Stu Brunsdon with Maggie Dent – Photo Credit Stu Brunson
At the Ignite event on 5 September at the Berry School of Arts, every speaker gave us something to think about. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing highlights from each presentation. You can find the presentations as they are published here.
Stu Brunsdon, a local high school maths teacher, spoke with both humour and conviction about the world his students are growing up in. He sees how teenagers’ lives are increasingly dominated by their phones, leaving them siloed, less connected, and often overwhelmed. Instead of letting the phone define their world, he argues that young people need structure and opportunities that pull them outward.
“Teenagers really want to explore their world, but they also need structure in which to do it.”
“If we do not give them positive structures, they will find their own and phones fill the gap all too easily.”
One program Stu highlighted is the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. This global youth development framework, running in more than 130 countries, encourages participants aged 14 to 24 to commit to a balanced program of activities over 6 to 18 months. Young people set personal goals across four key areas: community service, skill development, physical recreation, and an adventurous journey. As they progress from Bronze to Silver to Gold, they learn teamwork, resilience, leadership, and the value of giving back.
Stu believes this kind of structured program offers a healthy balance to the fragmented, phone-based life that too many teenagers find themselves caught in. Volunteering, playing sport, learning new skills, and planning outdoor adventures are not just activities, they are scaffolding for growth. They give young people the chance to explore, connect, and thrive in ways that endless scrolling never will.
His key takeaway was simple but powerful: “Get outside.” Not just outdoors into nature, but outside the narrow world of phones, and into experiences that build skills, relationships, and confidence.
“Get outside, not just from your house, but from the siloed world that mobile phones trap you in.”
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