Bupa & JAAQ Junior

Voice.

How are we?

Good man.

I said good, thank you.

Good going.

Yeah.

We're going to give you a ride.

Gorilla.

Yeah.

You better be a that'd be nervous already.

Know what's wrong?

We're not yet right.

So we'll start off then.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Welcome.

Come on Julia, thank you for that.

Like I said, we're going to be giving you a proper grilling.

Yeah.

And we're just going to talk about social media, about trolling.

Yeah.

and things like that.

Your experience.

Let's do it.

so we'll start off by just asking you all.

You just introduce yourself.

Well, I'm Dino, I'm an artist.

I'm an actor.

I'm an entertainer.

I'm everything.

I'm just.

I'm just a 21 year old boy from South London making music and enjoying life.

Come on, come on.

On today's podcast with you guys, and I'll see you there.

That's me bro.

Yeah, man.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

How would I describe myself in three words?

I'd say, I say fun.

I say I'm quite fun, I say fun, I'd say unique because ain't no one like me.

And I'd say.

I'd say confident.

I'm quite confident.

I'd like to think so.

Yeah.

Fun, unique and confident.

I mean, you've got to be confident to get 8.

3 million likes on Tik Tok.

Yeah.

How did that happen?

I got onto Tik Tok and, like, everyone's trying.

All my managers, my team was trying to get me to go in it in like 2020 because, you know, that's when they just started going crazy and stuff.

And I was just like, I was like everyone else.

I was like, oh, tick tock.

I don't want to be dancing.

That is that just went on there anyway.

And then, you know, a lot of my, my lap, the people that follow me on other platforms, I guess they came over to Tik Tok and I would just post a lot of different videos.

I'll post a lot of throwback stuff.

I post a lot of just random.

I'm just a random guy.

I should be posting whatever I something last week.

Obviously I won't post this right now.

I'll just do that and then yeah, I guess that's just me just being me on Tik Tok.

And then yeah, it's just picked up from there.

Really?

Yeah.

You guys are on Tik Tok, you said.

Yeah, yeah.

We don't, we don't really we don't really post on Tik Tok.

We go get a Tik Tok man.

Yeah, we got to do Tik Tok when you get on it.

That's the.

Yeah.

That's what we need to do.

Let's go.

We're going to run up a TikTok.

Right?

Oh come on.

so how did how how did you start?

How did you go how did you go viral?

How did I go viral?

Initially, I was about you guys age.

I was at 13.

I was in year eight at school.

And then, my friends would get me to like, sing on camera on Snapchat and stuff.

I sing in, like, rap on the playground and stuff.

And then it started going, like, locally viral.

Everyone around my area, everyone like south London, Brixton started to like, you know, pick up on everything I was going on.

And then I'll just keep going and I'll just do stuff like that.

Then I get one of my boys used to like pen tap in class.

I got him in one of the videos that started going viral, and from there we just started making a whole run of different videos and then just have a stop since just started just taking it step by step and yeah man.

Yeah.

So what's the journey?

Who is the most famous person you've met?

Who's the most famous person I've met?

Has to be Ed.

Ed has to be Ed Sheeran.

As I said before, I was I was looking through your TikTok.

Yeah.

And, I saw really a funny picture.

It's it.

You're just.

You're TikTok is Dino.

Dino?

Dino.

Yeah.

Go check him out.

Yeah.

He's really cool.

Yeah.

Come on now.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Appreciate that.

You've met, Ed Sheeran, but have you met Stormzy?

Yeah.

Stormzy is my guy.

I've met Stormzy.

Stormzy was the first artist actually to invite me into studio and just cosign me.

Read he was the first artist because he made.

I've been a big fan of Stormzy since I was young.

We're like from similar area, so when I saw Stormzy made that tweet and still he was like, he was just like, what do you say?

I was like, who's this kid or something like that?

And then, yeah, just linked, linked to Stormzy cycle.

And from there I was there when he made his first album and stuff.

So, so a lot of fun really.

What's your favorite Stormzy song?

My favorite Stormzy song.

I like most of you, don't actually like.

What's involved is one of the, one of the few rap songs that I know.

Yeah.

Come on bro, I got I need to give you like, a rap education.

beyond a little.

I'm still stuck in the 60s.

Yeah, I'm gonna say.

You say you, like, listen to the Beatles.

I've got.

I've got, a pretty different.

Yeah.

To.

That's good though.

Yeah.

I've, Yeah.

Beatles.

Yeah.

Billie Joe had a bit of ELO.

Yeah, Joe.

Although I actually don't.

Oh, yeah.

That's crazy.

Now I need to listen, though.

I'll show you some rap.

And you sure don't miss the blue sky.

Mr.

blue Sky is living here today.

Yeah.

Let me see.

Blue's clever.

You don't know how.

How is.

How does nobody here I know I'm used to sad today.

Yeah, but, I've got someone on my music side.

it's two ammonia.

But you got to show me, though.

Don't worry, I won't listen.

You got to show me.

Put me on.

I'm sure I like it, but.

Yeah, what I'm saying.

So do you know how easy is it to become famous on social media and become a social media sensation?

I mean, I don't think anything's easy, but I don't think it's that hard.

I think you just gotta be creative in whatever you're going to be, you know, producing or putting out there, whether that's comedy videos, whether that's making music, whether that's acting, I don't know.

But if you can just find a creative way to get people's attention with me, I'll do stuff like I've seen in playground, but in my boys would be backflip in for no reason, you know what I'm saying?

So stuff like that gets people's attention.

So if you can be creative with your ideas.

I don't think he's that hard, but I don't think anything's easy because, you know, that's not laughing.

But I definitely think it can be done with your mental health.

