18-year-old me and now...

Extremely shy, anxious, romantic 18-year-old dreamer me would be utterly shocked. So many major life tragedies to survive and still be resilient. I have toughened up and ditched the shyness. But romantic, anxious me still lingers just beneath the surface.

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) December 13, 2021

I must be the ancient of ancients...

Yes...It was the Beatles era...I remember a school history excursion to Parramatta when 15...We huddled around an historic cork tree (looking interested) + listened to the Beatles arriving in Sydney...Teachers pretended not to notice... pic.twitter.com/QrcKhEfzif

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) November 27, 2021

covid data in many forms...

AGAIN...in awe of these 3 Year 9 teenagers nailing the data...
There's the detailed version and the 'summary' version...
Information available for everyone to understand...
These guys just get better and better...🙏😀🙏 https://t.co/tIFebhevNf

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) September 27, 2021

update on age group vaccinations...

Vaccinations By Age Group & State SEP 27 2021 pic.twitter.com/JQkEe4Un4z

— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) September 27, 2021

first dose progress in states and territories...

All age groups 16 and above in NSW have now reached at least 70% first dose coverage✅

(graph shows projected number of days until each group is complete) pic.twitter.com/N0dvZtBJgy

— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) September 26, 2021

1️⃣st & 2️⃣nd 💉70/80/90% projected days until complete by Age Group & State 26/09

Todays new ✅s:

1️⃣💉
• NSW 16-19s 70%✅
• QLD 95+s 80%✅
• ACT 30-34s 80%✅
• NT 75-79s 80%✅

2️⃣💉
• NSW 55-59s 70%✅
• TAS 75-79s 80%✅ pic.twitter.com/po2uSeVo5U

— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) September 26, 2021

current vax rates by LGA's in Victoria...

Latest data: https://t.co/MnJatgmgan

— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) September 25, 2021

kudos again to Dromana IGA...

🙏Dromana IGA - AGAIN! Loading my car with groceries today...Sudden downpour...Young IGA employee offered to take my empty trolley to trolley bay...Thanked him...Still pouring...backing my car out...Employee returned waving...(I stopped)...+gave my $1 back...
IGA =awesome...😀🙏

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) September 25, 2021

young teenage boys run covid stats outlet...

3 young teenage boys run this amazing covid stats information outlet...
We should be cheering these guys on...
An awesome team... https://t.co/K72Z64mTj3

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) September 23, 2021

Perhaps Dan Andrews @DanielAndrewsMP, Jeroen Weimar, Brett Sutton @VictorianCHO and Martin Foley @MartinFoleyMP could give this enterprising team of young teenagers a shout out at the next presser.
They are from MELBOURNE😀
And quietly doing Melbourne proud 🙏

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) September 23, 2021

UPDATE: These teenagers have been offered a job at the Burnet Institute

Thanks all - my email is on Burnet website if you ever get bored and/or sick of thermal modelling/restaurant work 😃.

— Mark Stoove (@MStoove) September 23, 2021

singing on a train...

A few years ago, I was on a Melbourne train. Some heavy set, male, 'islander' teenagers were huddled together+seemed to be whispering...We all felt nervous...Suddenly, I heard humming, then singing in harmony songs of their homeland...Enchanting journey for us weary travellers...

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) May 1, 2021

to phone or not to phone...

Amazing answer from a teen...One + only reason I've a phone- in the last 12 months- is my landline finally refused to work...I simply don't like the idea of someone or anyone 'keeping tabs' on me...Now I use the excuse that my phone's charging or leave it behind when I go out...

— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) October 24, 2020

missing...

Pls RT to help us locate missing Cranbourne West teen, Patrick Shields. The 16-yo's disappearance is out of character.Known to frequent the Melbourne CBD, Frankston, Cranbourne and Narre Warren areas.

Cranbourne Police Station 📞 (03) 5991 0600
🔗https://t.co/TNqoQXfwAf pic.twitter.com/diFQbye6Yx

— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) July 18, 2020

As if there are not pressures right now,
for a local teenager to be missing adds an extra layer of sadness...

May he be OK...

processing...

Yesterday, my 14-year-old cousin said, “We’re living through a social studies chapter” and I can’t stop thinking about that, about him, about how young people are processing this moment.

— Clint Smith (@ClintSmithIII) June 2, 2020

I too wonder...Will young people carry their feelings now for years to come? Are their young lives compromised? Will they be tainted with sadness that never leaves? And as adults, will they change? Their characters? Their outlook on the world? 

Impossible to know answers for now... we older ones will never know...

the screen...

smiling teenage faces
and a waving hand hello
too soon
a clicked goodbye
on the Google Meet screen #tanka pic.twitter.com/M6yF2GdjbD

— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) June 3, 2020

Adore the young teenagers in my classes... But in spite of the cheery hellos as soon as they appear on the computer screen..it's just not the same...Often, I feel tears welling at the end of a Google Meet...often...