Friday Thoughts with Lucy

Work, people, change and whatever else has caught my attention this week.

The “Snowflake Generation”, Resilience and Going Out-Out"

I'm writing this from a train to Bristol, where I'm heading to talk about a new project that brings together so many of the things I care about: SEND, young people who aren't in education or employment, the role of families and carers, and what actually helps young people find their way into work. And it's got me thinking about young people again.

A couple of weeks ago I was on the radio talking about the idea of the "snowflake generation" and why I really don't recognise that description in so many of the young adults I meet.

In fact, I'm seeing quite the opposite.

On a personal note, my daughter started university recently, for the second time. Those of you that have followed our journey will know this has been a year of transition and challenges. We've spent months preparing for that transition and, this weekend, she's coming home for the weekend.

To see me? Well, sort of. She's coming home to "get her roots done." Apparently this is the Mum role I have now transitioned into. And actually, I'm rather pleased about it.

Meanwhile, my son has started his journey as an on-call firefighter in development. When that pager goes off, he has five minutes to get to the station. Watching him suddenly drop everything and launch himself onto his bike, he turns into Sir Chris Hoy racing down the hill, up to 4 times a day and throughout the night. There is absolutely nothing snowflake about it.

And I see the same thing in so many of the young adults we work with at Inclusive Change.

I see people navigating systems that aren't particularly easy to navigate. People trying again when the first attempt hasn't worked. People managing anxiety, uncertainty, disability or neurodivergence while also trying to work out all the usual stuff that comes with becoming an adult.

I see resilience. I see tenacity. And I also see families doing an enormous amount of work in the background.

That's one of the things I'm particularly interested in exploring in Bristol today. We talk a lot about getting young people into employment, but perhaps not enough about everything that needs to happen around them to make employment possible - including the role families and carers often play.

Getting the job isn't necessarily the hard bit.

Finding the right opportunity, getting there, navigating recruitment, understanding workplace expectations, managing change, building confidence, knowing when to step in and when to step back, and having an employer who understands that everyone's route into work isn't identical.

There is much more I want to say about this, but I'll save that until after today's work.

Meanwhile, apparently we're going out-out in Devon...

Most of this week at Inclusive Change and DECID:R has actually been spent preparing for Riviera Connect Expo next week.

It will be the first time I've really had the opportunity to be out and loud about DECID:R and Lucy here in Devon, which feels quite exciting.

What I hadn't quite appreciated was how many hours of your life can disappear while designing leaflets, postcards and exhibition banners. Do not ask me how many versions of one banner I have downloaded, looked at, changed my mind about and thrown into the recycle bin.

For all my enthusiasm about AI, I can confirm that AI and design still have some work to do. And PowerPoint slides, I cannot cope with AI fully creating my slide decks yet. Although I would dearly love to as it takes up way too much time.

If you're going to Riviera Connect come and say hello. I'll be talking about generational diversity and talent development which, given everything I've just written above, feels particularly appropriate.

Have a good weekend,

Lucy