You know we've got we're getting we're getting more serious now.

Okay.

were you ever bullied, in school or when you were making videos?

We were ever bullied.

We're gonna say I was being bullied, but that's not online especially.

I was very, I got trolled a lot.

I'd say I got trolled a lot, but I think that's for any person who's, you know, doing work in the public.

you're gonna.

It's bound to happen.

But, Yeah, I'd say I got trolled a bit when I was, I, I don't forget the stops, really, but, more so when I was younger because I was a bit more now.

Small was much chubbier like it was easy to pick on, you know what I'm saying?

But, yeah, I was trolled a lot, but I'm good, you know what I'm saying?

so how how were you up?

How what were people saying?

How were you?

How were you trolled?

those make fun of me sometimes.

Like, they'll just they'll just say certain things, like, just pick out insecurities and just try to make someone feel less than.

But the more you do it, the more you realize, you know, a lot of these people are just there.

So just because a lot of people have nothing to do, so they're just going to go online and if they're seeing someone else do something positive, they're just going to try to hate and try to, you know, reflect their energy on to you.

And you got to just make sure that, you know, in your head that that doesn't mean anything.

It's not real.

You know, it's going to it's going to happen.

People are jealous.

People want to be you.

But, you just got to keep a strong mind and you got to keep confidence in yourself and just keep pushing.

what do you do to stay in a positive mind when people are saying stuff like that?

So, yeah, for me personally, I like to talk to people I know I've got a lot of friends, a lot of, family.

So a good support system talk to people that, you're very close with and people that they know.

You say that they know how to like you know, move and communicate with you.

I'd say go into the gym or even play some sports.

She's playing some basketball yesterday with my friends.

That stuff I feel like it's the most relieving.

It's like your stress relief when you're just, like, working out, pumping, sweating.

so for me, it was working out, going to the gym, eating good.

just trying to be as healthy as possible.

and.

Yeah, that's that's what I do.

I'm making music, of course.

Making music.

Always making sure that's what you say for all the people that get bullied, what would you say for them today?

I definitely say do similar thing.

Speak to people that, you know, good people that you know, you know, never be shy to speak about how you feel or anything like that.

So just speak to people that, you know, get some support and just have fun with what you want to do with this, like present stuff.

Just keep doing that and just have fun and just keep seeing the good in the passion that you have and yeah, stop, stop.

So some people get overwhelmed by social media.

What how do you take time off from what what can people do, to just have a bit of respite from social media.

Let's do a detox.

That's what I do.

I literally sometimes just put my phone down and I don't use my phone like I won't be online, I won't be posting.

But that's just me, you know, because like, you got to remember online, it's not real life.

It's just a place everyone goes to.

I feel like we all live a bit too much on it, if anything, because it's like it's become real life to us, if anything.

But, yeah, just put the phone down for a bit a few hours, you know, like limit your screen time, limit your social use time.

And yeah, just live in the reality for a bit as well.

I like to do just put my phone down to just yeah, it's live in the real world for a bit.

So say if I was an alien from to Jupiter.

Explain social media to me.

Oh my days.

What would I say to an alien?

First I'd run.

Yeah.

Then I'd come back.

I'm like yeah cool bro.

So this is Instagram.

Take pictures now Jacob.

I figure I'd just be like, how would I explain social media to an alien?

I think I'd I tell them it's a I can't even explain a phone.

I think I'd be like, there's this thing that connect.

I don't know what's eating them, to be honest, bro, I'm trying to even think what I'm saying.

Like, Say you were.

You were coming up with an idea, and it was a social media platform, but it's Instagram instead of one that you're creating.

So just say if you, if you pitch in to us as entrepreneurs.

Yeah.

Just how would I present it.

How, how would you present Instagram.

Oh I think I'd be like all right my friend, I've got this platform.

I feel like so many people that can use can take pictures on.

They can post, keep in contact with people that you know.

It's a place where other people all around the world can discover you.

It's an outlet for posting, whether it's music, whatever it is that you want to upload and share with the world.

and just I guess, yeah, there's a place where you can just talk to people, come sit with people, just find new people and just discover the whole world through phone that is perfect.

That is, oh, an alien I've been.

Yeah, yeah.

Hopefully I would have got the investors, you know.

Yeah.

Investors from SpaceX.

Yeah.

From SpaceX.

Literally.

Yeah.

So thank you.

Thank you so much for coming in and talking to us about your experience with social media.

and we called way to listen to your new song lessons, which is coming out in May.

Listen to it.

Yep.

make sure you guys have been a pleasure.

Thank you for having me.

Thank you.

So, yeah, my ag, thank you for coming.

Whoa.

Wait.

That was fun.

Yeah.

Welcome to this episode of JAAQ junior.

He is a young entrepreneur.

What do you like about being able to stay healthy in different one second.

I'm inventing a clothing item.

You know, the next second, I'm on national television talking about said idea.

Do you ever wish that you weren’t autistic That no matter what age you are or whatever you do, you can still make it big What you are doing is really incredible and it's helping so many people.

My, autism is limiting me.

Annoyingly.

Okay, I'll tell you a little story.

Yes, Max.

Welcome to JAAQ junior, everybody.

Max, he is a young entrepreneur.

11 years old.

Yes.

Yes.

Special welcome to JAAQ junior.

We're so glad to have you here.

And you're basically going to have a chat to you about you.

Yeah.

So we'll start off, Max, just who who are you?

Tell us.

Tell us who you are.

Okay.

I'm Max, I'm 11 years old, and I created the Fidget T.

Tell us a little bit about the fidget.

T Okay.

The fidget T is a T-shirt made for neurodivergent people, but non neurodivergent people can wear it as well.

I don't mind.

