2. Writing is not something only privileged people can do. Don’t just do it in secret, show the world your passion;
3. Celebrate that love of Maths. Don’t be ashamed of it, it is not as uncool as you think;
4. Don’t stop learning French. It will be something you will want to have later in life. Oh, and pick up another language for me, will you?
One more thing. I know that typewriter of Mum’s you are using jams keys whenever you type quickly. Do not worry: by the time you are writing for your living, there will be a thing called a personal computer that will have you typing as quickly as you think!!!
Love,
Suzie
Tom Bell works at the Reach Foundation and also within the media industry as a producer at Fox FM. He has worked on-air and off-air, always spreading the word about the positive impact the Reach Foundation had on him as a teenager.
Dear teenage Tom,
Doin’ it tough right now, mate … I tell you what, though, it only gets better and better from here, my man. Without giving away too much, if you look around at the group of people surrounding you now, just know that they’re great but they aren’t there in the future. You fall into a world that you already know exists but haven’t found it yet …
I know you always see the best in people. That’s something that makes you different, something that makes you strong and unique. Hold on to it, even when you think people are shit, always go and look for the best in them.
You’ve got some epic shit about to happen. You know how you tell Cam every weekend that you’re going to make out with Jas!?!? Well, it doesn’t happen right away but by year 10 Jas is your girlfriend! Yeah, boy, you date the biggest babe in the year level! You have a really beautiful relationship for a few years and then it comes to an end, it hurts to end, but it’s 100% for the best.
Year 10 is a big one, dude, you end up working for a youth-led organisation called Reach – I know it sounds lame as all hell but trust me, this joint changes you and helps you find that world that you always knew was out there. You’ll travel Australia with your best mates running workshops in high schools all over the country. Then you also run workshops in some of the biggest corporate firms in the country, and you do it all in your own style.
After school you decide to follow a life-long mate Marky over to the States to work at summer camp in Minnesota – look up Minnesota, it’s beautiful. Dude, this is the best thing ever. You party hard, like really hard, but you also fall in love with America and do crazy cool road trips. You’ll end up working six months in Australia and six months in the States for a few years. You’ll make friends at camp from all over the world and they will remain an integral part of your life.
At 24 you will buy an apartment with a babe named Lucy, she’s amazing! You will fall crazy in love but it won’t last. You will teach each other so much, and coming out of this relationship you’ll step into being a man – the heartbreak teaches you some huge life lessons.
As this relationship falls apart you start a new adventure in life. Remember when you told your dad you wanted to be on the radio? And he told you that you never could because you mumble all the time …? Well, you host a breakfast radio show in Western Australia and it is so epic, it’s a job that you love to pieces. The only issue is that it’s in WA. In the end, that factor alone drives you to leave and move back to Melbourne. You make the decision to be with friends and family in Melbourne as you struggle in WA with the racist, sexist and homophobic crew.
Okay, so get ready for this, though. You know the babe in the year above you right now, named Jennah? The hottie you and Andy talk about! Well, you don’t talk to her once throughout all of high school. At 19 you date for like two years, though, then split up. Now, after seven years off, you two are back together, wildly in love and living together! She makes you feel like a hero every day. You worship each other and see such beauty in one another. Your family loves her and hers loves you. You have an amazing thing going on.
Oh, brother, there is so much I can tell you that you do. So much travel, making docos, being a best man, throwing great parties, creating greatness, but the best thing you do is see the best in people. Always continue to see the best in people!
Love you, mate,
Tom
Trisha Squires is the current CEO of the Reach Foundation. Prior to joining Reach in September 2015, Trisha was CEO of St Kilda Youth Service (SKYS), an organisation offering specialised education, youth engagement, housing and social service programs to young people. In 2005, Trisha established the Broadbridge Fund Education Centre on Phi Phi Island, which assists young people affected by the 2004 tsunami.
When I reflect on myself at 13, I remember being concerned about what I was good at.
I loved sport but besides swimming I wasn’t good enough to feel like I would have a career as an athlete. At school I enjoyed home economics (which I find funny now as I can’t cook), PE, health and English. I had no idea what I was going to do at university or if I would even go to university. I was in the ‘popular group’ at school, but it was very volatile, as I remember there were weeks where I was the chosen one to be rejected and bullied. I would like to say that I realised that they were not real friends – but every time I was accepted again I would go straight back. I felt conflicted within the group as I knew there were things that people did that I didn’t agree with or I would feel uncomfortable about but I still went along with it most of the time.
If I could give my 13-year-old self advice, I would say not to worry about the future and what career I would have. I would just concentrate on what I enjoyed doing and try new things even if I failed. Don’t give up too easily. Don’t let fear hold me back. In year 8 I remember signing up for the student representative council (which was considered social suicide) but I enjoyed the leadership and decision-making. I wish I had made more decisions like that. I would tell myself not to go back to friends who had betrayed me, and know that I am worthy of friendships – and that they will come. I would listen to how I feel inside instead of worrying what everyone else thought. Your intuition is almost always right, your gut feelings will help you make decisions throughout your whole life and you just have to trust it. Be OK with saying no to people. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
I would be more consistent – as inconsistency influences relationships but most importantly your self-worth and anxiety. This is something I have learnt in my adult life – as when I say I will do something to be somewhere, I follow through. If I know there is doubt that I will, I don’t commit to it.
Now that I am a mother I would say, ‘Always listen to your mum’s advice.’
Don’t take your health and wellbeing for granted, pay attention to your body as this will help you later in life.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks so much to all who helped me put this book together and to all the contributors. Special thanks to my dad, Martin, and to my publisher, Affirm Press. And huge thanks to the Reach Foundation.
Melbourne teenager Grace Halphen had a tough time transitioning to high school – she struggled to make friends and fit in. When she realised that this is a common experience, she wondered why she’d felt so alone. At thirteen, Grace embarked on a project to contact all the Australian public figures she admires, asking them to provide advice to help teenagers navigate the inevitable ups and downs of adolescence.
In Letter to My Teenage Self, more than 50 prominent Australians write heartfelt letters to their younger selves, passing on the wisdom they wish they’d had at the time. From learning to laugh at yourself (Adam Gilchrist), realising that the qualities that make you stand out are the ones that make you so rad (Missy Higgins), not letting the negatives shape who you become (Guy Sebastian), practising gratitude (Nathan Buckley), and the reassurance that you’ll get over anger about people treating you badly because you’ll get better at treating yourself well (Judith Lucy), Letter to My Teenage Self provides inspiration for parents and teenagers alike.
Contributors include
Maggie Beer, Chris Judd, Judith Lucy, Matt Tilley, Adam Gilchrist, Jen Cloher, Jackie French, Missy Higgins, Nathan Buckley, Kate Ceberano, Josh Frydenberg, Layne Beachley, Stephanie Rice, David Koch, Guy Sebastian, Alice Pung, Dannii Minogue, Chet Faker, Shaun Tan, Richard Joseph Frankland, Lisa Mitchell, Jo Stanley, Peter Alexander
All profits from the sale of this book go to the REACH FOUNDATION, helping all teenagers reach their full potential.
Letter to My Teenage Self Page 12
