No teenager need feel they are alone
THEY have doubts and insecurities. They have an intense need to fit in. Fourteen and 15- year- olds are anxious and worry about many things, as we have read in this special report. They always have, and always will, in this extremely difficult period between adolescence and adulthood
As a school, we discussed this project request and how it might look and affect our young people and their families. In the end, without any wavering, we welcomed the opportunity to have our year 9 students speak up as representatives of all 14 and 15-year-olds. Ours are entirely typical of all young people at this age and have in effect done the writing on behalf of all teenagers, in all places.
But on a day-to-day basis, as we work with this group, we understand there is still a lot more to them that they won’t necessarily write about, or even fully understand about their own psyche.
They have a great sense of justice and injustice, of fairness and a lack thereof, and often show surprising compassion, care and willingness to respond to a need. They are not always the ‘‘self- absorbed’’ teenagers that they are often portrayed to be. We need to dig deeper, explore and discuss further, past the anxieties and worries about body shape, family, bullying and school (as real and as important as these are) to get another picture of what it’s like ‘‘in the skin’’ of a year 9 student. WHAT ABOUT . . . THE kindness and willingness of dozens of our year 9s, in their own time, to go to the Barwon Valley School and work with, play with and get to know the children there and their very special needs. From volunteering their time, we have now created a unit of study for the year 9s to elect into, to carry on this volunteering, because there were simply too many wanting to take part. THE three year 9 boys, who, one evening on the Anglesea beach early this year, rescued two elderly people from drowning before lifesavers could get there. They just threw themselves into it without a second thought. THE year 9 boy, who, after raising $2000 at school for building equipment, is in Botswana helping to construct an orphanage. THE countless other year 9s who stand up at assemblies to announce fundraisers for a huge range of causes and concerns.
All schools have these stories. They are a typical response and make us all proud.
Year 9s are remarkable and resilient young people on the verge of adulthood and greatness, negotiating their way through a tricky and often treacherous time.
They will overcome, survive and grow into wonderful young adults.
My hope is that by agreeing to this project, many positive outcomes will emerge from it for all young people and families, not the least of which is that no teenager need ever feel alone, and that support and guidance are always close at hand.