It's also got a fidget toy in the bottom of the hem where your hands reach.

So that way nobody knows that you're playing with the poppit and just think you're fidgeting with your t-shirt.

What is autism?

Can you describe autism, which is a type of, neurodiversity?

Okay.

Likes fidgeting with things a lot.

Gets anxious pretty easily sometimes.

Yeah, that's that's what I could say but.

It's, it's it's quite hard, but it's, it's easy at the same time.

There are, there are some good things and some bad things.

It's all a mix.

So how old were you when you were diagnosed with autism?

I was five.

Five.

So that was six years ago now?

Yes.

What do you think?

What is it like being, neurodivergent?

Pretty easy, but sometimes it's it's challenging.

Yeah.

What are some of the challenges you have to deal with?

My, Well, that’s hard, loud noises, bad smells and bright lights.

So we've talked about the bad things, but what is the actual what?

What do you like about being autistic?

About being different in the way that you think?

That’s.

.

.

I can focus more on things that I enjoy thinking about, and and I can feel it's basically I can think of a lot more things to do with my the subject that I like.

You were saying you love history?

Yes, I actually love history.

One of the it is my favourite subject to talk about was you, you tell me you like, like the 1600s and the, Napoleonic type era.

Is that is that something that actually helps you with, to concentrate on those subjects that you like?

Is that something that helps you with.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do any of your friends help you out?

If sometimes you having about a bad day.

Autism isn't very good some day.

Yeah.

Yeah.

They're they're here to, you know, support me and be, you know, there to play with me and stuff.

So Max being autistic are there certain things that help you like cold pull that take your mind or like, just concentrate on some history.

I like music a lot.

Music helps me focus and concentrate.

What's your favourite song?

I don't have one.

You know, a lot of people, are like that.

I like different types, like, artists, like musicians.

But I don't like, necessarily like, one song.

I have lots of different songs that I like.

Yeah.

Tell us a bit about.

So you mentioned history.

What what do you like in history?

Everything really.

But the thing that I really like to, to learn about is like the 1700s and 1600s, 1800s that that that short time period, 18th century, maybe.

How can your friends help you?

Is the things that they do the help you do?

They play with the, the what?

What did they do?

They, you know, be there for me, play with me and just all honestly, in general, just have my back.

Do you do your friends like history as well?

Yes.

Yeah.

That's good.

So, Max, you've been in the news a little bit, haven't you?

Tell us, tell us why.

Why?

Because probably I'm a kid, and I'm doing something that most adults probably do.

Starting a business and stuff.

But, it's it's a bit weird to me because, One second I'm inventing a clothing item.

The, you know, the next second I'm on national television talking about said idea.

So what was it that made you come up with the idea of the fidgeting shirt?

Okay, I'll tell you a little story.

So one day, I was sitting in my room, minding my own business, playing with a poppit when I thought to myself, what if this poppit will go inside my clothes?

So I went downstairs, and while I was going downstairs, I had little thought.

Thinking that way, I could probably never lose it.

And hopefully this exists.

So I told them and they said that surely had to exist.

But no, it does not exist at all.

Even the like, patent officer, was like was genuinely shocked because it's such a simple idea.

Like, who hasn't thought of the poppit being in a t-shirt and stuff?

I mean, we've we've said it and what what you are doing is it's really incredible and it's helping so many people.

How did you find being on TV?

I really liked it because that way I can show more people that no matter what age you are or whatever you do, you can still make it big.

And you know, you just need to find that one thing that clicks.

So could you show us the t-shirt?

Yeah, sure.

It's.

I'm wearing it right under this jumper right there.

So pop it so that it's so you can do you want to take your jumper off and actually show us the actual t shirt?

Sure.

I'll take my jumper off because it is really cool.

I think everybody should see it.

Yeah.

This is the said t shirt.

So this is hidden as well.

So, like, you can just mess with it without people thinking that you're up to it.

Yeah.

You meant, you know, the, it just looks like your fiddling with the bottom of your t shirt.

Exactly.

And also another thing.

It's not got the the seams, which.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

They're encased.

Yeah.

So there's only one little peel off label that comes in the package, but it's, it's, but you might want to keep it because it has the, you know, washing instructions on it.

Yeah.

That might have been, blurred out by the mixer.

Sure.

What is it like having your dad as a business partner?

Pretty good.

Yeah.

Also, because, you know, he knows a lot about business and money and stuff, it's quite easy because I don't need to talk about that complicated stuff.

You just.

You just focus on the t shirt and.

Yeah.

And what?

What goes in the pop it?

Yeah, yeah, I'm focused on the simple things.

Yeah.

So what would you say to someone that's just had a friend, being diagnosed with autism or.

They have.

I would say to them, it may be a bit hard sometimes, but, you'll get through it, and, you know, it'll help.

It may be challenging.

It's not bad.

It's good.

You know, you've you've done so many amazing things.

I mean, you've you've created this amazing t shirt, and you've done that with a superpower, which is your autism.

But do you ever wish that you weren't autistic, or is it something that you that you think is super cool and it's it's you and it's your superpower?

Sometimes I do wish that I wasn't, but, most of those times it's mostly getting out of my, food tasting comfort zone because I, I really wanted to try new foods, but it's really, really hard because my, autism is limiting me.

Annoyingly so.

You can't always have buffs.

You need to have nerfs as well.

What's your least favourite thing?

Smell.

And also your favourite thing.

Least favourite thing to smell?

Probably a bin.

Yeah.

I don't I don't think anybody likes smelling it.

I mean, it must be because your, your smell is just it.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's.

Yeah, it's it's it does not smell good, but types of smells.

And I do like, probably soap or the smell of new paper.

No idea why I like new books or good books.

