I recieved an e-mail from Xtaster, a band promoting company I do some work for, asking me to complete a short survey. I sometimes do these to up my status to get to bigger gigs =] but this one really got me thinking...

Here's what it said...

A quarter of young people say they are often down or depressed, according to a report by The Prince's Trust.


Based on interviews with 16 to 25-year-olds, the trust said the survey revealed an "increasingly vulnerable generation" without family support.


More than one in 10 young people in Wales claimed life was "meaningless", with many feeling stressed.


The Action for Children charity said children had to be given a say in issues that shaped their lives.


More than 2,000 young people across Britain were interviewed online for the report, including a sample from Wales.


The Prince's Trust Cymru director Michael Mercieca said: "The index reveals an increasingly vulnerable generation. Young people tell us that family is key to their happiness, yet too often we find they don't have this crucial support."


Billy-Joe Millward, 20, from Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan, was bullied at school and her parents split up when she was 14.


She suffered from depression after leaving school when she was unable to get a job.


"I ended up getting into a bad sleeping pattern, sleeping in the day and staying awake all night because I was depressed," she said.


"I wasn't really eating much, I wasn't drinking anything practically. I would either just sit there in my room for nine hours straight and then go to sleep or just continuously sleep.


"I never really did anything. I never watched films, TV, nothing. It's quite difficult going through all that, it seems like there's nothing out there for you - there's no help, there's no nothing."


Ms Millward managed to turn her life around by taking part in a 12-week team programme run by The Prince's Trust.


She won an award for her efforts, became a volunteer and was later employed by the trust to help deliver the course to others.


"Up until that point, I had very little self belief, was severely depressed and didn't think I was good enough for anything - a result of the years of bullying that I had suffered," she said.


She has since left the trust but hopes to go to university later this year to study child psychology and eventually help other young people.


"Now, I'm in my own flat, I've got a car, a full-time job. Even if somebody told me this time last year I was going to be here, I wouldn't have believed them," she said.


"I can't believe where I am."


Peter Kellner of YouGov, which carried out the research on behalf of the trust, said: "Most young people have a positive outlook on life, but our youth index reveals a significant core of unhappy people under age 25.


"Their concerns need to be addressed, and not only for the sake of the youngsters themselves, for if we ignore their concerns, we shall be storing up big problems for the future."


The Action for Children charity's head of public policy, Ross Hendry, said: "These issues affect children across the UK. Our own research shows that young people often feel confused, frustrated and misrepresented when they are not empowered to play a positive part in society.


"Children must be given the chance to speak out, be heard and participate in setting the political agenda about issues affecting their lives, if we are to build stronger, safer and more inclusive communities."


The Prince's Trust was set up by Prince Charles in 1976 to help young people develop skills and move into work, education or training.

Survey Results:

· 12% of young people in Wales claim life is meaningless

· 26% say they are often, or always, down or depressed

· 39% say they are less happy now than they were as a child

· 21% feel like crying often or always

· 44% say they are regularly stressed

· Those not in work, training or education are twice as likely to feel their life has little or no purpose

· Across the UK, young people feel relationships with family (56%) are key to overall happiness



Friends (52%), emotional health (29%), money (16%) and work (14%) are also important


What do you think?

Is life really that bad for young people these days?

---

I want asked to leave some feedback on this article.

The statisitics amazed me to be honest but at the same time they didn't. It got me thinking.

Sex. Drugs. Image. Alcohol. Must Have.

These are a few of the things that I, as a young person myself, is bombarded with every single day. It’s not good for the head.

With all these things bombarding me, I find myself asking myself these questions..

1. Billy, why are you so fat? You need to lose weight because girls won’t like you the way you are.
Billy, you cannot wear those jeans! People will laugh at you.
Billy, take one more drink. You might be tipsy but nobody will know.
Billy, you need to get a mac, everyone has one!

My head goes into an absolute pickle. I can’t be happy the way I am. I need this to be happy. I need to be this way to be happy.

I know that this is wrong...

Philippians 4 verse 4 says...

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”

I love this verse. It’s one of my favourite verses in the Bible.

It really speaks to me about this whole topic of “Is Life Meaningless?”

Joy. What is joy?

To me, joy is contentment. Being content. If you’re joyful, you are content.



People expect you to be the best you can be. People sometimes need you to be the best you can be.

Look like this.
Speak like that.
Be like him.
Go with girls like her.
Buy this.
Buy that.
Get rid of that uncool thing.

The list is endless.

What do I do to these things thrown at me? I try to become it. I fix my hair a certain way. I speak a certain way to look “cool.” I try to be like a certain celebrity or person to fit into a group. I go for the stunners in the clubs. I go out to buy iphones, macs, or whatever latest gadget is on the market. I get rid of my favourite Primark jacket because everyone is wearing a Superdry jacket.

It’s so hard not to fall into the pit of want, want, want. For a young person nowadays, you have to be the best, look the best, have the best.. if you don’t, you’re uncool and the pressure on you to be “cool” is so difficult.

What this world needs is contentment.

Content to being yourself. Content to know that no matter what, even if I look a certain way, don’t have certain things, that you can be happy. Being joyful in what you have.
I think contentment is the start of happiness. Real happiness.

If only the world could do this, but I know, it’s easier said than done...