Katrina Lambert: Girlguiding provides a safe space away from life's '˜pressure cooker'

It's back to school time across Scotland. Unfortunately, for too many young people that means it's also back to the pressure!

Girl With Many Open Books At Desk In Classroom

One of the alternative names for “school’ could easily be “pressure cooker”. There’s the pressure of being good looking, the pressure of having a boyfriend or girlfriend, the pressure of hanging out with the right people, the pressure of being invited to parties, the pressure of achieving your Grade 6 Piano, the pressure of being in the netball team. All of this, on top of the massive pressure of getting those all-important exam results.

For those who left school a while ago, it can be easy to forget the impact this pressure can have but young people, and especially young women, are facing it day in and day out.

Research by Girlguiding shows the toll this is taking on girls and young women across the UK. Being a teenager is already socially difficult for many girls, especially since the heightened use of social media. However, there has been a rise in this expectation of girls to be “perfect” both academically and in other activities. Girlguiding’s 2016 Girls Attitude Survey shows that 70 per cent of girls aged 11-16 often feel stressed about school, college or work and a shocking 53 per cent feel like they are not good enough – possibly because they are not meeting their own unrealistic expectations or someone else’s.

These pressures aren’t just resulting in stressed-out teenagers – they are having a clear detrimental effect on their overall health and wellbeing. In 2015 researchers from St Andrew’s University found that Scottish 15 year-old girls are under the most pressure at school and experiencing health problems, such as headaches, anxiety and eating disorders, as a result.

Perhaps one of the most worrying findings of Girlguiding’s research is that rather than seeking help, girls don’t feel there is anything they can do about it and there’s nobody they can speak to – 33 per cent of girls aged 11-21 say they would not seek help about their wellbeing, because they think girls are just expected to cope.

But seeking support shouldn’t be another source of pressure for young people. They should be able to ask for help knowing that support systems are in place and that they will be listened to, rather than trying to cope by themselves.

It’s important that all young people have a positive support network both in school and beyond it. And it’s just as important that we remember that while exam results and academic successes are, of course, significant – these aren’t the only achievements worth celebrating in a young person’s life. This is one area where organisations like Girlguiding Scotland can make a real difference.

I’ve been part of Girlguiding Scotland since I joined as a Brownie age seven. Since then it’s been a space where I could try new things and discover new skills – without worrying about how well I was doing or how I compared to others. From working towards badges in first aid to going on my first international camp and trying adventurous activities such as kayaking and rock climbing, it’s given me the chance to see just how much I’m capable of.

As I’ve got older I’ve had the opportunity to speak on behalf of girls and young women across the country as a British Youth Council Delegate for Girlguiding, campaigning on issues ranging from mental health and body confidence to representation in the media. I also have the privilege of supporting other girls as a Young Leader with my local Rainbows unit so they have the same opportunities guiding has offered me.

Having a pressure-free space to unwind and be myself makes a real difference to me as I go through school – and it’s something that every young person should have access to.

In school and out, it’s important young people feel they have a space to be themselves, to try new things and build up their confidence, without the fear of failing or the pressure to be perfect. It’s time to recognise the importance and value of achieving without creating a suffocating, pressure-cooker environment where young people are less likely to discover their potential. We need all young people to know it’s okay to talk about the pressure they feel and challenge expectations that come from ourselves, from peers, from family, from teachers, from the media and more.

So as we head back to class for another year how about we turn down the pressure and give girls and young women the opportunity to show themselves and the world just what they’re capable of?

Katrina Lambert, 16, Girlguiding Scotland member and British Youth Council Delegate for Girlguiding