I know I slightly flick through and just smell.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, have you ever opened a can of tennis balls?

I just smell that No I haven't.

Wait, is that.

Is another very.

I will try it.

It's like.

It's like paper.

It's like into opening a can of tennis balls and smelling it.

It's so good.

And the smell of a new car as well.

Oh, yeah, I like that.

Max, thank you for coming on, JAAQ.

Junior.

Thank you for having me.

It was great talking to you.

And you telling us about your, fidget t shirt was amazing.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Max, for coming on.

It's been absolutely great.

Thank you for having me.

It's a great honour.

Whoa!

We're talking about moving up from primary school to secondary school.

What you guys think was the biggest difference?

I feel like it's got its pros and cons, but like Marmite, some people love it, some people hate it.

I have ten people in my school going to same school as me.

But the thing is, none of them are my form.

So we have the TTT’s the triple topic test.

If you take things as you come, it's going to help.

So much more.

It's like in friend, it's a big difference from like being one of the older people in the school to like talk to me like the it's just it's not homework, but pretty much got to do it and you have to do it at home.

I'm scared.

We don't know our forms yet.

It's why would be different at secondary.

If someone logs into the system, they're going to find my thumb.

Schoolboy errors.

I open my book and then just be like mold and we only had two classes and now we have like six.

You really don't need to be in the same form to be really good friends with someone.

You go from being a big fish in a little pond to little fish in a big pond.

So after our chat today, what are you most looking forward to?

Welcome to JAAQ Junior.

We're super, super excited to do this episode.

We're talking about moving up from primary school to secondary school.

We've got two people that haven't moved up to secondary school yet, and three people that have me, Freddy, and another special guest.

So yeah, we're really, really looking forward to this.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to JAAQ junior.

If you could just introduce yourself.

Say how old you are and what year you're in at school.

I'm Zara.

I'm 15 years old, so I'm in year ten at the minute and I go to a grammar school.

I'm Milly.

I'm 11 and I'm going into year seven, and I'm Lyla.

I'm also 11, and I'm going to seven as well.

Do you all know each other?

Do you know each other from school?

I know Milly very well because we met in nursery.

All right.

Oh, no.

Not.

Nursery.

Reception.

Sorry.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

No, no, no, I've met them first time, but, yeah, it's always nice to meet new people.

Yeah.

So we're going to start off by saying, do you like school?

Basically, or are you a fan of school?

Because it's, it's one of those things that some people love it and it's like Marmite.

Some people love it, some people hate it.

So do you like school?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I wouldn't say I hate it.

Some days I don't like it.

Yeah.

Did you get your new timetable?

And you look at it and you think, oh those days are rubbish.

Oh my God.

So yeah, Thursday it's always really bad on Thursday.

But this year I've got my new timetable.

Before, they broke up and my Thursdays there's a well good, but the three years before that.

But Thursday is rubbish.

I don't know what it is, but first, I really good this year.

I like humanities more than Stem, but my Tuesdays I had maths biochem like consecutively.

Oh my god, like I wasn't a fan to be honest.

No that's a that's a tough.

Yeah well it was a Thursday.

It was a Tuesday.

Oh Tuesdays were good.

I had like we have compulsory RE but like, you don't take the GCSE for it.

You learn like the ethics of society and then you watch movies and like, you analyze them.

So I had that and then I also had like RE GCSE and then I had like a couple of other humanities subjects.

I really liked it because I really like essay based humanities subjects I really like RE.

I think it's just it's the one where because it's not all about religion, it's about like what's going on in the world, you, you.

Because like in primary school, it was in year nine because I didn't like, RE from year seven, year eight.

But in the like towards the, the middle end of year nine, RE got really, really good.

Like, it's so good because you learn about all, like, Crime and punishment about, war and conflict and all.

Just like, really like interesting stuff that's relevant to, like, what's going on in the world.

So yeah, I, like RE, I'll probably 100%.

I feel like it gives you such a good insight into like like it gives you such a good understanding of like just even like the real world, like any skills or anything like that.

Like from RE like the not even just like the ethics of how society should work, but as in like the the way you should present an argument and like even small things like that, it's just so useful.

It's so cool.

So is there anything in secondary school that you are looking forward to?

I remember I was really looking forward to DT, but then it turned out I really didn't like it very much.

But I did.

I thought it was going to be like food because I really wanted to like, do food.

But then I didn't realize there was a whole subject of food.

So what what are you looking forward to the most?

Probably food.

Yeah.

So I was going to say, yeah, yeah, yeah, food tech's good as long as you don't forget your ingredients.

Yeah.

I used to take GCSE and, do food to, me.

It's a whole other ballpark.

I think it's like 20% cooking and like 80% theory.

Yeah.

What are these, 60, 40 cooking, like mostly cooking.

So we're lucky we've got lucky, no, I wasn't, you know like all the technical skills because there's some of it in you're like your actual exam as well.

But in terms of like the there's like coursework as well.

And then you've got like your presentation and all of that.

So the cooking is a big part of it.

Yeah.

But in terms of theory, there's so much that like it kind of the cooking, it kind of hides behind it.

But it is the subject I really enjoy.

It's like chill.

There's a lot of subjects like that where there's a lot of writing instead of the actual fun bit, like like PE as well.

Like I didn't do PE GCSE, I, I just thought, I don't, I don't really, I like biology, but I'm doing food tech, Spanish, and art.

So that's sort of like you don't really.

I'm quite good at Spanish.

And then art and food tech are not like really, really lot.

You have to be really clever to do them.

I just think I'm quite creative, like those sorts of things.

I mean, we're just blabbing on about secondary school.

You guys are obviously still yet to move up.

What are you most looking forward to?

Yeah.

