Time Out Teen Takeover contributors

For the November 8 issue of Time Out, we handed over the reigns to 13 London teenagers and let them document their own lives and issues. Our panel of teens aren't all wannabe journalists – there's an activist, a student, a DJ, two members of a grime crew and a poet – but they all have something to say. As a generation, they are seriously impressive. They're not the teetotal narcissists they're often made out to be; they're angry, articulate, political and entrepreneurial, using social media as a platform for free expression and as window on social injustice. Listen and learn! 

Luther Osei, aged 17: ‘I was born in Hamburg, Germany, but my parents are from Ghana so I’m like black German. I moved to London when I was ten and when I think about it now, it was just all grey and weird: the language, the accent, the vibe, wearing a school uniform… It was hard getting used to everything but when I got into Brit School it was easier focusing because I could work on my performing arts. My story is not really done yet but I wanna talk about how we’re fine with grasping Asian and African cultures, but not so much the people. There’s a lot of negative connotations tied in with migrants right now, especially with UKIP and Brexit. I feel like we can make people think and be a positive change. Society teaches that youth are just rowdy and wild and don’t care about serious topics but I think this show shows that youth have strong opinions on everything, really.’ © Scott Chasserot Marla Kennard, aged 16: ‘I’d like to talk about migration and the after-effects of it, because even though a lot of people are born in England, people still assume that because you don’t look white you are a migrant. That happened a lot after Brexit. My grandparents came over from Jamaica when they were in their twenties. I don’t know what it was like for them because they don’t really talk about their experiences. It’s all kind of in the past. But now people have gotten this idea that everything that isn’t British is bad. It’s so cool to have the chance to talk about migration, because p

She started DJing on a laptop while she was still at school; now after years of dedication, and aged only 19, Jetsss has a fortnightly radio show on ace online music hub Radar Radio, has wowed audiences across the UK and in Europe, and is a regular DJ at License to Trill nights. She’s even played Fifa with Stormzy. There’s no stopping her, basically, so pay attention while Jetsss lays down the law on what’s cool in London. How I got started: My sister started putting on her own parties in Dalston. My dad used to work the door and I used to do the filming. Then I saw Amy Becker DJing and I wanted to get started. My dad forced me to get [DJ software] Traktor. One thing I’ve learned: You shouldn’t feel like you need a male co-signing you to be respected. If you focus on content then no one should have reason to bother you. It might feel like that at the start but it’s not about gender, it’s about what you put out in the world. They might not like every tune you’re playing but you deserve respect. One must-play song at any party: ‘Sensual Seduction’ by Snoop Dogg – every time! It’s a good one to play right at the end of the night, along with some bashment and Vybz Cartel. One radio station to listen to: It’s got to be Radar Radio. They’ve built a community that gives an opportunity to talented up-and-coming DJs, rather than just give DJs shows because of how big they are. They’re really helping develop people with potential. It makes the music on the station really exci

We asked 234 young Londoners aged 15-19 about their life in the city. Our survey was answered by 186 females, 41 males and seven non-binary. Here’s what they said:                       Meet six London teenagers doing amazing things.   

  Guerrilla Girls courtesy the artists and the gallery       In the summer, we did some snooping and found that the vast majority of exhibitions in London this autumn were by male artists. For our teen takeover issue, we got the amazing Amina to go to the Guerrilla Girls show at the Whitechapel Gallery and then do her own bit of research, this time looking at the gender split in universities, compared to artists represented by major galleries. Her findings, to put it mildly, suck:  69.25% Female students make up a 69.25 percent majority across the University of the Arts of London and Slade School of Art, the only respondents to our diversity enquiries. 67% During Frieze week, the busiest time in the art calendar, 67 percent of solo shows of modern and contemporary art were by men. Women had 33 percent. 28% Looking at ten of the leading galleries who exhibited at Frieze art fair, all of which have major London space, on average just 28 percent of their artists are female. 54% Around 54 percent of the galleries at Frieze London were founded or co-founded by women.    Here's what Amina had to say about her findings:  'I’d never been to an art exhibition before going to the Guerrilla Girls show. But what an amazing initiation. They’re famed for calling out the art world on its sexist practices, and for this show they sent questionnaires to hundreds of museums and galleries, quizzing them on the diversity of their representation. The extent of the inequality within the art world

