Schools

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Is it July already? I suspect you’re making plans for the summer holidays (we’re almost booked up for our summer club in the glorious South Downs National Park, but there is a waiting list if your young person is interested). If you’re in Hastings and aged between 16 and 24, we’re running a 2-day Catalyst workshop exploring identity with the brilliant photographic artist, Lindsey Smith. You can see some examples of the amazing work so far from participants on The Catalyst project in our Catalyst Gallery. (The above image is from our recent graffiti workshop in Bexhill with Priority 1-54.)

Is vaping on the increase?

Whilst smoking seems to be less popular among today’s young people, anecdotal evidence says that vaping is on the increase. Some estimates say up to 15% of young people are vaping. 

If your teen wants help to quit vaping, we have some useful resources on our Help pages aimed at young people.

We’re behind calls for a ban on disposable vapes – never mind that their designs seem to appeal to children, but they’re almost impossible to recycle and are more likely to end up in the general waste (where they’re a hazard). In the UK, 1.3 million vapes are thrown away every week. 

School absence figures are stubbornly high

Increasing absences from school have hit the headlines with parents reporting feeling isolated. It’s estimated that 1 in 10 GCSE pupils in England are absent from school each day. It’s perhaps understandable that post-pandemic, children are still anxious about school and that parents working from home feel less pressure to encourage a sickly child to go in to school.

We’ve pulled together the best of the advice out there for our Help page on the topic. 

I read this heartfelt letter from a parent and the brilliant response from psychotherapist Philippa Perry in The Guardian. She says, “what seems to be happening in the UK educational system is that the individual pupil is seen as the whole problem rather than acknowledging that the school environment and unhelpful government policies around targets are a part of this, too”.

Raising Teens

Lastly, we’re about to embark on a brand-new series of our BBC radio show, Raising Teens – which will be our fifth series! We’ll be looking at issues around how young people access mental health and wellbeing services, what help is available for children with complex needs, eating disorders, and the journey to getting a diagnosis for ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

We’re looking for young people, parents, and professionals to talk to, so if you’re interested, please get in touch.  

You can listen to past episodes via this link. They cover everything from the teenage brain and anxiety to county lines, stress and resilience. They’re full of practical tips from some brilliant professionals, parents and teens.

Keep in touch!

That’s all for this issue. If you have any suggestions or news you think we should include in next month’s round up, please comment below or get in touch. 

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Make (Good) Trouble and Sussex University are thrilled to announce the award winning comic and audiobook Sci-Fi series, The Rez has been awarded a PSHE Quality Mark for their new teaching guide and school lesson plans for Key Stage 2.

Make (Good) Trouble worked with the PSHE Association, Sussex University and educators to develop the lesson plans which support teachers in delivering lessons on kindness as part of PSHE education. The guides are designed to create a safe and engaging learning environment in which to teach about kindness and communication

“Our research shows that unfortunately a significant proportion of children are frequently on the receiving end of bullying behaviours. Developing empathy and encouraging kindness can make a big difference when it comes to bullying, so resources that support teachers to bring this into their classroom this are extremely valuable.”  Martha Evans, Director of Anti-Bullying Alliance

The Rez was developed by UK Comic Book Laureate Hannah Berry and a team of writers and psychologists, including Robin Banerjee, Professor of Kindness and Head of Psychology at University of Sussex. 

This comic book contains pro-social and emotional well-being messaging about friendship and kindness, designed to help young people prepare to negotiate emotional difficulties and stresses.

The Rez’s heroes are played by Karl Queensborough, who played Hamilton in the West End show of the same name, and Emily Burnett, Children’s BAFTA award winner.

👉 Download the lesson plans here!

The Rez is produced in collaboration with: 

Make (Good) Trouble CIC
University of Sussex
PHSE Association
Arts Council England
University of Brighton
Hopscotch
Anti Bullying Alliance
Periscope
Millipedia

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As part of our programme of parent and carer get-togethers – our amazing beach walks – we spoke to psychotherapist Donna Peters-Lamb about teen mental health, wellbeing and tips for dealing with:

  • school stress
  • anxiety and exam stress – including how to speak to your teenager and the school about anxiety
  • the teenage brain – when teens seem like they just don’t care!
  • how to manage conversations around their mental health
  • breathing techniques for de-stressing
  • sleep and creating a better sleep routine
  • setting boundaries and expectations – around what we expect as parents, and what our teenagers expect
  • how to look after ourselves
  • and the benefits of having ‘worry time’.

It’s a fascinating discussion, so grab a cuppa and dive in!

This project has been supported by the Sussex Care Partnership, Brighton & Hove City Council

Brighton & Hove City Council logo

For further help & advice

If you need further help or advice, check our Help pages – they cover lots of different topics. (If we’ve missed something, let us know!)

Find out more about Donna at Make Sense Psychotherapy

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Anne Longfield’s final speech today as Children’s Commissioner for England put children front and centre and asked the government if it is “serious about ‘building back better’ and ‘levelling up’?” Anne had a lot to say about the need for better care for vulnerable young people whose problems have been exacerbated by Covid.

What really struck a chord with us was Anne’s point that “the system needs to help professionals develop relationships with children.” And whilst this might seem like a no-brainer, she also said, “I have been shocked to discover that many officials have never met any of the children they are responsible for.”

This point is fundamentally at the heart of Make (Good) Trouble’s ethos, which is to give young people a voice, and to give them agency in their own lives and their futures. Young people are co-creators on all our projects, giving them new and transferable skills in digital media production in the process.

Stats on England's left behind children from Anne Longfield's final speech
Stats on England’s left behind children, slide from Anne Longfield’s final speech
Anne Longfield’s final speech as Children’s Commissioner for England

During her six-year tenure as Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne has been a brilliant champion for children. She made time to connect with Make (Good) Trouble and was interviewed by our young reporter Lola, and later by a group of teens who answered Anne’s questions.

Lola interviews Anne Longfield

Anne’s focus has been to listen to the voices of young people, and particularly vulnerable children such as those in care or those in detention “in secure children’s homes, secure training centre, young offenders institutions, mental health wards and other residential placements, either for their own safety or the safety of others”. Her focus on building up good data on children has shone a light on those in poverty or at risk of being drawn into gangs and county lines. “Vulnerable children stay in the ‘its too difficult’ box”, she said, adding, “people in charge of the system, don’t understand the needs of children”.

Impacts of the pandemic on children: slide from Anne Longfield’s final speech
Liv, Jude, Lola and Gemma answer Anne Longfield’s questions

If you have time, we also recommend you listen to this podcast episode where Anne speaks to children involved with Football Beyond Borders – a fantastic organisation who help children who are struggling at school by using their passion for football to engage them and improve their life chances.

Find out more about the work of the Children’s Commissioner:

The Children’s Commissioner of England website
Follow Anne Longfield on Twitter
Follow The Children’s Commissioner on Twitter
Follow The Children’s Commissioner on Facebook
Subscribe to The Children’s Commissioner on YouTube