What are you most looking forward to when you move up?

I'm looking forward to, like, meeting new people and, having a new, like, change of atmosphere into, like, a bigger school, like making new friends and like, having, like, different lessons with different teachers, not just the same teacher.

Yeah.

I think that is one of the good things.

Like, it doesn't get boring.

Yeah.

Because you have you have the same teacher over and over again in primary school and it like changes up and you have like different ways of being taught, which I do quite like.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's also like, moving up, like I feel like it's got its pros and cons.

Do you know what I mean?

Like, especially going from, like, I had, Covid in year six, so I didn't experience like my full six, if that makes sense.

Like the end and everything.

But like, it's a big difference from, like, being one of the older people in the school to like me, like the my, yes.

It's my teacher used to always say, you going from being a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big pond.

Yeah, 100%.

And the dinner queue as well, that's, you know, that's the thing in the dinner queue, you can get pushed around when you’re little.

Yeah, 100%.

Is there anything that you are worried about?

I was really worried going into, in secondary school because I missed, like I said, I missed year five and year, six, so I didn't really.

I hadn’t been to school for almost two years, and at my primary school there was, two other people that were going to my high school.

So I wanted to ask, is, is your school like, is there a lot of people in your school moving into your secondary school?

Because I'd found that.

I'd found that a lot easier because I didn't really have anybody that I knew.

At my secondary school.

Yeah, I have ten people in my school going to same school as me.

But the thing is, none of them were in my form.

Really?

Yeah, none of them.

So I have to make friends and I.

I'm excited to make friends, but just.

Yeah, I have quite like quite a few people going, but only one of my friends from like my friend groups going, so I'm scared because like, we don't know our forms yet, so I don't know if I'm going to be the same form as her.

Are you going to different schools?

So yeah, different schools.

So my best mate from primary school has gone to a different school, which was quite hard to like.

See him like on the weekends and stuff as well because his school was quite far away from mine.

So I would have to, like, plan stuff to meet up and like keep in touch, which is quite hard.

But if you do, you can keep a really good friendship.

Yeah, 100%.

Like I've got a friend.

She's a really good friend of mine and we so talk and we've been friends since like like we were in the same class in primary and stuff like that.

And I still talk to her and it's really, really nice to keep those friendships and just see how they're doing in life.

Because you grew up together essentially, and like, it's just so, so nice.

I feel like it's so, like relatable in a sense with the like moving up and like the making friends and all of that.

But 100%, eventually you do find your people.

Yeah.

And like with them not being in the same form, you're going to get mixed up anyways.

Like with your lessons and your everything.

So you just like.

Forms just like a wake up on a morning.

Yeah, 100%.

So like, I know I've got really good friends in different forms.

I've got like 1 or 2 friends, like really good friends in my form as well.

But my friend group is made up of like myself and two friends from my form and then like two people from different forms to each other.

So it's like you really don't need to be in the same form to be really good friends with someone.

Our less.

are like five minutes between each lesson, it's like, yeah, yeah, if I get lost then I’ll probably be late for class, yeah, you get five minutes to get to the next class.

Yeah.

It, I think like once you, once you get settled down and, you know, like sort of where your classes are, if you, you'll have a lot of the, a lot of classes in the same room.

So like, I have four English lessons a week and they're all in the same room.

So like once you know where your lessons are and it's, you know, where you’re going and at the start as well, I wouldn't say ask students where to go because sometimes they send you the wrong way.

You go to the wrong place.

Yeah.

That's say that's that's just like sort of well school boy errors.

Yeah.

But sometimes you have a buddy as well to show you around.

Yeah.

I think there was there was a person the year above me in my form right the beginning of year seven, and he sort of like he came into our form, like, every, every other day.

And he'd light chat to us and see how would see how we were doing.

But yeah, you'll get you'll get your grips with, you know, finding your way around school and us, we got, we got given a map at our school.

So you do you have a look and it says

I think I lost my map on the second day and, I know our school has like, a thing where it's like, you can be a little late here in that, like, obviously not like 45 minutes, but you can be a little late here.

How does it make you feel that we've just said, some coping methods of, like, how to get around and stuff like that?

It's easier.

Yeah, I know I do have, I do have quite a few friends, that I'm moving up to.

Year 8 So I know I can kind of, talk to them if I'm lost.

Yeah.

The teachers understand like Zara said in the first few weeks, if you're like, maybe ten minutes late to lesson they’ll, understand that you're brand new and you have no idea where you're going.

Really.

But you will get to grips with it fairly quickly.

And yeah, it'll it'll be no problem.

Is there anything else you're worried about?

About moving into secondary school?

Is it like, easy to make friends?

I would say, yeah, because there's so many people and there's things you can find in common.

Yeah, people like.

And then you can do.

Yeah.

Like I said, you just find people where, like in just in you, in your day to day at school, like in, in the lunch queue, you might just chat to them if you're on the yard and like they just walk past you and say are you alright?

I'd say it's fairly easy if you like, good at chatting and you can yeah.

You can hold a good conversation, which you both can.

I mean, I know it's like the food's pretty different.

Secondary school.

Like primary school.

It was always like that classic, like the cake with, like, the icing on.

So, like, I was just like.

Yeah, yeah.

And you've got, like, the rainbow sprinkles on there.

It's wildly different at secondary.

Like, how do you feel about like I like happier to go to a different school for food.

Because our school foods really bad.

Yes.

Well, Grace and like some of the foods like not cooked or overcooked and it's.

Yeah.

Not very nice I think it's I think at high school it's just sort of they try and get you in and out as quick as you can.

Yeah.

I don't think it's great to school food.

It's not very good choices.

There isn't much, choice for healthy food.

The pasta is not normally cooked.

