Supporting your teenagers to get through – and plan beyond – Covid-19
The three new R’s: Routine, Refocus, Resilience
As adults, we have all experienced tough times in our lives that have helped us grow as human beings. In those times, connecting with others, sharing our experiences, and getting professional support have guided our actions and helped us reach the ‘other side’, stronger and more resilient.
For our young people, our next generation, to be experiencing lockdown, worldwide devastation, and a completely uncertain future, brings unprecedented challenges and new levels of anxiety. Our young people are being forced to think about issues – both local and global – that they have never faced before, at a time when the people who they depend on for support, their parents and caregivers, may not be in a position to give them any reassurances. What young people are feeling, thinking and worrying about is real.
We have worked with many with young adults and teenagers over the years, and while none have faced a global pandemic, they have certainly had their share of life challenges and stresses. Our advice now, as it has always been, is that they focus on their wellbeing first and foremost. A young people’s welfare is the most important factor in allowing them to confidently navigate their education and career plans in the post lockdown period. It is impossible for them to plan or dream about future careers when they can’t even see how they’ll get through the next assignment or assessment.
Adhering to a daily routine can be helpful for everyone’s wellbeing and this is particularly the case for young people. Pre-lockdown, their daily lives were regulated by alarms, bus timetables, school bells and due dates, and for many, they relied on days peppered with social interactions to energise and connect them to the world around them. Without routines and interactions, it’s easy for young people to feel disorientated and disconnected, which leads to feelings of fear and isolation. In lockdown, the best way to lessen these feelings of anxiety is to create a daily routine, involving ongoing learning, regular breaks to do things they enjoy and connecting with friends and loved ones.
Your sons and daughters will also be pondering the future of their education as they try to keep up with their study during lockdown, but how can school leavers plan their future when they don’t know what the world will look like in six or 12 months? Has their original plan been affected by Covid-19? Do they have a plan B to future proof their educational and training plans? Is their chosen career pathway going to be in line with the skillset required for the rebuild of New Zealand’s economy?
This is when seeking professional career support is crucial. At New Focus NZ, working through challenging situations with teenagers and young adults is what we do. We can work alongside your son or daughter to ensure that they have all the information they need to make informed, confident study and career decisions that are right for them and flexible enough to fit into the demands of tomorrow’s economy. Whether they are better suited to an apprenticeship, a university pathway, a training course or employment, we will work alongside them and give them the confidence to plan their future.
In these uncertain times, planning for the future is a positive, exciting and achievable experience that will give young people a sense of control in these uncertain times. By supporting your young people with a routine through lockdown, and expert guidance to refocus their future plans, they will have the resilience to succeed in tomorrow’s new world.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help your school leaver.
