Students who starting college this term did so following a summer that broke many records – and not in a good way. 2026 is the first year since records began to reach 35°C or higher during May, June and July, with the MET office declaring this summer as the UK’s hottest on record. This contributed to over 1000 wildfires throughout the country. The stark reality is that the summer we have just experienced may be the coolest summer our students will know, as the climate crisis take serious hold of the UK and tips us into unchartered territory. Ongoing research by YouGov found that in August 2026, nearly 80 per cent of young people aged between 18 and 24 believed that concerns around climate change have not been exaggerated and the threat is every bit as real as scientists are saying. A report in The Lancet, which surveyed 10,000 young people aged between 16 and 25, from ten countries, found that 43 per cent feel climate anxiety negatively impacts their daily life and functioning; 75 per cent think the future is frightening, and 83 per cent believe people have failed to take care of the planet. Respondents rated governmental responses to climate change negatively and reported greater feelings of betrayal than of reassurance. So what do we do with this? In my book, I draw on my experience of working for social justice and environmental care over three decades and finding ways to stop myself being overwhelmed so that I can keep engaging, and I want to implore you to help the young people in your institutions too to find ways to channel their feelings into constructive action. I have learnt the importance of developing a vision of what I want my life to be contributing to, even if the actual outworking of that takes many shapes, and then holding onto that vision and reminding myself of it when things get tough. I know how important it is to have people around me who share my concerns; friends with whom I can be open when I want to rant or cry about the state of the world. I have discovered that it is really important that I look after myself, follow good practices and life rhythms, and that time spent in nature helps me to keep going. The work for colleges starts simply by giving young people the opportunity to talk about their concerns. They are not likely to volunteer their feelings, so provide space and ask open questions. Let them know they are not on their own but part of millions of people (and young people) in the UK and around the world who care deeply and want to be part of the change. Encourage them to find ways to turn their skills and talents into careers that can contribute to a better future, and help them find good role models to inspire vision and ambition. Not only in relation to the climate emergency, but in so many other ways too, we live in a frightening world facing existential crises and our young people need to be equipped to navigate them, whether it be racism, worries over the cost of living, the ongoing wars in the Middle East, family struggles or other things. Now more than ever in our argumentative and fractured society, ruled by the algorithms of social media, we need young people of character, with values that will lead them to be caring, wise and compassionate, and who will live from those values in all areas of their lives. As we progress through this academic year, let’s determine to enable our students to face this world of many crises and find ways to engage positively, in both their personal and professional lives.