There's this stereotype that teenagers are lazy: that all we do is loaf around, get drunk and play on our phones. People say things like ‘teenagers hate learning’ but that’s not true: sometimes we just don’t like the way we’re being taught. Our generation is made up of dream chasers. Many of us want to create our own paths. We’re creative and we can use social media to promote and express ourselves. In fact, social media is the biggest difference between our generation and those before us. It means we’ve become a generation with a sense of justice and a DIY spirit: whether that’s organising huge protests, making music or starting businesses from scratch. Meet six teens who are achieving huge things. By Goldie from Vision Crew.  Bea Bennister, 18, High Barnet Founding member of campaign group Girls Against and sixth former            Where are you? ‘I’m at Rough Trade East. I went to see Swim Deep here when Girls Against was starting to get going. They let us put posters up.’ Tell us about Girls Against. ‘We’re four feminists who fight against sexual assault and harassment at music events.’ What made you decide to start? ‘One of our squad had a bad experience at a gig and she told us about it. We set up an online forum and it spiralled from there. Now we’ve had support from bands like Peace and The 1975 and recruited 50 reps around the country.’ Do you still have time to have fun? ‘My free time and Girls Against stuff merge into one. I’ll be at a gig, then suddenly I’m handin

For more than ten years, I refused to speak my native language. Growing up as a queer British-Bengali girl in a mostly white, middle-class environment, I suppressed crucial parts of my identity – so much so that I can no longer speak Bengali. By the time I was 14 I felt like I had no connection to the culture I’d grown up in, even though it affected the way that people treated me every day. I had given in to self-hate and isolation. Then I found a community. On Twitter and Instagram I met women of colour who’d had experiences like mine. The internet gave me a space to feel that my feelings were valid. I had imagined that no one else felt as isolated as I did, and it was only after I began talking to others on social media that I started learning to love my identity. When I began to question my sexuality, I had no one in my life to help me navigate being queer and Muslim. But I did have that online. ‘Safe spaces’ have been one of the biggest topics of 2016. We’ve heard the argument that safe spaces stifle free speech, usually made by people who’ll never lack an opportunity to be heard. But when it feels like the world is saying you have no value, safe spaces become vital. When I walk into a classroom at my school, I know it will be dominated by people who benefit from all sorts of privileges. When I walk into most places, in fact, it feels like I am silenced. I want to be outspoken, but I struggle to ask the necessary questions that make people most uncomfortable. The idea of

We asked more than 200 teenagers to reveal what they wished older people knew about their lives, here's what they said...  1. Just because I don't smile on the bus, doesn't mean I'm a criminal. 2. Take our mental health seriously. Do not call it 'tantrums' or 'behaving like a child'. It affects everyone and anyone. 3. We're not lazy, we're often overwhelmed and tired. 4. Stop ruining the housing market. Let us use all the houses no one lives in. Build more council houses.   A photo posted by Antonia Seroff 🐩 (@antushka) on Oct 20, 2016 at 9:15am PDT   5. It might look like we’re doing nothing when we’re sat at home on our phones but really we’re interacting with people, contacting, networking and learning about the world. 6. There are so many movements, so many exciting causes that young people have organised via social media, and are actually affecting meaningful progress and change. 7. Take us more seriously. Leave off teenage girls in particular. 8. There's nothing wrong with taking selfies. 9. Lots of teenagers this century usually have creative mindsets and want to create their own paths and ideas. We might not get money from it straight away and that’s fine. 10. Back in the day it was easier for people to get jobs quickly whenever they wanted, but now it’s harder for us to get jobs. Especially if you’re from the ‘hood’ and you have a lot of stereotypes being put on you. 11. Stop shutting down clubs like Fabric. Whoever these adults are that are making these deci