What's New

Produced by Tim Johanson and Hampstead Theatre Productions in assocation with The Children's Society, the show dealt with the awful and complex topic of child sexual exploitation, and played alongside the Children's Society's #SeriouslyAwkward campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the issue.

Today, the BBC released the findings of an investigation into revenge pornography which show that victims as young as 11 have been targeted. Here are some thoughts from our Youth Ambassador Hannah-Lily Lanyon.

Catcalling genuinely makes my blood boil.

For many, New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration, where friends and family come together to commemorate the passing of a year and ultimately fumble into the next.

Whether you are Rebecca, Mary or Suzanne, it is frightening to say that you have diminishing chances to be in the top jobs in the UK in comparison with Mark, John and Nick.

For many, Freshers is a time to celebrate; it brings together strangers in a totally new environment, allows for independent living and all this whilst drinking yourself silly and wearing outrageous fancy dress (minus the thought of waking up at the crack of dawn in last nights clothes with a mouth full of beer-breath and regret for a 10AM lecture).

Apps and social media websites are places where stalking, harassment and abuse run rampant.

Since hearing of Tender almost three years ago I have been a member of the Tender youth board, helped with fundraising, projects, events and trained with Tender as one of their peer mentors and youth facilitators. However, never before have I volunteered in the office for an extended period of time...until now!

October the 11th is International Day of the Girl Child; a chance for us to celebrate the power of young girls and work on ways to improve the prospects of young girls around the world.

This week Lady Gaga released a powerful video about sexual assault in Universities. The song was written for the documentary called “The Hunting Ground.” The video shows graphic situations of sexual assault committed against women in various situations.

Rape, consent and victim blaming are terms that are talked about but are often misunderstood. In her new novel, ‘Asking For It,’ Louise O’Neill tackles these issues. She challenges the “two myths that [are] very dangerous in our culture; that of the perfect rape and that of the perfect victim.”

My interest in domestic abuse and its prevention began a few years ago when I trained to become a listener for a suicide helpline. It wasn’t long before clear patterns began to emerge, with many different forms of abuse discussed in almost every call.

“I got involved with the Tender Youth Board because the subject of healthy versus unhealthy relationships is something that affects everyone my age, so I can personally see the need for, and the brilliant effect of, Tender’s work. I love how Tender actively tries to prevent the issue in a way that immediately helps change lives, and it’s amazing to feel like a proper part of that at the Youth Board.” -Hannah Lily Lanyon - Youth Ambassador and Youth Board member since 2011