Everyone's wondering what effect the break in education forced upon a generation due to pandemic lockdowns will look like in 10 years?
Will employers overlook those forever tarnished with the generalisation that they're all 12 months daft? I don't think so.
Born as we entered the credit crunch, the end of Labour rule and a new coalition government. To parents enduring endless financial insecurity and the realisation that the affordable home and comfortable pension, in exchange for 40 years of hard work and loyalty to a company (as promised to the baby boomers) is no longer the deal on the table.
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What will a generation of super tech-savvy homeschoolers look like? They won't be jumping up at 5am to work out before catching the train, that's for sure!
Millennials and Gen Zs are already revolting against burnout and overworking. Collectively rejecting performative workaholism known as 'hustle culture'. The suggestion that if you work twice as hard you'll be able to get by is no longer acceptable. Let's all acknowledge the importance of rest and rebut the commonly accepted presumption that we need a second job to be able to live a comfortable life or buy a house.
Everyone's working hard. But there is a difference between staying late at the office to score a promotion, and peeing in a bottle in an Amazon warehouse to keep your job. People are working hard and still not being able to stay afloat. So what's the point?
We should all be able to work eight hours a day in exchange for a roof over our head and food to eat. The fact that many people can't, means the problem was there long before the schools closed.
Do kids even dream of being professionals anymore? Teachers, doctors and lawyers have never worked harder for less money. Kids homeschooling at the dining table watching their professional parents being screamed at by clients through headsets, must have thought 'I know I don't want to do THAT when I grow up!'
But statistics suggest that the children of our city may be more likely to thrive amidst the hardships to come.
Liverpool has been riding waves of austerity since the managed decline of the Thatcher years. People around here are used to looking after themselves. And as a result, pre-pandemic Liverpool was already established as top of the list of the most entrepreneurial cities in the UK, outside of London, with an entrepreneurial percentage of 15.5% as stated in a publication by Instant Offices in 2015. A spike in startups grows exponentially with the economic downturn. When people struggling to find jobs are forced to create their own.
Despite the uncertainty over Brexit, the number of tech startups in the city were soaring and food delivery and street food startups outnumbered restaurants in 2019.
When the schools closed their doors and classes took place by Zoom, parents were told not to put too much pressure on education and to focus more on the wellbeing of children. The current talk of extending the school day to help pupils catch up amidst large numbers being sent home to isolate each week due to covid outbreaks, its too much pressure for children.
Our education system has been subject to ruthless austerity for 10 years pre-pandemic. Lockdown hasn't been the only catalyst that's stunted our children's education. The closure of Sure Start Centres, libraries, scrapping EMA and the defunding of practically every community and youth centre has taken its toll.
The school system is chronically underfunded and some may say outdated in the perspective that if you don't excel at English, maths and science, the school system simply isn't designed for you anyway. Despite showing promise in languages, humanities and the arts, you'll always be measured against those three 'important subjects' you just happen to struggle with. And pupils who go against the grain can easily feel unsupported or lost in the system.
The magic in school comes from the teachers. Everyone has one teacher they'll always remember. That one teacher who was kind, encouraged them and just made them feel seen. Shout out to Mr Heron at Lathom High School! The first person to ever make me feel capable of achieving anything. I certainly wouldn't have gone on to higher education if it wasn't for him.
If schools taught children how to file a tax return, improve their credit score, how to deal with debt and relationship breakdowns, how to cultivate ideas, conduct market research, set up a Community Interest Company and apply for funding - at least then the pupils who may not follow the traditional path to 'success' could emerge with something worthwhile.
If you have an academically gifted child, then extra lessons to catch up may be of benefit to you. Otherwise, it's up to the parents of the children struggling to invest in private tuition, music lessons and local sports teams, as they already do.
The pandemic has proved that so-called 'unskilled workers' are the backbone of our society and always have been!
But it's never been clearer that being fed the myth of being able to overcome challenges with hard work, rather than acknowledging systemic oppression doesn't work.
We live in a city that's proven time and again that carving your own way to success is not just an option, it's the only viable way. A city full of ideas, hard workers and opportunities. In a community where building people up and networking quite literally pays off.
In the last 10 years alone we've seen the thriving Baltic Triangle and Cains Brewery built from scratch by chance grabbing locals trying their hand at entrepreneurship. Great things can happen with council and community collaboration.
I envisage a generation that's radical and resourceful, with entrepreneurial grit. They'll refuse the pressures of expectation and be immune to discouragement. Making space for unadulterated joy at every opportunity. Instead of worrying about how bad it's going to be for them. We should be arming this generation with the tools to carve out a future that works for them, not against them. Encouraging them with conversations exploring the ideas they have about their futures and incredible opportunities that lie ahead.
They can do it and they will! Even better than us.
You can follow Sarah's Instagram account @mybrothersarah.
