Has your teenager dropped out of education? And if so, are you worried about their future prospects? I’m hoping that this episode will give you some comfort, and maybe a little bit of inspiration to help your child move forwards.
Tracy Edwards MBE is a sailor, author, motivational speaker, mature student and charity founder. Incredibly, all of these achievements came from a girl who was expelled from school when she was 15.
Tracy won international fame in 1990 as the skipper of the first all-female crew to sail around the world when they raced Maiden in the Whitbread Round the World Race.
In 2017 set up The Maiden Factor to promote and fundraise for the education of 130 million girls worldwide who don’t currently have education as a right.
Tracy has since done a degree in psychology – proving that you don’t have to follow a typical educational path to get the qualifications you want. She’s also the mum of a young adult, so she’s well versed in parenting a teenager .
We talked about how Tracy was the model child until her dad died when she was 10. Her mother’s remarriage to an alcoholic, abusive stepfather, and her subsequent move to a new home and school catapulted her into a lifestyle which ended with Tracy being expelled.
At the age of 16 Tracy set out backpacking in Europe, where she ended up working on a yacht in Greece. From there a quick succession of jobs led her into navigation, and a lifelong love of sailing.
Tracy thinks teenagers and young people are way more impressive than they think they are – watching herself on the Maiden film made her realise that she had been tenacious and strong at the time.
Like so many of my podcast guests, the pivot point for Tracy was “finding her people.” As part of a yacht crew she fitted in, and the team around her believed in her. She says that was crucial to her motivation to change.
Tracy’s messages:
- Believe in yourself
- Don’t be a bystander in your own life
- Don’t listen to anyone who tells you you can’t do something. Just make the first change that will lead to the next change
Tracy now talks openly about her nervous breakdown, and how difficult that was because she didn’t ask for help. Her message for young people everywhere is ASK FOR HELP!
We also talked about how inspiring teenagers and young people are right now. Tracy mentions Greta Thunberg, Emma González and Vanessa Nakate, and we discussed how important it is that our young people debate with us and educate the older generation on the future of our world.
Tracy says that ages 15-18 give you your life opportunities, and how important it is that girls in particular stay in education for those years. As well as the lack of access to education in developing countries, the UK and USA have big drop-out rates from schools in this age group.
The Maiden Project is doing really exciting work - go follow, support and join.
For context, this episode was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, using Zoom, two dogs, and three visits from the postman, which you’ll hear on the recording. That’s normal pandemic working life for you!
Where to find Tracy
