Esther Greenwood

Thinking Youth

We speak to 10 local youths and ask them what’s on their mind.

TAYLA ADAMS

Age 14 I think about life and I feel really grateful for lots of stuff , simple things like having a roof over my head, a family who are really nice to me, and I feel privileged to be able to do things like go down the sounds on the boat, dance class, sports. I do fear a lot of things but I make myself overcome them because my mum always told me that if you’re scared of something you’ve got to make yourself do it. I’m scared of the ocean but I’ve just learnt to wake board!

ASHLEE HICKMAN

Age 13 One thing that is always on my mind is... Thinking about my dream of owning a stati onery/accessories empire. I’ve made a start with a few products which I sell online... bath bombs, hair ti es, scrunchies... every dream has to start somewhere! Take a look - www. creati veashlee.com

ZOE MEAD

Age 16 I think most teenagers my age these days are mostly thinking about work and school, as well as the future. Having to fi nd a part ti me job to get things like a licence, fuel and a car. As well as spending a couple hours each night completi ng homework. Preparing myself and setti ng myself up with a good future is what I fi nd myself mostly thinking about. Also thinking about how lucky I am to have such amazing friends and boyfriend, seeing them everyday is what gets me through school day aft er day.

JESSICA WILLIAMS

Age 14 Something that is constantly on my mind is the pressure of society expectati ons. Everyone expects you to do something or be someone that you aren’t, which can hide who you truely are. You feel judged if you have a diff erent opinion or you don’t have a career pathway in mind. Life is about living and if we are chained to everyone else then we cannot live.

STELLA LANG

Age 15 I am always thinking about my future path through my educati on, being in year 10, I can start to choose the courses that can begin to shape my future. My future will include what I would love to do in my life and this includes my educati onal career path and also a zest for travel. I think about what will impact on our ability to travel in regards to the recent tragedies in Christchurch and also the importance of educati ng ourselves and becoming involved and knowledgeable in local and world politi cs so that we have the tools to impart change as a whole on a global scale, parti cularly in terms of climate change and our responsibility as future guardians of our communiti es, culture and society. There are so many complex matt ers that we need to be acutely aware of as a generati on. I believe this is our duty and responsibility.

IMOGEN BERGHAN

Age 13 I think about the future, most importantly what will it look like and what will happen to the environment in 20 years ti me. Will earth sti ll be green? I am keen to be part of the enviro group at my college which hopefully I can join in my senior years. As a cadet in the Junior Military airforce, I enjoy being apart of a group that is all about making a diff erence.

MORGAN MCALISTER

Age 15 For me it’s important that my friends and family are happy. I’m always thinking about them and wanti ng to make sure that my interacti ons with them are positi ve. I don’t want to feel like I’ve let anyone down if I’ve been selfi sh or allowed someone to feel bad.

PHEONIX ELTRINGHAN

Age 14 I’ve realised how important it is to surround yourself with good people and good friends. Not being peer pressured to be someone your not and not feel like you can’t be yourself. I do think about the people in my life and how they bring out the best in me. It’s important to make sure I have people in my life for the right reasons.

DUGALD BLUE

Age 17 I am in my fi rst year of a two year farm Cadetship in the Rakaia Gorge, so my future is constantly on my mind. What will I be doing when I fi nish my Cadetship? I also fi nd I think about home a lot, from both a work and roots perspecti ve.

BEN HULBURT

Age 18 The environment is a huge concern. We are almost at the point of no return and if we don’t fi x this then there really is no point debati ng other issues as there won’t be a world to worry about. The generati ons before need to help balance the damage that was done and not leave it for future generati ons.

Its Got To Change

BY NADINE HICKMAN

SUPPLIED

Late last year, while I was immersed in a nati onwide school fundraising project, I came across a capti vati ng video on Facebook of an American Inspirati onal Youth Speaker David Flood. It really struck a cord with me, and obviously others too, as the video had 48 million views. I could tell this man had a special way of connecti ng with teens to insti l values of kindness, dignity and respect. I messaged David and invited him to come and talk in NZ High Schools and he happily accepted. Now to raise the money! Since then the vision has widened, A LOT. Even though the fi rst planned impact is bringing David Flood to NZ, the big picture involves establishing a ‘Dream Team’ to create a high impact programme to be delivered in schools as part of the New Zealand Curriculum. Mental wellbeing must become a priority in educati on, on par with maths, english and science. What is the use of these kids knowing Pythagoras if they’re killing themselves! But the programme needs to be teen-focused, which requires developing it in collaborati on with teens. It should be so dynamic, engaging and uplift ing that it’s their favourite subject in the school day, not something they roll their eyes at and drag themselves along to moaning and groaning. It can’t be developed by an “expert” sitti ng in an offi ce completely out of touch with today’s teens. We need to get in there amongst teens to fi nd out - what is it that’s going to ring their bells? If this sounds idealisti c, it is. But why not strive for an ideal world, why would we want to sett le for anything less? It won’t be easy, but there’s a way to get through to these kids and it’s my mission to connect the people, the resources, and the dollars to fi nd it. I can’t get my head around NZ’s suicide stati sti cs, especially teen suicide. What worries me is the bigger picture because for every suicide there are thousands more who have either thought about or att empted to take their own life, or who are living with anxiety, depression, sadness on a daily basis.

“I’m determined to insti gate change and create a happier world for my kids and others to become teenagers in.”

Its Got To Change. These kids are our future leaders! We need them to be their most secure, happy selves. If this is achieved, there are so many other issues that will take care of themselves eg. bullying. No one who feels great about themselves is going to treat other people badly. The only reason for bringing another human being down is an att empt to raise yourself up. We (us adults) raised these kids, it’s up to us to fi x this, so they can successfully lead us into the future. I look at my happy, bubbly, excited-byeverything 7,9,11,and 13 year old kids and think how devastati ng it would be to watch them spiral down into depression, anxiety and suicide. I’m not prepared to rest on my laurels and hope that doesn’t happen to me and my family and neither should anyone else. This has gone beyond awareness, we’re all aware now, by doing nothing we’re actually making a conscious choice to bury our heads in the sand. We can’t conti nue to make small talk about “how terrible this is”, or debate the causes with the other mums at the school gate. The fact is teens today are living in a very challenging and oft en hosti le environment and factors like the internet and social media are not going anywhere. We must arm them with hard hitti ng tools to cope and thrive in 2020 and beyond. I have solid ideas about how this can happen, but it will take resources and a special team of people.

One Million Happy Thoughts. One Million Happy Thoughts is about kickstarti ng the momentum. It’s a way for a community who wants to help to connect directly with the problem. I’ve been working with local graphic design company Vanilla Hayes and seven talented NZ arti sts to design a series of happy thought cards. This year’s target is to sell one million of these happy thoughts, which will raise $1 million dollars. This amount of money won’t change the world, but it will kickstart the momentum of a very big vision. By the ti me you’re reading this these happy thoughts will be on the print press. I’d encourage everyone to take a look at www.onemillionhappythoughts.org.nz to fi nd out more about this project and engage your support. Also follow us on social media Facebook + Instagram @onemillionhappythoughts.

Licensed REAA 2008