What's Next? Let's Just Talk about the Future

Feeling anxious and worried is a natural response to exams and the bad news we regularly hear via the media, but there are things we can all do to look after ourselves and to prevent those feelings from becoming overwhelming:

• Mindfulness exercises (practical exercises from With Youth to help manage difficult thoughts and emotions)
• Five Ways to Wellbeing e-learning (quick e-learning from Just Talk based on research from around the world, which tells us there are five things we should do more often to boost our wellbeing and mood)
• Journalling (Just Talk's Journal for writing down your thoughts and feelings to help you express how you're feeling in a fun and easy way) 
• Help for coping with exam stress 
• Goal setting worksheet (take control of you future using With Youth’s Goals tool to help you to work out what’s most important to you).

There is lots of support (including one to one support) available from Services for Young People (SfYP) on a range of topics that can help you plan for the future. The team can help you with looking for jobs, apprenticeships, traineeships and further education, if you are not in education, employment or training.

SfYP also also run different projects to help improve young people’s health and emotional wellbeing, as well as groups for LGBT+ young people and those who are interested conservation and have environmental concerns.

Schools and colleges may also be interested in the team’s Traded services for schools and colleges which includes careers guidance and work experience.

HCC advertised volunteering opportunities:

www.servicesforyoungpeople.org/careers/volunteering/volunteering/ 

www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/volunteering 

You could also look at volunteering opportunities, as helping others can really boost your wellbeing, and you can also learn lots of new skills which will look great on your CV. There are opportunities to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the National Citizenship Scheme (NCS), or you could volunteer for a charitable organisation like the British Red Cross, or something more local to you.  If you’re interested in mental health and wellbeing, why not become a Just Talk Ambassador? 

Looking for a job?

Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP) (hopinto.co.uk) lists Hertfordshire jobs, apprenticeships and a host of other useful information.

Almost half of Hertfordshire young people regularly worry about the future (Hertfordshire Young People’s Health and Wellbeing Survey 2022).

Things can and do change: Here are some stories of how Hertfordshire young people have found ways to build a more positive future for themselves:

Millie’s Positive Story

Listen to Hertfordshire young person - Millie's story, as she shares her experience of how she has worked through her barriers and concerns about the future.

Services For Young People:

From a student at Hertfordshire & Essex High School, Bishop's Stortford, following a one-to-one careers guidance interview with a Senior Personal Adviser in the SfYP East Herts, Broxbourne and Welwyn Hatfield Team:

“I had my appointment today [and we] discussed pathways after a holistic consideration of my circumstances, and it couldn't have gone any better. I can't stress enough how helpful this meeting was, which is why I think it'd be helpful if more people took advantage of it. [The Adviser] has already gotten back to me with my careers action plan… how wonderful she was at taking into consideration all of what we discussed in the meeting; it's extremely thought out and has taken such a weight off my shoulders due to the reassurance, feedback on my previous plan and clear next steps of what I should be doing to inform my future decision. I am so grateful for the amount of support we get at this school!”

If you think you might benefit from some similar support this – contact: Services for Young People

For more case studies, and more information on Services that can support your future, visit: News (servicesforyoungpeople.org)

Youth Link – Watford FC, Community Sports & Education Trust:

“F is 15 years old and suffers with anxiety and depression.  F isn’t going to school and hasn’t been attending for a couple of months now. He was referred onto CAMHS by his GP as he had started to self-harm. Whilst waiting for this CAMHS appointment, his parent self-referred him onto Youth Link so his mental health doesn’t worsen.

F was not interested in participating in any regular sports such as football or basketball, but he was very much interested in trying out boxing. F was referred onto a boxing mentoring programme.

After 7mths with Youth Link and completing his boxing programme, F is working towards a L2 in coaching. F is also volunteering his time helping out at his local boxing sessions.”

For more information on Youth Link visit: Youth Link - Watford FC Community Sports & Education Trust (watfordfccsetrust.com)

Sporting Inspirations: The Borehamwood Friday Night Project (providing a variety of free sports activities for 11-19 year olds, to do something positive and fun on their Friday Evening)

“Before the Friday Night Project (FNP), some of us used to get bored and get up to mischief on Friday nights. We couldn’t afford to go out anywhere. Since we came along to the FNP, we have hardly ever missed a week. In fact, it’s the only thing a lot of us ever look forward to each week. It’s friendly and the staff are fun with good banter and mutual respect which is cool.”

What's on? (sportinginspirations.org)

Many people of all ages are experiencing worries about climate change. Feeling that you are making some kind of a positive difference can help with managing these worries. Whether you want to help our planet locally, nationally, globally or on an individual basis, take the first step by thinking about the guidance and suggestions at the links below:

Try the WWF Footprint Calculator to see how you could reduce your carbon and environmental footprint.

Consider the campaigns being run by WasteAware to see if you can incorporate some of them into your life to reduce your carbon impact.

Check out Greenpeace UK website to see what you can do to stop climate change

Learn more about WasteAware, the partnership of county, district and borough councils working together to reduce, reuse and recycle Hertfordshire's waste. 

The UN have developed a guide for universities that can be used elsewhere. The little book of green nudges to gives tips on how to influence others to be more sustainable.