The headlines are hard to ignore. UNICEF’s latest report ranks the UK near the bottom of global tables for child happiness and wellbeing.
Behind the statistics are real children—sitting in our classrooms every day—who are struggling with low self-worth, rising anxiety, and a worrying lack of hope for their future.
This isn’t a small, isolated issue. It’s a national crisis. And while wellbeing strategies have their place, the deeper question we must ask is:
Do our children know who they are becoming? And do they believe they have the power to shape a hopeful future?
It’s Not Just a Wellbeing Crisis. It’s an Identity Crisis.
Despite our best intentions in schools, many pupils still struggle with:
- Low aspiration and fragile self-concept
- A lack of connection between learning and life outcomes
- Poor resilience in the face of setbacks
- A weakened sense of identity, purpose, and belonging
These aren’t just pastoral concerns. They are identity issues.
And without addressing them, no amount of surface-level wellbeing work will create lasting change.
Future Me: A Research-Led Response to a Deeply Human Challenge
At the heart of Future Me is a simple but powerful belief:
When children can see, believe in, and value their future selves — they are more likely to become them. One choice, one moment, one dream at a time.
Based on the work of leading psychologists Daphna Oyserman, Mesmin Destin, and David Yeager, Future Me helps pupils:
- Vividly imagine meaningful, attainable future selves (Future-Self Salience)
- Understand how today’s actions shape tomorrow’s possibilities (Present-Future Connection)
- Feel emotionally invested in who they are becoming (Emotional Engagement)
This isn’t about asking children “what job do you want?” — it’s about helping them shape a life of hope, purpose, agency, and resilience.
What Makes Future Me Different?
Unlike one-off interventions or PSHE add-ons, Future Me is a structured, whole-school approach that builds identity through:
- Three Key Pillars: Vision, Pathway, and Connection
- Five Core Principles of Future-Self Identity Theory
- Embedded Global Citizenship and Spiritual Development Threads
Through this, children don’t just learn about wellbeing. They actively shape a life of meaning, belonging, and responsibility — for themselves, for others, and for the world.
If we want to move the UK up those wellbeing tables, we have to start doing more than managing behaviour or promoting resilience.
We need to help children believe in their future — and show them how to build it, one small choice at a time.