In the Mission Australia Youth Survey of 2022 young people reported their biggest personal challenges in the past year, what they found helpful in dealing with that challenge and what more could be done to help them address their challenge.
- 41.5% reported school challenges including: academic pressure, high workload, teachers, learning difficulties and general issues with schools.
- 41.8% of students reported barriers to achieving study or work goals.
Top 3 Barriers – mental health, academic ability, financial difficulty
From a student:
Inform parents about the stress around grades, teachers always say that marks
don’t matter but they do to our parents. Female, 17, VIC
Being a teen is challenging – they’re worried about exams and school work, decisions about what comes after school and probably most importantly (to them) the social side of school – friends, peer pressures, exclusion, bullying.
External factors also have an impact on school life – home life, financial hardship, relationships, identity, sexual orientation, extra curricular activities, social media use and cyber bullying, sleep hygiene and lifestyle habits, addiction issues – drugs and alcohol or gaming and gambling, general wellbeing including mental health and global issues such as climate change and war.
What can parents and carers do about it?
Maintain open lines of communication as much as possible. Refrain from overreacting or trivialising things that are important to the young person. Listen without judgement – use the active listening technique. Show affection but be mindful of their personal boundaries – it is normal for teens to want to pull away somewhat. Respect that they have a natural inclination to want more independence and privacy. Praise them, be light and fun as much as possible and minimise pressure and shaming. We know parenting teenagers can be difficult and most of us are time-poor these days. It is important to make time for ourselves for things we love too.
Rely on your extended network for support and seek out someone to talk to if you are struggling, whether it is a friend you can trust or a professional.
What Burdekin is doing about:
The children and young people who come to Burdekin have their own unique challenges when it comes to educational engagement for example: trauma, disadvantage, relationship problems, mental health issues, frequent moving to name a few. These unique challenges are the reason we developed the Burdekin Learning Space, where children and young people who for whatever reason are unable to engage in traditional education can receive support from a dedicated Education Specialist. You can read more about our Learning Space and how you can support it here.
We also offer a number of other programs including Family Services to assist when extra help is needed, the Dee Why Project and the Canada Bay Project, Burdekin is also the lead agency in the Avalon Youth Hub.
We are excited to hear about a new collaborative research project: Fostering school attendance for students in Out-of-Home Care and look forward to what outcomes it may bring for children and young people in out-of-home care.
When to worry about your teen:
If your teen starts acting out of character with extreme mood shifts, withdraws, becomes secretive or you note significant changes in eating habits or your teen begins to obsess over things, spends excessive amounts of time online, struggles with sleep, declines dramatically in academic performance – these are all signs that there might be a problem. Don’t wait, seek advice, it is better to seek advice and not really need it than to wait too long.
More reading:
Getting help:
There are many options, you can speak to somebody at your teens school, visit your primary care doctor and/or seek out professional help from community service providers. These include services such as ours. Our phone number: 02 8976 1777 or email burdekin.admin@burdekin.org.au.
Further resources can be found via the Hub, Lifeline, headspace, Kids Helpline Kids Help Line Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 and if life is in danger, please call 000. Local services are also listed on the Inner West Council website and Northern Beaches Council website.