Yeah.

One time it was like dough.

It was.

It was literally dough.

It was really bad.

And then, like, the chicken never.

It never looks cooked.

Yeah.

Really like hard and chewy.

I think I think it's like they're usually like, okay.

They're not like dirty and like undercooked.

Yeah, yeah.

Cause that sounds pretty bad.

But yeah, the, the the pasta's not cooked and the chicken doesn't.

Especially chicken I know I remember 1 or 2 like cases that primary school where like the, the food was a bit iffy but I haven't really had that secondary I so I feel like it's a lot different in terms of like it's very processed though.

So yeah.

Yeah, to be honest, if you look in for like just some fruit or like even just a bowl of pasta with like a fresh tomato sauce and just like something that's not that bad for you, it's, there's not there's not much of it, but it's it's all right.

It's tasty.

I mean, I have a pan aut chocolate most days.

But I usually take like a few, a few snacks with me up.

Just put them in my pocket.

Just like little, little things.

Like a bag of crisps.

Yeah.

And sandwiches sometimes.

And just like little things to keep you, like going at break and lunch.

Yeah.

That’s, the advice I'd give you just take little snacks.

Yeah.

Or you can take your own food too.

Also, like there's not a set menu like what I've noticed is like for primary school, they used to send out like a menu like, oh, this day is probably.

Yeah, they don't have like a set menu is just you one up and it's whatever that is that.

Yeah.

I'm looking for looking forward for the bigger portions because we have the same portions.

Yes.

Yeah.

Three.

Yeah.

It was like in my primary of the year, it would have the same as the receptions.

Yeah, I'd say like if they had like chicken, we'll get like three, like tiny potatoes.

Yeah.

And sometimes they’re not even good potatoes But I always used to have packed lunch at primary school I never I, never had.

But I had I had school dinners for maybe a few years, but a lot of, a lot of people in my school just took packed lunches.

But yeah, it's a lot it's a lot different when you go to primary school.

Up to high school.

Yeah.

So like, if because at my secondary school you have to do a thumb print.

You have that.

Yeah.

It's like I was scared I if I forget where to put my thumb.

So it's just like a little oh it's just like a little square.

Yeah.

It's it's literally it's the size of your finger.

I remember I was so paranoid about that.

I was like, if someone locks into the system, they're going to find my thumb, and then my thumb unlocks my phone.

So I was like, let me do a different finger.

I was overthinking it so much.

Like, honestly, just it's really not like just go in, like just sort of

I would say sort of go with the flow or whatever, like take things as they come rather than like, oh my God, like in four years I'm gonna have my GCSEs, like, what am I going to pick?

Blah blah.

Like, honestly, if you take things as you come, it's going to help so much more because you're like focused on what you're doing there and then so it helps like I'm making friends with this person, what do I think about them, blah blah,

rather than okay, making friends with them.

But right now I'm thinking, what am I going to be doing tomorrow?

And blah blah, Is science.

Good.

Like we were saying before, where there's a lot of writing and stuff, I thought science would be like every week you do a practical.

But yeah, it's.

Yeah, it depends.

It depends what subject you're doing.

If you're doing chemistry, you'll do like you'll do practicals quite a bit.

But biology, maybe not as much.

Physics, not as much.

But I think it it depends what you're interested in.

I'm really interested in biology.

I love learning about, like, the, the body and all, like, all living things.

So I really enjoy biology.

Chemistry is all right.

I don’t like physics.

I don't like maths or physics.

I don't like physics.

Well, what do you do at the minute?

In primary school, I remember I only did like a few practicals in my whole, like in the whole time at primary schools.

What do you what do you do?

Yeah, to be honest, we actually don't do much science, but, we do.

We learn about the, like, electricity and stuff to make sure, like, that's, that's the only practical I remember, I think.

Yeah.

Making a light bulb, yeah.

Yeah, I remember doing this one primary school like they just say I pick a flower and then you like dissected the flower.

.

Yeah.

Stick on a piece of paper.

And in our books Oh crusty.

You know, like I wrote my book and then just be like, mold and wet pages.

Know all the stuff.

I mean, I think with, science at secondary school, it depends on if you do like, combined or double.

Yeah.

What mixed, biology, chemistry, physics as one subject.

We are because, at school I go to we have triple science higher compulsory.

Would you I think was the biggest difference from primary.

Secondary?

Maybe the size.

Yeah.

The size in homework was.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

But, I'm not sure.

I think the comparison in a little primary school to a massive high school,

there's probably about ten times more students in my school in primary schools probably like a bit nervous because there's so many people because we only have we only had two classes and now we have like six classes.

Yeah.

And like we barely got any homework because it was once one week.

Yeah.

Primary school homework as well.

It's like make like a pyramid and yeah like that.

You know, to be honest, I was I was actually pretty shocked at how little homework we've got in high school.

You expect a lot.

Yeah.

But we do it quite different.

So we have a thing called Ilo's where it's like you can do called an independent learning opportunity, which is not homework, but you've oh, you've pretty much got to do it and you have to do it at home.

So it's pretty much homework.

They giving it a different name.

Is there lots of exams secondary school you do quite a few little ones.

So we have TTTs we have we have them in Maths triple topic tests.

So you do the last.

Yeah.

So it's the end of the end of a subjects that you doing.

So you do the last three topics that you've done over that term.

What, what's, what's like the, the best school trips you've been on in primary.

We don't have.

So we usually don't have much.

Probably PGL that was our most recent.

Well, what actually is PGL?

It's like an adventure place where you stay over with your friends, with dorms, with, you do activities, you and throughout the day before because we went on one big coach.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Where was that?

Lidington.

Yeah, we went to the Lidington PGR and then it was like we've been parks.

