Student Blog: Caring for one another
On Tuesday, Amelie, one of our new Vice Captains for 2021/2022, spoke at the Principal’s Assembly about the importance of caring for friends and finding new ways to occupy ourselves.
Hi everyone and Happy Tuesday. I’m Amelie, one of your new Vice Captains, and I’m here to introduce myself and chat with you guys during another Zoom Assembly.
I have to admit, it will probably hurt my Leo ego a bit that I can’t see your reactions in the same way I could if I were making this speech at School, but I will try my best to carry on as I usually would.
The main reason I went for this role was you guys. Service is a big part of my life so giving back to you and taking care of your wellbeing to whatever capacity I can do in this role, is my biggest priority. So, I’m going to talk to you about just that and hopefully you will learn a bit more about me.
My friends all know I love a laugh and like writing a funny speech, but I want to be real for a second. The unfiltered truth is, that online school is really, really hard. And as a student, I wanted to take a second to acknowledge that.
Being someone who is interested in social justice and geopolitics, it can often feel like your own mental health is futile in these times. We are saturated 24-hours a day with everything going on in the world, and while it’s important to be aware, it doesn’t mean it should take a toll on our wellbeing.
Last week, it really caught up to me. In a tearful confession to my mum, I explained that I felt like I was already burning out from school two weeks in. Was drained by the COVID-news cycle, feeling overly emotional and more crushed than expected by the Year 11 Formal being postponed. Above all, I felt like I couldn’t talk to anyone about it… despite finding out later that a lot of my friends were experiencing the same thing.
While there are a lot of things out of our hands in the pandemic, I came to understand that we all have a part to play in taking care of ourselves. For me, a big step has been deleting TikTok and disconnecting from the internet a bit more. Social media is such a prominent communication platform in the age of lockdown and it’s a good way to connect when we can’t see each other. But it’s seriously important to set boundaries for ourselves.
I’m not one to get up at 5am and go on a 10k run, but there are little habits we can all pick up to make things a bit better. For me, I’ve started writing again, something I haven’t done for fun in years. I highly doubt I’m the long lost fourth Bronte sister, but it makes me really happy. This doesn’t fix everything per se. We’re still in a pandemic, but at least it keeps me from slowly turning into a vegetable in my bedroom.
Because yes, it is tough at the moment, but it’s not forever. If you are really struggling can I please encourage you to speak up, just to someone. It only takes a few seconds of courage and I promise you it can get better. If you see a friend who is having a rough time, reach out to them. There are still ways we can connect online and make the most of the term. Lockdown is lonely, but there are a myriad of people who are willing to help, if you look for them. To quote my not long-lost older sister, Charlotte Bronte, “Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness.” This is true even in a pandemic!
I’m looking forward to seeing you in person when we can, but in the meantime look out for one another and find moments of laughter where you can. Thank you.
Amelie (Year 11)
Vice Captain 2021/2022