Supporting pupil resilience against global challenges

Young people’s anxieties about the future are not always included in discussions around global challenges. Researchers argue that there is an essential need to discuss anticipatory emotions such as hope and a sense of understanding to help them manage these anxieties.

The climate crisis and eco-anxiety

The climate crisis has significant implications for the health and futures of children and young people, yet they have little power to limit its harm, making them vulnerable to eco-anxiety.

Building on body and mind synergies between well-being and sustainability education practices, teachers can support pupils in managing eco-anxiety by helping them to:

• alleviate/prevent anxiety symptoms;
• develop emotional and mental health skills;
• maintain a sense of meaning using hope;
• participate in individual/collective action;
• build peer support/community;
• develop/maintain a strong connection with nature.

Uncertainty about the impact of AI and digital transformation

Artificial intelligence (AI) can also be a source of uncertainty and anxiety for young people, who face questions about its influence on their education (some feeling it defeats the purpose of education altogether), its impact on society, and the increasing uncertainty in their career prospects.

Educational researchers must also carefully consider the impact of AI on cognition and the developing brain, since these technologies may have fundamental consequences, especially during critical periods of brain development.

The European Commission’s AI Act will establish a radical overhaul of digital regulation, centring children’s rights in its project to design a digital world that is safe for all.

Combatting pandemic-era fears and viral disinformation

The European Commission’s new educational comic The Amazing Adventures of Syrgo and BC helps combat disinformation and anxiety about viruses and vaccination in schools. The comic takes children on a real-life adventure to learn about microbes and vaccines, the way they work, and how they save lives.