We are not in Kansas anymore

We are not in Kansas anymore........

This summer is a very poignant and personal one for me. I have a 16 year old stepdaughter currently in that strange twilight zone of having left school, awaiting GCSE exam results and then waiting to start A-Levels at 6th Form in September.

When I was her age, in that very same twilight zone, I lost both of my parents. In fact I got my GCSE results on the day of the funeral - imagine that, not being able to share your success with the 2 people who nagged you relentlessly to revise and study, and who would have been the proudest of all. It was the most difficult & conflicting of days. And so as my step-daughter goes through these coming of age stages this year, I am deeply reminded of my 16th year and the very different world it was back then compared with now.

That famous quote 'We are not in Kansas any more' keeps coming to my mind. In my 16th year, GCSE's were still fairly new and were actually valued as an achievement. Not so valued these days it seems, as we await the usual dismissal and bashing of another year of outstanding exam results -due to start in about a months time.....

I keep thinking about what it must be like to be a young person today...And the messages that get put out there by the media, our leaders and our government. If they make it to University they will carry a huge financial debt in to life afterwards. They are facing the toughest challenges ever known to find employment. The benefits system is under reform; the impact on young people likely to be significant; especially for young people from very challenging backgrounds. Young people were blamed and punished harshly for the summer riots. They are often portrayed as unemployable, surly and mostly undeserving.

I really want us to stop playing headlines with young people and let's get on with that honest debate on how to improve things....no spin, no agenda. Let's get the right people round the table and work it out. Let's not use our young people as a handy diversion from the tough decisions of government.

....back to Kansas. It wasn't perfect for most young people back in my 16th year but it seems so much harder and harsher now.

What got me through my 16th year and quite a few years afterwards was 2 people who stepped up to welcome me in to their family. And they totally believed in me; encouraged me to believe I could do something with my life. They told me I had talent and a contribution to make to the world. And it took a while for the message to sink in, but it mattered and it worked.

Isn't that the message we want to give to today's young people? A message that matters and works. One that's laden with positivity, building on talents and aspirations.

So we will be celebrating Lilly's GCSE results with gusto this August - and all the other achievements of her years ahead. Because celebrating young people matters and because Lilly has something to give to the world.

In 1991 - my 16th year - Madonna was touring and I got to see her perform at Wembley Stadium for my first ever concert. Coincidentally, in a few days time I will be dancing at a Madonna concert again (even got my retro Madge t-shirt ready), which probably proves that despite the years, you always carry a little bit of Kansas with you........