Parents help teenagers take their future forward

The day invited parents from across the county of Essex to get a better understanding of their teenager’s potential journey from school and college – towards either higher education or a degree apprenticeships – and their future beyond. Throughout the day, specially-focused workshops and seminars helped parents gain some useful knowledge and tools to support their teens. These included practical revision skills to stress management, and sessions on decision making to discussions about student money matters. The day also provided everyone with the chance to explore a university campus. Make Happen run regular events for parents to come along and find out more about university as an option, including clear facts about finance, student life, and preparing for studies.

What parents said on the day

“The first workshop was really useful because I didn’t realise about the student finance… it was really interesting, beneficial, an eye-opener…” “You hear about student finance and think about all the debt, but it’s nowhere near as bad as the media portrays it to be…”

“It has been really helpful. We keep having conversations at home, and our daughter has been happy to participate, but until now I just don’t think that we’ve had the answers and we don’t want to be overly-influential on the decisions she makes – so it’s about finding some middle ground…”

“I wanted to clue myself up about the options there are for further education and higher education, so I can relay that back to my son…”

“We didn’t know what the levels were, so the ‘transitioning into education’ session was really useful…” “The session on study skills was enlightening – I wish someone had taught me that!”

“The sessions on positive mindsets and how to manage exam stress were very interesting…”

“It’s about much more than just deciding whether or not to go to university…”

“It’s been really enjoyable, and I’ve found it quite good fun and interesting…”

“There was a lot of information we went over, but without it feeling too heavy…”

Make Happen organises regular events across the county of Essex that are open to parents, teenagers and teachers. All of them can help you get the right information to help you make the right choices about higher education.

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"“I think everyone should experience a day like this,” said one parent attending the Make Happen Future Forward event at the University of Essex Colchester Campus, during November 2019. "