Programme 2: Maria
The programme aims to help young people think about:
- the effects of heavy drinking
- the role of family and friends
- aggressive behaviour
Learners will:
- enhance their understanding of other people's experiences and points of view
- understand better the effects of heavy drinking
- be motivated to challenge bullying behaviour
Maria is 14 years old and lives with her older brother and mother, Judith, in Cambridge. She moved there four years ago from a village in Suffolk. She is at risk of being excluded from her school because of her behaviour: rude to teachers and a bully to other pupils.
She belongs to a girl gang called The Shazas. They dress in a similar way and those who are not part of her gang are a target to be bullied. She regularly tries to persuade passers-by to go and buy her cigarettes and alcohol (vodka and alcopops). Maria and her gang drink on the streets or in a park. We see them harassing a group of older boys, taking a mobile phone and a bike.
By 10pm all passers-by are a target for abuse. She returns home when she wants, generally between midnight and 1am. Her mother seems to be out so she lets her friends in through the front door.
The next morning, the girls are asked how alcohol affected their behaviour the night before. They regret it now.
Maria says it is acceptable to start drinking at 13. Her mother is shocked at this and tells her that her liver is still developing and will be damaged if she goes on. However, Maria says that as she plans to have a very good job when she's older she won't be able to drink so much then. We see Maria out for a day trip with her mother but it doesn't go well. Her mother says it's hard work controlling a child who has a mind of her own; she simply has to find ways of outwitting her.
Maria returns to Suffolk to visit her best friend whose mother doesn't understand why people can't get on with Maria. She and her friend used to be the best in their class and they started to be bullied for it. Maria then felt that if being top of the class made you unpopular and a nerd that she would have to change. She started playing her brightness down and once she moved away, became the aggressor. Maria knows what it's like to be bullied and feels bad about it afterwards. Maria is eventually allowed to stay in school and the headteacher thinks she'll do well. She wants to be a barrister and eventually run her own law firm.
