a team we decided to call our campaign 'Turn On The Light' and used the hashtag #comeoutthedarkness. We also created a Facebook page to raise awareness which you can check out here. We came up with the idea of having a tree, which we would make ourselves, and hanging lightbulbs onto it with the publics small fears/phobias that they're comfortable to share. 

On the Friday (Day 5) it was pitch day! This was the day that we'd pitch our idea to local MP's and they'd give us a budget to allow us to carry out our idea. We spent the morning writing out a script for our pitch, making sure we all had a part, and learning it off by heart. Pitching to the dragons was a very scary experience and so stressful! They asked us many questions that made us think and we were all so worried about saying the wrong thing. Once it was over we all came together as a wave and they told us how much they were willing to give each team. We were lucky enough to get the amount we asked for which was £80.

As we were staying in university halls it was left to us to cook for ourselves. This was interesting but luckily for us my group had a few that were experienced in the kitchen and they were able to help those that weren't so used to it. We all had our own room with an en suit which was like luxury compared to the previous week! During this week I feel like I learnt how to be more independent and learnt many life skills. 

Would you cope cooking for yourself for a whole week?

I hope you enjoyed this post. 

Jessica xo

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