STUDENTS PONDER FUTURE: In these uncertain times, many high school students wonder what future they have, including (left to right), Westside students Jasmine Leitch, Sarah Hill and Jen Elric. Photo/DAN PELTON For even the most upbeat, experienced people, these are stressful times. Therefore, few might understand the everyday pressures and challenges facing today's teenagers.

Though some people may not know it, students are uptight about school, current events, politics and the state of the economy.

Sarah Hill, a student at Westside Secondary School says, "I feel confident about myself and going out into the world." Some teenagers, however, are not so confident. Stephanie Medeira, also a Westside student, said, "How am I supposed to be confident and stable if the world isn't?"

Eventually, teenagers are forced to step outside their boundaries of the safety of home and the familiarity of friends and school and face the world. They worry about college or university. And though some people may not think so, teenagers worry about current issues, too.

Politicians are a different story. "They haven't even solved their own problems, how are they supposed to solve ours?' one Westside student said.

"I think teenagers are extremely insightful," said Rebecca Finch, the Dufferin-Caledon Liberal candidate in the last federal election. "They can see what's going on. I think all the politicians have pretty much demonstrated that they've got some issues to work out."

So how far are politicians willing to go to change the attitudes of younger people?

"The issue of getting them to vote has been bothering people for years," says Ms. Finch. "In my opinion, if there was more obvious maturity and dignity in politicians, it will attract a certain type of person. There are certainly a number of younger people interested in politics, but they're not your average person".

While most teenagers worry about making the grade and impressing parents, others worry about even making it to college. With university tuition fees rising, most teenagers are already feeling a hole burning through their pockets.

"I'm worried about transportation and housing, which all comes down to money," Sarah Hill explained.

"The need to get into a College is pressuring," added Alyssa Jansen says.

So what do some teachers say? John Wervers, a teacher at Westside, explains: "Problems do go away. Economic conditions change over time."

But is this enough to help ease the pressure that teens are feeling?

Jen Elric, a student, disagrees with Mr. Wervers' assessment. "I don't think it's going to get better, it will just get worse."

While all this pressure is affecting them mentally and physically, does it affect their schoolwork as well?

"It does in a negative way," said Jen Elric. "Because I'm so stressed out, I can't concentrate on the thing I'm working on, and so nothing seems to get done."

With all this pressure affecting their schoolwork, and bringing down their grades, it's no wonder some teenagers are thinking twice about going to college or university.

"I'm not going because I think my stress rate there will go through the roof," said one student. "There's just too much work to get done, and so much pressure to be the best at what you do."

The stress rate for teenagers seems to have gone up rapidly in the past couple of years. Much of it might be due to the pressure of having to pass high school with at least an 80 average to get into a good university.

"Society puts more pressure on teenagers these days," Jen Elric said. So with all the pressures surrounding them, how does she cope? "I try not to think about it, and I try to indulge in various activities."

While pushing the problem aside may work for some people, for others, it creates even bigger problems. "If I ignore the problem, I usually find that it never truly goes away. It piles up until finally, I can't take it anymore," another Westside student said.

It has been forecast that today's economic problems may not go away for years, and university and college fees will keep rising. But, while all this pressure is discouraging, most teenagers have learned to keep an open mind, and try not to be too pessimistic.

"We can't dwell on what's going on," said another student. "It's either dwell on the past, or concentrate on the future. And I choose to concentrate on the future. What matters most is being able to get past all of this and learn to move on."