[Lifestyle] The post-high school hole: how to help school leavers in a time of transition

[Dr_-_PiKaChU]

 

ne of the most significant life transitions for our children is finishing high school forever. There is no question that many students feel hugely excited to have finished school and are buoyed up by never having to attend again.

However for many students – especially those who don’t have a plan or who feel burnt out by years of study – it’s in these months after the summer holidays that reality sets in and some fall into what I call the “post-high school hole”.

 

Today’s children and teens appear to be less resilient and capable of dealing with setbacks and disappointments than previous generations due to a complex set of contributing factors. Many lack confidence and the attributes that enable success – persistence, organisation skills, self-regulation, verbal communication skills, goal-setting strategies and the hunger to strive for excellence despite disappointment.

The digital world, while having many positives, has contributed to a big increase in the entertainment sphere of our teens’ lives in particular. Whether it be never-ending social media updates, TikTok videos, selfies with an assortment of filters, sexting or gaming, today’s young people seem to spend less time in the real world developing the capacities to be competent, capable, resilient human beings.

Sadly, in 2020, marinating in the 24/7 news cycle might have further added to our young people’s sense of powerlessness, disillusionment and despair.

 

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Last year not only had a global pandemic, we saw racial tension and riots, natural disasters, a plethora of fake news and online nastiness, economic turmoil, joblessness, and a huge rise in the number of young people seeking mental health support and extra strain on frontline suicide prevention services.

We must prioritise the wellbeing of our highly impressionable, emotionally vulnerable school leavers. For 2020’s graduates, the post-high school hole risks being a whole lot deeper.

What’s worrying our young people

In a 2019 survey of 12-18-year-old boys for my book From Boys to Men, I noticed significant concern about the future. Many boys expressed serious worries about climate change, political unrest, increasing violence, an inability to buy their own home and increased mental health challenges – and that was pre-Covid-19.

I am sure teen girls share the same concerns and we know statistically many of them are struggling with much higher levels of self-harm, chronic anxiety and stress.

 

 

In the latest Mission Australia annual survey of more than 25,800 young people aged 15-19, young people nominated as their the top three personal concerns coping with stress, mental health and body image.