Teenagers take on stress and pressure in latest youth council campaign

Young people in Peterborough say stress and pressure are among the biggest challenges they face.

The city’s youth council, made up of around 40 11 to 19-year olds, has voted to take on the issue for their latest campaign.

The council is currently running a survey on the causes of stress among teenagers to help come up with solutions to tackle it.

“We’re trying to hear from the youth of Peterborough how stress is impacting them,” youth council chair Aryan Nahata explained. “We specifically want to know where it’s coming from, whether that be from school, from friends, from family or from their religion.

“So far, 350 people have responded to the survey and we’re aiming to get as many responses as possible to get everyone’s view on it,” he added.

The youth council will then analyse the data, hold workshops with young people and come up with a plan of action, Aryan says.

“If we’re finding out that the source of stress is coming from a main thing, like school for example, we’ll try to approach schools to see if we can do something about it to reduce stress levels faced by young people,” he said.

Aryan, a year 10 pupil at Bourne Grammar School, says that homework and exams can be stressful for young people.

“As you transition from year seven to year 13, the pressure slowly builds up,” he said.

But there are also other issues facing youngsters in Peterborough.

“There’s stigma around young people hanging out with their friends that needs to be tackled,” he said. “When you see a group of young people standing outside a shop talking you’d assume they’re up to something which they’re not.

“Young people are afraid to go out and hang out with their friends because they feel other people will judge them.”

Aryan, who wants to be an MP one day, has been involved with the youth council for two years and says more opportunities for young people is one of the main changes he’d like to see in Peterborough.

“A common issue I’ve heard from young people in the city is that the access to apprenticeships and work experience is quite hard,” he said.

As such, he’s suggested creating a centralised website where local businesses can advertise opportunities.

Peterborough’s youth council meets twice a month at Sand Martin House in Fletton Quays.

Their survey on stress and pressure is open to 11 to 19-year-olds in Peterborough.

One participant will win a £50 voucher.