Helping Students Build Resilience: Motivating Young People to Prioritize Wellbeing

By Julian Fagan and Ian Fagan

The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting closures of schools and community services have intensified concerns about student safety and mental wellbeing. As educators and school leaders, our instinct is often to step in and protect students from harm. While protection has its place, fostering resilience means helping young people learn how to manage challenges themselves. The central question for schools is: how do we motivate students to take their wellbeing seriously and develop the skills they need to navigate difficult situations?

To understand the urgency, consider survey findings that highlight a growing gap between the mental health needs of students and the support available in schools. A YoungMinds survey of 2,011 young people with a history of mental health issues in the UK reported that 40% of respondents said there was no school counselor available, and only 27% had a one-to-one conversation with a member of staff about their wellbeing by the time they completed the survey. Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents said their school offered less mental health support than before the pandemic, while just 9% reported more support.

Another study, conducted by Canva in the fall of 2020, found widespread emotional strain among students: 41% told teachers they felt overwhelmed; 39% felt disconnected from peers and their school community; 37% experienced heightened anxiety; 37% felt isolated; 30% worried about friends and family; 27% were stressed about their home environment; and 26% reported feelings of depression. These figures show a clear mismatch between demand for mental health resources and what schools can realistically provide.

Why focus on wellbeing?

Wellbeing acts as a protective gatekeeper for mental health. Strengthening students’ wellbeing—helping them understand who they are, what triggers them, and how they typically respond—reduces the likelihood that normal life stressors escalate into more serious mental health problems. This process requires time, consistent effort, and genuine motivation from students. Schools must therefore design approaches that engage young people emotionally and practically so they will invest in getting to know themselves better.

Three practical steps schools can take

To encourage students to take wellbeing seriously, schools should focus on three interrelated actions: start with the why, find the who, and stay the course.

Start with the why

Motivation is personal. What moves one student—grades, recognition, future goals—won’t motivate another. Effective wellbeing initiatives begin by clearly communicating why participation matters in a way that resonates with each student. For example, a Denver teacher, Kyle Schwartz, introduced the prompt “I wish my teacher knew ____.” She made participation optional but framed it so students understood that completing the question would give her a better chance to support them. That simple, honest rationale increased buy-in. When rolling out wellbeing programs, always explain the benefit to the student: how it will help them feel heard, supported, or better equipped to handle challenges.

Find the who

Sometimes the messenger matters more than the message. Within any school community there are trusted adults—and often peers—who students listen to. Identifying and empowering these individuals is essential. Schools can use sociometric mapping and peer-network questions to discover who students turn to in difficult times. Asking students whom they would lean on for support can reveal informal leaders and connectors who can champion wellbeing initiatives. Once you know the influencers, make sure they are the ones delivering key messages and facilitating access to support.

Stay the course

Motivation can falter when life becomes overwhelming. Triggers such as bereavement, abuse, bullying, or family violence can derail a student’s progress. Estimates indicate that a meaningful minority of children experience such traumas by mid-adolescence. During crises, incidents like domestic violence can increase, and schools must have scalable systems to detect students facing acute stress. These systems should allow for early identification and referral to appropriate clinical services when needed, as not every situation can be managed solely within the school.

Consistency matters. If students understand the why and trust the who, they are more likely to persist through setbacks. Schools should monitor attitudes and engagement over time, adapt messaging when motivation dips, and ensure that staff can escalate cases that require clinical intervention. In this way, schools can sustain a culture where wellbeing is a regular part of school life rather than an occasional add-on.

Practical outcomes and the role of school leaders

The pandemic has reminded us that life can be unpredictable and that students need a range of emotional skills to respond to adversity—stress, worry, gratitude, anger, and sadness are all part of the human experience. Helping students understand their own emotional wiring empowers them to take control of their reactions and build long-term resilience. Schools have access to many resources and programs; the role of senior leaders and teachers is to identify the approaches that suit their community and to motivate students to embark on a journey of self-awareness and wellbeing.

About the authors

Julian Fagan discovered through personal reflection that academic achievement loses its meaning if students cannot manage the internal battles that affect their lives. With his twin brother Ian, he co-founded Skodel, a wellbeing software company designed to give every student a voice that is heard and acted upon. Skodel is used by schools internationally to monitor student wellbeing on a regular basis.

Ian Fagan is an entrepreneur in the education sector who founded his first business after high school. Motivated by the rise in youth wellbeing challenges and his own experiences, Ian turned his efforts to student mental health and, alongside Julian, launched Skodel to help teachers and school professionals access timely information about student wellbeing so that at-risk students can be supported effectively.

Note: This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news hub focused on the transition to digital curriculum in education.