Yeah, it was really fun.

But what was like, what was it like being away from your parents.

Fun Yeah.

Yeah.

And staying up like later with your friends.

What's the residentials like?

You guys kind of do, but.

Yeah.

France, it is really good.

The secondary school, a lot of the residential ones are abroad rather than like.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

My year was meant to go to New York, but that got canceled.

I know, I think we've got, like a trip to New York for like, computer science, but that's like, again, there's a lot of variety depending on the subjects that you do like.

I don't do history GCSE, but the people that do like they've got the chance to go to like Belgium and see like the trenches and stuff.

We've talked about a lot of stuff today, some stuff that people might not look forward to so much like the, homework, stuff like that.

But then there's also the good stuff that we've just been talking about, like trips away to Paris, Germany, stuff like that.

Yeah, there's loads of good stuff.

I mean, we are just like the very same as you.

Everyone does.

But yeah, it's really, it's really gotten.

You love it.

Are you looking forward to it?

Yeah.

After the chat.

Are you, are you a little bit less nervous?

Yeah, definitely.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So after our chat today, what are you most looking forward to?

Probably like all the new lessons.

Yeah, probably like school trips and lessons and the dinners.

Yeah, yeah.

What a great conversation that were.

We got through so much.

And talked about some great stuff as well.

Yeah.

Really good.

I just hope that you guys feel a little bit more excited.

About secondary school.

It's really, really, really super, super good fun.

So anyone out there who's a little bit nervous, I, we really hope that this has made you feel a little bit better about secondary school.

So, yeah, absolutely loved it.

Thank you everyone again.

Absolutely loved it.

Hello and welcome to JAAQ junior.

Today we're going to be talking about bullying and helping you.

If you're getting bullied.

You don't really know why they're doing it.

Mainly bullied for my height.

I was actually best friends with her.

It just kind of, like, affected me.

You don't want to turn into the person.

they were I didn't really want to go into school.

Being different about thing.

That's the purpose of life.

If.

If you're happy with yourself, why change.

I'm not going to let anyone stop me.

They might be going through something as well.

It's really hard to talk to your parents.

And this is what JAAQ is all about.

Bringing people together.

Hello, and welcome to JAAQ junior.

Today we're going to be talking about bullying, which is a really, really important topic.

And we've got some super, super incredible guests talking about their own stories and helping you.

If you're getting bullied, giving you advice on what you can do to whoever's bullying you.

So yeah, we're really excited.

Fred, what do you think?

Yeah, I'm really excited for the podcast.

I've not been bullied, I'd say, but I have had people take the mic out of me sometimes, so it'd be interesting to see what our guests today have got to talk about.

Have any of you been bullied?

Do you know why you were bullied?

Was it sort of.

Why?

Well, I was like, when I was growing up, I, like, was mainly bullied for my height, but, like, I realized that other people's opinions just shouldn't affect me, because I should rather just worry about my own self than other people.

When was that?

Year three to year six.

And it does still happen in year seven.

But like I've just kind of gone past it mainly, but I don't really actually know why.

She just didn't like me for no reason.

And then she like gone off on me.

So it was a bit weird.

But now going in year seven, going this year.

Right.

Like simply before now because like I've got nice mates are aren't like horrible for no reason.

But it was really for no reason.

I don't really know why.

Yeah.

So how how did it make you feel?

I mean, like, it just kind of, like, affected me.

Like, I didn't really want to go into school because it was mainly just repetitive, like, every day.

It just made me feel really down about myself and sad mainly.

But like, now, I found people who are interested in the same things as me, and now it's just completely like, just better.

What did you do to find ways to cope?

My sport, like basketball, is something I can go to and it's like that.

I'm just completely in my own world where like, I have that time with myself to just focus on and learn something.

Like an escape.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, yeah.

How did you how did you cope what?

Well, obviously, like, I was upset because, like, you don't really know why they're doing it.

They're just trying to, like, be horrible because they feel horrible about themselves.

So, like, I would, like, not join in on certain things because she would just, like, make it really hard.

So then obviously when I got home, I was really upset because I was like, well, this is person being like really horrible.

But then now, like, I'm not being bullied anymore.

I liked now, you see, like to be kind to other people and like if you see someone who's like left out, you kind of like don't want to because you know how you felt when you were being left out.

Yeah.

When you, when you go home, you be really upset.

Who who did you.

Did you talk to anyone at home or in school or.

Yeah.

I told my mum, and my dad, obviously, but then when I was at school, like, it was kinda hard because she was, like, fair she'd like to say that I was doing it, and I was like, I'm not doing anything.

But then it would sound like I was doing it, but I was.

I really wasn't.

Yeah, well, we always say like at JAAQ, the the person you don't want to talk to are your parents.

So it's really hard to talk to your parents.

And this is what JAAQ's all about, bringing people together, having, children stories, having other people's stories that you can relate to.

Who did you tell first?

I was just mainly like I was talking to my mom and my dad a lot, and like, just saying to them, there's these two people at school, the bullying me because of my height.

I don't know what to do about it.

And I would kind of just calm me down and just say, like, look, don't worry about what people are saying about you.

Because if you worry about that, it wouldn't benefit me if I was worrying about other people's things.

So we've talked about being bullied for being different.

What do we think about that?

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

Overall, it's not really a bad thing because everyone's obviously different in their own ways, but it can really affect on like how you feel as a person.

And if being different’s a bad thing and it makes you question it.

Right.

And I mean, like I think that's the purpose of life being different.

Like it's good to find yourself and like, right, I like this.

I'm not gonna let anyone stop me from being myself and like, that's it.

Really?

Like, you just need to be yourself.

