This October, we are looking at climate anxiety, a little lad who loves berries and cream, Halloween and our word of the month!
ISSUES: Climate Anxiety
A study of 10,000 16-25 year olds has revealed their thoughts and beliefs around the future and climate, with 45% of them saying that climate-related anxiety is affecting their daily lives. The study included young people from 10 different countries, including the United Kingdom.
In fact, 51% of UK young people agreed with the statement ‘ humanity is doomed’ and 72% of our young people agreed that the future is frightening. When it comes to taking action where the planet is concerned, only 28% of British young people trust the government; which is interesting when much of the discourse around necessary action hinges on governmental input and initiation. It’s also interesting considering that COP26, the UN climate change conference is happening soon in Scotland.
Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/88npnp/fifty-six-percent-of-young-people-think-humanity-is-doomed?utm_source=VICE_Twitter&utm_medium=social+
(You might also find it interesting to read the following Tearfund & Youthscape research: https://wearetearfund.org/burning-down-the-house/ )
TRENDS/DIGITAL WORLD: Berries and Cream!
Perhaps the words ‘I’m a little lad who loves berries and cream!’ are familiar to you…or maybe they’re as strange to you as this trend! A fun, light-hearted and silly trend has emerged on TikTok in the form of short song about berries and cream performed by a character called ‘little lad’ that originated in a 2007 starburst ad.
Tiktok has reprised it from the ashes, with (at the time of writing) over 1.2 billion views under #berriesandcream and videos include song mash-ups, people replicating the ‘little lad’ dance or showing off how their outfits or hair look like him! We encourage you to go check out the trend or to search for the ‘little lad dance’ on Youtube!
HOT TOPIC: Halloween
As October rolls around again, so does Halloween. The shops are stacked with sweets, theme parks have special nights and fancy-dress suggestions are shared on social media. For many young people in our communities, Halloween is a time of childhood memories of trick or treating and a time to spook themselves and their friends out with pranks and horror films.
This ever-divisive holiday has gained traction over the years and is certainly a part of young people’s conversations and worlds, racking up over 41 billion views on Halloween related videos on TikTok. But perhaps what it signals most is the desire and intrigue behind the unanswerable and mysterious parts of life, along with its big questions.
In 2020, Youth for Christ’s Z-A research showed that 51% of young people believe in some form of supernatural being or power with a further 17% saying they didn’t know if they did. And, when asked directly if they’d be interested in knowing more about God and spirituality, 36% said that they would. Whilst trying to navigate guiding young people through Halloween and how to handle it, it may provide some good opportunities for some deep and meaningful conversations.
Word of the Month:
‘ghost’ (verb) – ghosting, ghost, ghosted
To cut ties or communication with someone – often in reference to dating. This can look like not replying to messages, answering FaceTime calls etc. And is usually done to give the hint that they’re not interested anymore.
‘We were messaging loads and I thought he liked me back but then he ghosted me.’
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