Nelson Mandela spent his life fighting against oppression and apartheid in South Africa. He spent 27 years in prison for standing up for his beliefs, refusing to ever back down. Soon after his release, he became the first black president of his country. Throughout his life, Mandela displayed huge amounts of resilience. He was able to hold fast to his beliefs and ideals, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, which ultimately made him successful in his mission.

Resilience is one of Park High’s Character Values – and the one we are focusing on this half term. It’s the ability to recover from struggles and setbacks, and means that you do not give up even when things get tough. It does not mean never experiencing challenges or feeling overwhelmed, instead it is knowing how to respond positively when you do.

This stems from self-belief and having clear goals to guide your path forwards, regardless of the hurdles in your way. 

In school, you may not get the grade you hoped for in an exam, you might find a particular subject harder than others, or maybe you had a falling out with a friend. You may also experience hardships in your home life. These are all moments where you can display resilience – accept mistakes and difficulties as moments to grow, learn and bounce back stronger.

A low grade should spark your determination. Instead of accepting the result, you can create a revision plan around that subject, write flashcards and ask your teachers for advice. You can turn your weakest subjects into your strongest.

It also does not mean never asking for help, or denying that you find things hard. The most resilient people tend to be those with a support network to rely on. Family, friends and teachers can all be there to share guidance or step in to take something off your plate. Similarly, you should think about how you can help the people in your life with the things they find harder.

Beyond school, resilience is an important life skill that employers look for.

There will be plenty of setbacks in the world of work: you will face rejections, you will make mistakes, there will be disagreements with a colleague, to name just a few. How you act in those moments is much more significant than avoiding them in the first place. Employers know the best results come from people who do not give up.

Helen Keller showed great resilience in overcoming the challenges of being both blind and deaf to become a renowned author, lecturer and advocate. She believed success could only come from showing resilience, saying: “You will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles.”

We should all aim to have the same strength of character as visionaries like Mandela and Keller. We should believe in ourselves, keep pushing ourselves forward and know that we can achieve great things.