Updates
BBC Mind Set confirms need for exam support as Hope launches new online space!
April 11, 2017
Earlier this month we launched a brand new online group to support year 10’s and 11’s through their GCSEs when a close family member has a life-threatening illness. We were thrilled to see that the BBC have recognised the importance of this type of support and have since announced their own peer-to-peer coaching network called The Mind Set.
GCSEs, BTECs, A Levels or whatever you are having to face in the next few months can fill you with absolute and total dread. They are suddenly all over the news and social media, immediately unsettling you, increasing that awful sinking feeling in your gut and fuelling those nasty negative thoughts and beliefs; “I’m not good enough, I’m going to fail, everyone else is doing well but I just can’t do it!”. These just keep going round and round in a vicious cycle like a constant washing machine of negativity, self-doubt with an added splurge of no self-confidence.
When you have a seriously ill family member suffering at home this can make this cycle a whole lot worse, increasing your fears and worries about all the uncertainty that lies heavily over your family and your future. Keeping focus in school lessons and then keeping up with your workload and revision can add heavily, increase anxiety with no space for any peace of mind.
heavily over your family and your future. Keeping focus in school lessons and then keeping up with your workload and revision can add heavily, increase anxiety with no space for any peace of mind. This all might seem totally and utterly hopeless and lead you to think that you might as well throw the towel in right now and give up.
Know all is not lost; there is help out there. Reach out and talk about how you feel and find people to hear you and listen to your story and who can share their experiences of how they manage and cope at this often overwhelming time.
Yesterday the BBC launched its new Bitesize Highlights Smart Revision Advice on BBC Breakfast where young people from various backgrounds and academic abilities share their stories and talk about what helped them get through their exams and revision.
Sinead Rocks, Head of BBC Learning said:
“The Mind Set puts students who have experienced the challenges faced in one of the most stressful periods of a young person’s life at the forefront, by sharing their stories with those who are about to travel the same path. We want this campaign to change perceptions of how students approach and deal with the stress of exam periods by highlighting the tips, advice and support networks available to them.”
At Hope Support we are not sitting around and leaving you to flounder on your own. We have just launched our private, online peer support groups, supporting young people going through a family health crisis in years 10 and 11 and also for college students. If you think this is something that would be helpful for you please send us a message. We know and understand how important this time is for you with so much expectation and pressure to succeed and to do your absolute best while juggling your priorities of caring and worrying about your family member’s illness and life around their treatment.
For those of you about to embark upon the dreaded exam period, good luck and remember you CAN do this!!
