Kate Middleton launched her new Business Taskforce for Early Childhood with a message: what happens to people in early childhood, particularly between birth and age five, when our brains develop faster than at any other time, fundamentally shapes the rest of our lives.
As well as having a direct impact on problems such as mental health, addiction and social exclusion. So convinced is she of the importance of raising awareness of the issue that she has committed her entire working life to it and created her own Early Childhood Care Center.
Describing the early years as a “golden opportunity to transform our future life outcomes,” she told the assembled leaders that it was time to think “radically” to create a workforce that is “resilient, flexible and able to overcome differences with each other.”
Middleton added that “the healthy development of our children depends on healthy adults. We need the ability and capacity to be self-aware enough to manage our own behaviors and actions in order to build meaningful relationships with each other.”
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Kate emphasized the need to “manage things like stress and conflict, to be adaptable to change and stay motivated when we face challenges. This comes from our social and emotional skills, the foundations of which are laid in childhood.”
The princess pointed out that individual relationships and connections were “vital to collaboration and central to the culture and functionality of their businesses.” The royal scolded employers for not putting enough emphasis on building environments that foster social and emotional skills.
“So, I think we need two things to really transform society for generations to come. The first is to prioritize the creation of work environments that provide the support and training that their workforce needs to cultivate and maintain their own social and emotional well-being,” Middleton explained.
Kate felt that this “will benefit personally and professionally, as well as create a better work culture within their organizations. The second is a more concentrated effort to support the social and emotional development of our youngest children.”
Since assuming her new title as Princess of Wales, Middleton has ensured that one thing remains at the top of her list of priorities: the mental health of the younger generation in the United Kingdom.
