Relationship and sex

Many of you find friendships tricky and recognise that these can be both healthy and unhealthy, you feel sex is generally taught as a ‘bad thing’ not a pleasurable one, that love is varied – not just romantic and that marriage and babies are not for everyone.

Independent living

Some of you felt it wasn’t always clear how to get your landlord to do stuff and how things like deposits work. You told us that if you are studying in a different country, you need to think about how you will keep yourself safe, that it’s tricky knowing how to deal with issues that arise from living with others or feeling alone, and that it’s OK to call your parents or carers.

Physical and mental health

It’s apparent that many of you have strong feelings on health in all its forms. We hear that many of you feel the stigma attached to mental health, you acknowledge that some types of ill health are invisible and you understand the importance of looking after your bodies whether that’s visiting the doctor or building healthy self-care habits.

Social and political issues

A number of you told us that if you show your political stance, you get attacked online for it but you felt someone’s views shouldn’t get in the way of friendships and should be a chance to learn and talk, not argue. You said you don’t feel listened to or taken seriously and that you are often asked your opinions and then ignored. But you told us about practical stuff too, like understanding political lingo and learning how and who to vote for.

Drugs, alcohol and addictions

We found that lots of you have a lot to say that smashes those ‘young people myths’. You recognised that you can be addicted to anything, that it can be hard to recognise when you might be giving in to peer pressure around drug taking in its more subtle forms, that you’re no less fun if you don’t drink and that you are not sure how best to support friends or family with addiction issues.

Education and careers

Many of you feel that you get taught to pass exams, not to actually learn something, that there’s not enough info on the different options e.g., Internships vs Uni and felt that education is (and should be) beyond school and formal settings. When it came to careers you showed up, telling us that it’s good to remember you don’t have to do one job forever, that you can take your time to figure it all out.