Scouts reveal six ways to build a resilient younger generation
The majority of parents believe life is harder for young people today than 20 years ago (54%): that’s the finding of our new YouGov poll. With young people facing a non-stop barrage of social media, alarming global news, and increased school and careers pressure, we’re urgently calling for action to help equip a new generation with the skills they need to bounce back in the face of adversity.
It seems that 95% of parents who gave an opinion agree. In the same poll, they said they believe it’s important for their children to learn the skills to deal with the increasing pressures of everyday life i.e. to build resilience.
Demos, Britain’s leading cross-party think tank, has also identified the importance of putting greater emphasis on resilience for young people today. The report ‘Character Nation’ defines resilience as one of the main traits of a good character, and advises that development of this be embedded in formal (like schools) and non-formal (like Scouts) educational institutes.
As a practical response, Scouts is promoting six ways for young people to build their resilience. These can be used by all young people across the UK. While the ideas are based on our 112 years’ experience preparing young people for the future, every parent and guardian can use these simple techniques to help their own children build their resilience, even if they’re not a Scout.
- Have a go at something new (and be prepared to fail).
- Learn and pass on a skill.
- Spend a night away from home.
- Chat with someone different from you.
- Achieve something as part of a team.
- Learn to pick yourself up, start again and bounce back.