I think being different is a good thing, because if everyone was the same, then, like it would, life wouldn't be as interesting because lots of boring.

There's lots of different successful people in this world and they're all different.

So that's kind of a good thing because like if you're like, everyone was the same would be like really boring.

And it's just all about being unique and don't don't let anyone stop you from being who you are.

This brings onto the next question.

If you could say anything to anyone who's being bullied because they’re difference.

What would you say to them?

What advice would you give them?

I'd probably say, just don't let it get to you because they're probably jealous.

And there's just a lot of things that they can say, which will obviously not be the nicest, but you've just got to think they might be going through something as well.

That's why they're doing it to you.

Again, it's really important that you've said it might be something that they're going through that makes them like, think they've not got anything better to do and like the world against them.

I know, but it's it's when you're in that position you can you can still sort of like comprehend saying something like that is obviously going to have a, an impact, a negative impact on, on the person that they're doing.

So I think it's just it's a bit silly and a bit self-centered.

Well, what what would you say?

I think everyone's had the like sort of the same thing.

Just don't let it get to you because the person who's doing it is probably not happy about themselves.

So then when they see someone trying to be themselves also just like don't like it.

Because I think that if they're not allowed to be happy because they're not happy in themselves, that means that everyone else who is happy, like, shouldn't be happy.

But that's not the case because like, if you're happy with yourself, like, why change?

Yeah.

So when you first got bullied, it, did you speak to anyone about it?

And like, how long did it take for you to build up the confidence to speak to people about what's going on?

My primary school was like, quite small.

So like, the world kind of got round, like all these people are being rude to Jacob.

So then my teacher was like, are you okay?

And I kind of bottled it up.

Like I didn't really want to speak about what was happening.

It took like a good three weeks for me to say to my parents, like this, these people are bullying me like, I need some help, you know?

So to anyone out there listening, that's getting bullied and doesn't want to speak to people, what would you tell them to like?

What mindset should they have to look at?

I'll just say tell someone.

But obviously, all from personal experience as well.

I know how hard that can be.

I had to write it down on a piece of paper just to let my feelings out,

because keeping in, it just kept building up inside of me, and it was like it was really draining, for me just to have all of this bottled up inside me, not telling anyone.

So even just writing it down on a piece of paper, just letting it all out is good enough.

So it was.

Was there any light escapes that you like?

You just go and, like, take your mind off everything?

Yeah, I always, dance.

I'm often just going to the studio.

Is learning, like learning something, going through something.

I've already learned.

Really just put my mind on something else, because I'm obviously trying to focus on dancing, so I have a goal.

Whatever.

Is troubling me in my mind at that moment, and it's.

It's nice and it's peaceful.

So that's why the over swim team.

Because like I do swimming at the leisure center, like, near my house and, like, it's nice because, like, when you're old, when you have, like, a new group of people who aren't horrible.

No one's like being mean.

It's just nice to think about something else.

Yeah, it gives you something to focus on and as well and, like to take your mind away from it.

Yeah.

So if you saw your bully now, you might you might be friends with them if you, if you saw them, in a, in a park or something, how would you, how would you react.

How would you feel.

So the person who bullied me added me on Snapchat the other day.

Oh my gosh.

I looked at the message because, you know, you can look at it before you block.

Yeah.

And it was like, hi, by the way, I'm just letting you know that if you told someone that I bullied you.

Yeah.

Those also.

Oh my gosh, Dani for the start.

So I just love that.

But she goes to the swimming place I go to on the same day and I'm like, oh my gosh, I know you don't, you don't, you don't.

I don't belong to her because she's just annoying.

I've had quite a few bullies.

But ones from primary school, one of them I, I'm actually fine with now, the the one that from primary school up to high school, I was actually best friends with her, and I didn't realize what she was doing to me.

But now when I look back, I can tell like it wasn’t a healthy friendship at all.

And I do not speak to her at all, and I do not want to put myself through that again.

I mean, like, yeah, like the so the two bullies that, bullied me, in primary school ones in my form and in high school, and the other one also goes to my school, but now he's kind of relying on me to, for me to sort out his problems.

And I kind of see that as like, yeah, you can come to me if you want, but I, I do still remember what you've done to me and how you affected my childhood.

I don't think I'm gonna be rude to him and be like, I look like I don't want to sort your problems because I don't.

I don't want to start stuff again.

I've realized with what we've just talked about, not holding a grudge is good to do as well.

Yeah.

Because then, like, you're starting to get mad and then you could start being the problem.

Yeah.

And then people would see that and they'll be like, actually, you're holding the grudge.

Yeah.

I think that you can, like, not hold a grudge.

Like there's a way of like not being horrible to them, but then also letting them know that, like, I don't really want to be your mate like you don't you have to be like, horrible to them every day, especially if you're in the same form as them.

Like, it's like you don't want to turn into the person they were, that mean person, that horrible person.

Because like you, I think there's nothing wrong with being like, I don't want to be your friend.

Like just being straight up honest about it, but like, not being like, I don't want to be a friend because you're this and you're that.

Just if you just let them know, like, I don't, I just don't want to talk to you.

Well, and it just depends what they do with that, because it's really if they're truly, like, trying to hurt you, they'll go like a long way with it.

But now, since obviously all of us are older and we know what's not a good friendship and what's a good friendship

like is kind of like you can just brush off what, like if they try and, like be over it again, you can just sort of, you know, how to deal with it better.

Well that was a great chat weren’t it.

Yeah.

Talk about yeah it was it was so good.

All of you guys sharing your own stories.

Really good, did we all enjoy it?

Yeah, it's 100% lovely.

And you honestly, you're all so good in expressing.

Expressing yourselves.

With absolutely loved having you on.

And make sure to tune in for the next episode.