“Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed.."

-Bob Riley

Twenty-twenty has been a year like no other. The pandemic has fundamentally changed life as we know it - and while there has been some definite downs regarding this year, there have been various silver linings. One such silver lining is the heroism, and the recognition of the heroism, of individuals during these times. Ordinary citizens have stepped up and worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure the health and safety of others. We proposed to our member schools to ask their students who they thought were the heroes of 2020 and why.

After, what we are sure were great discussions with various types of reasoning for their answers, this is what young people had to say regarding heroes in 2020….

Question: Who is your 2020 hero and why?

National result:

Result: Doctors and Nurses for the win.

The results of this question are a resounding acknowledgement of the heroic effort of healthcare professionals - with this option being the voted for by over 70 more groups than the closest other option.

Refuse collectors came in second with 39 votes, and Marcus Rashford and his efforts to address childhood poverty coming in third.

Teachers and the Prime Minister got the fewest votes from the young people participating.

What can we learn from these results?

Healthcare workers are heroes and we all know it.

While we are sure there are various reasons that pupils expressed the above opinions, these results speak to just how hard and heroic the efforts of healthcare workers are. The sacrifices they have made, the tireless work they put in to save lives, and how they’ve reacted to the overall pressure they are under during a pandemic - make them true heroes. Their heroic efforts have been highlighted nationally, and that discourse has obviously struck a cord within school settings as well.

Starting a discussion with young people about heroic efforts during these hard times is extremely important. It’s very easy to get caught up in the negatives of the world as it currently is, but there are people out there doing incredible and inspiring things who deserve to be recognized. We’re so proud of our member schools who are continuing to foster an environment to have these discussion and giving encouragement to all pupils to use their voice.

Now we know there are successful Covid-19 vaccines, who do you think should get them first and why?

This past month the world has gotten promising news regarding Covid-19 vaccines. Multiple vaccine producers have come reported that their vaccines are highly effective, and once they finish government checks they will be ready to distribute to the public. With that news, the question has shifted from will we have a vaccine, to who will get the vaccine first.

We look forward to seeing what the results will be next week with this question, and propose the options of: NHS workers, Older People, Sick People, or Politicians.

Following the successful trial of this form in our General Election Question Series, for 2020 we’ll be recommending a blend of action-led & topical questions to ask each week.

Want to get involved or suggest a question? Send us an email at membership@smartschoolcouncils.org.uk