We must give the next generation a bright new future
NEW research has revealed that young people’s happiness has declined across every single area of their lives, particularly in how they feel about their emotional health, as worries about the future, money and generally “not being good enough” pile up on their generation.
According to the Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index, the happiness young people feel about their emotional health has dropped to its lowest point since the study was first commissioned in 2009 – by four points in just one year – from 61 to 57. This is one of the biggest drops ever. It has also fallen dramatically since 2010 when it stood at 70.
Poor mental health is a big concern for young people, almost half believe they have experienced an issue such as depression or anxiety. These figures run way above official ones of diagnosed conditions but our own experience at The Prince’s Trust suggests that this is a growing problem. The number of young people we support who say they are experiencing poor mental health has increased by 10 per cent since last year alone.
In response to this we recently introduced a new mental health strategy, supported by Royal Mail Group. We’ve also asked YoungMinds – a leading charity dealing with young people’s mental health and wellbeing – to review some of our activity and to recommend more ways we can help young people overcome challenges with their mental health.
THESE are measures which are clearly needed. When asked to describe how they feel, 61 per cent of young people said they regularly feel stressed, 53 per cent said they regularly feel anxious and 27 per cent go as far as to say they feel hopeless on a regular basis. These are bleak findings, particularly considering that the respondents are aged 16-25.
There are many factors that could be affecting these feelings. For example, the research shows that almost half of the youngsters think they put too much pressure on themselves to achieve success and roughly the same number said they don’t feel they can cope well with setbacks in life.
It also indicates that many fear for their future, for their education and that 49 per cent worry about “not being good enough”. Social media is also a concern with many young people constantly connected to the online world and almost a fifth worrying about how they come across on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
Despite these worries more than a quarter of young people would not ask for help if they were feeling overwhelmed. Clearly more needs to be done to boost their confidence, to provide opportunities for them to build their resilience and to help them develop skills that will stand them in good stead. This is something we can all help with, either as employers, colleagues, mentors, governors, teachers or in our social and family lives.
The research also shows that young people are worrying about money and that related concerns about job prospects could be behind the issues they are experiencing. There is a sense that this generation is becoming increasingly wary of and disillusioned with the job market – which should perhaps come as no surprise given that one in 10 of those surveyed had experienced losing a job through redundancy, having a contract terminated or not renewed unexpectedly, or being fired. Wider worries about the national and global economies could also be having an effect.
We should think very carefully about what the consequences of this increasingly negative mindset might be. We are witnessing the rise of a generation who are lowering their aspirations as despair takes hold and who are at risk of leaving a huge amount of untapped potential in their wake.
Now more than ever this is something we simply cannot afford. We need our future workforce to be looking ahead with optimism, to aim high and to know that the opportunities and career development they want are within their reach.
If we fail to rally around our young people and provide the support they so clearly need, there is a very real risk that their hopes for the future will continue to fade – to the disadvantage of their careers and our economy. It is therefore vital that we equip them with the skills, confidence and coping mechanisms they need to build the life they want for themselves.
There can be little doubt that the past 12 months have taken a toll on the wellbeing of young people but we must not resign ourselves to these latest research findings.
IF WE work together to provide the support young people need, we can turn things around and get them to the place we all need them to be. I know that through The Prince’s Trust’s own workbased schemes and training opportunities it is possible to put young people who don’t feel in control of their job prospects back in the driving seat.
I often meet young people through the trust who come to us very low in confidence and self-esteem.
Often all it takes to bring out the best in these people is to show someone believes in them and to give them a chance to shine. Many tell me they leave us with renewed purpose and belief in their own capabilities.
Through building confidence we can help those who feel powerless to change their circumstances – but we can’t do it alone.
Young people deserve to feel that their futures are worth fighting for. And it is up to all of us to make this a reality for them.
‘Worries about money and job prospects’