YOUR teenage years are a time of discovery. Discovery of one’s self and where you belong. They also mark the beginning of a journey into the world.
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But are the pressures of school and adults impairing this time for youth?
From the ages of 12 to 18, high school students around the country are faced with extreme stress and pressure from school. These students are expected to do well in sport, have a part time job, get great grades, pursue hobbies, achieve a high ATAR, balance school, home and a social life.
Mission Australia’s 2015 National Youth Survey found one in 10 respondents indicated they saw family responsibilities and physical or mental health as barriers to achieving their study or work goals. This data is worrying, because your study or work goals shouldn’t be more important than your health or your family.
It also found the three main barriers to young Australians’ work/study goals were academic ability, financial difficulty, and lack of jobs. Students fear failure and unemployment if they do not succeed academically.
All this pressure is damaging students. It can cause mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety. It can lead to loss of relationships; young people may give up their hobbies or things they enjoy in favour of spending more time studying. Then there are more serious behavioural changes, such as engaging with drugs and alcohol to cope.
So, what support systems do students have available to them? They have school counsellors, helplines, teachers, family and friends. Never lose sight of the enormous support you have around you.
But at the same time, we believe this is not enough. We think Goulburn needs to set up study groups, mental health programs designed specifically for young people, invest in natural methods of de-stressing such as yoga and meditation and, lastly, encourage students to say ‘no’.
We want the message of the power of ‘no’ to be loud and clear. You are not weak; you are not a failure; and you are allowed to say ‘no’.
If Goulburn supports its students, there will definitely be a positive outcome for the community. These solutions will take Goulburn’s young people through to a more resilient adulthood and might decrease mental issues, alcoholism, drug abuse and even suicide rates in our community.
