Plymouth teenager urges parents to help their children maintain a healthy work/life balance

Seventeen-year-old Blaise, from Plymouth, is urging parents to speak to their teenagers about the importance of finding a healthy balance between studying and socialising, in order to better prepare them for their future in higher education or employment.

The call follows research from National Citizen Service (NCS), the country’s flagship youth empowerment programme, which reveals that over half (57%) of 15-17 year olds feel schoolwork must come before anything else if they want to do well in the future and only 39% of teens in this age group think being happy is more important than good grades.

The new study of 1,000 teenagers age 15-17 and 1,000 parents with children of the same age, as well as 100 senior business leaders, shows that just 16% of young people see trying to achieve a healthy balance between studying and socialising as a priority, yet only half believe they currently have that balance right.

As a new academic year starts and 15-17 year olds begin GCSE or AS/A level programmes, a further recent study[i] showed that when asked who they trust most in the world, 44% of 16-17 year olds said their mum. Despite this, 28% of parents feel anxious about tackling the new academic year and only 11% feel well prepared to support their teenager.

Blaise’s mother says: “Teenagers today are under so much pressure to do well in exams and this can have a negative effect on their emotional wellbeing and opportunities for personal development. That’s why something like NCS is an excellent way to teach them that, whilst their education is incredibly important, there’s more to life than exams. Although it was strange having Blaise out of the house, I knew it was the best thing for her and was the experience she deserved and needed to help prepare better for life after school.”

Blaise, age 17 from Plymouth adds: “Finding the right balance between school work, additional responsibilities and hanging out with my friends has been tough. During exams I go into study mode and that is all I focus on – it can get quite stressful at times. It also means that my social life and hobbies including diving and dancing completely take a back seat.”

She continues: “I was a little nervous about going on NCS as I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m now so glad I gave it a go and that my parents supported and encouraged me. The friends I met and team leaders that ran the programme really helped me see the importance of having a healthy balance in life and the brilliant activities also helped me to learn how to prioritise and build my confidence – all things I know will really help me in the future.”

To support parents in advising their teens on ways to stay happy, healthy and balanced during their critical exams years, NCS has worked with a number of business leaders, celebrities, experts and teens and parents themselves to create a free advice guide, which is available at http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/ncs-for-your-teen.

Places are currently available for 16-17 year olds to experience NCS – one unmissable week this autumn across England and Northern Ireland – and develop their teamwork, leadership and communications skills before they start applying for jobs or submitting their UCAS application.  To find out more information or sign up visit ncsyes.co.uk.