凯特王妃 | 英国皇家基金会线上论坛演讲

Over the last nine months, the pandemic has been a worrying time for us all. We’ve experienced isolation, loss, and uncertainty. But in the midst of this crisis, we’ve also seen huge acts of kindness, generosity and empathy.

过去的九个多月，在这场流行病（新冠肺炎）肆虐期间所有人都忧心忡忡。我们经历了隔离，失落，和不确定。但在这场危机中，我们也看到了巨大的善举，慷慨和共情。

The pandemic has reminded us just how much we value living in a world where people care for one another and the importance of feeling connected to the people around us. And it’s these connections, these relationships that are founded in the earliest years of our lives. 

这场疾病提醒我们，我们珍视生活在一个人们彼此相互关心的世界，以及与我们周围的人建立联系的重要性。就是这些联系和关系，为我们早期生活打下了基础。

People often ask why I care so passionately about the early years. Many mistakenly believe that my interest stems from having children of my own. And while, of course, I care hugely about their start in life, this ultimately sells the issue short.

很多人一直问我为什么如此热切地关注孩子早期。许多人误以为我的兴趣源于我自己的孩子。当然，我非常关注孩子们的人生起点，但最终会还是低估了这个问题。

Parenthood isn’t a prerequisite for understanding the importance of the early years. If we only expect people to take an interest in the early years when they have children, we are not only too late for them, we are underestimating the huge role others can play in shaping our most formative years, too.

为人父母并不是了解孩子早期重要性的先决条件，如果期望人们在生小孩之后才对孩子早期产生兴趣，那么我们不仅对孩子来说太晚了，而且我们还会低估其他人在孩子最具可塑性的年龄段发挥的重要作用。

Over the last decade, I, like many of you, have met people from all walks of life. I’ve seen that experiences such as homelessness, addiction, and poor mental health are often grounded in a difficult childhood.

在过去的十几年里，我像各位一样，遇到过社会各行各业的人。他们有的无家可归，有的吸毒上瘾，有的心理健康不佳，这些经历往往都源于他们艰难的童年生活。

But I have also seen how positive protective factors in the early years can play a critical role in shaping our futures, too. And I care hugely about this. Because the science shows that the early years are more pivotal for future health and happiness than any other period in our lifetime. 

但我也看到早期积极的防护因素在塑造我们未来方面的关键作用，我对此也非常关心。因为科学表明，孩童时期对未来的健康和幸福比我们一生中任何时期都更为关键。

Because as many as 40% of our children will arrive at school with below the expected levels of development; And because the social cost of late intervention has been estimated to be over 17 billion pounds a year.

因为高达40%的儿童在入学时发育水平低于预期水平；而且据估计，后期干预的社会成本每年超过170亿英镑。

The early years are therefore not simply just about how we raise our children; they are in fact about how we raise the next generation of adults. They are about the society we will become, which is why I wanted to start a society-wide conversation to hear what people across the UK think about the early years, too.

因此，孩童时期不仅仅是关于我们如何抚养孩子的问题，事实上，也是关于我们如何培养下一代成年人的问题。这些都与我们将要建成的社会有关，这也是我为什么想发起一场全社会对话，了解英国各地人民对孩童时期的看法的原因。

I was humbled that over half a million people responded to the 5 Big Questions survey, showing just how much people wanted to talk about this. We combined these findings with national research and a COVID-lockdown survey. And together, this represents the UK’s biggest-ever study on the early years.

让我感到很谦卑的是，有超过50万民众对“五大问题”的调查做出了回应，很多人都想谈论这个问题。我们将这些调查结果与国家研究及新冠肺炎封城研究相结合，同时，这也是英国有史以来对孩童时期最大规模的研究。

These collective insights are critical. And the questions they pose will help guide our work in the years to come. Firstly, if parents are struggling to prioritise their own well-being, how can we better support them? Secondly, what is at the root of why parents feel so judged? 

这些集体意见非常重要，他们提出的问题也有助于指导我们开展今后的工作。首先，如果父母正在纠结是否要优先考虑他们自己的幸福，我们如何能更好地支持他们？第二，父母做出这样的评断，其根源从何而来？

Thirdly, how can we address parental loneliness, which has dramatically increased during the pandemic, particularly in the most deprived areas? And finally, if less than a quarter of us understand the unique importance of a child’s first five years, what can we do to make this better known?

第三，在新冠肺炎病患急剧增加时期，尤其是在一些最贫困的地区，我们如何解决父母孤独的问题？最后，假设只有不到四分之一的民众能意识到孩子第一个五年的重要性，我们能做什么帮助更多人更好去了解这点？

We must do all we can to tackle these issues and to elevate the importance of the early years, so that, together, we can build a more nurturing society.

我们必须尽一切努力解决这些问题，并提高人们对孩童时期重要性的意识，只有这样，我们才能建设一个更具滋养的社会。

Because I believe, the early years should be on par with the other great social challenges and opportunities of our time. And next year, we will announce ambitious plans to support this objective.

因为我相信，孩童时期问题应该与我们时代其他社会巨大挑战和机遇一样举足轻重。因此，明年，我们将宣布一些宏伟的计划来支持这一项目。

My final message is a thank-you. Thank you to all the families, and parents, and carers, for the important work you do every single day in raising our children. And thank you to those of you working to support these families and their children, too. What you do takes hard work, commitment and vision.

最后我想说的是一句感谢。感谢所有的家庭，父母，还有护工人员，感谢你们每天为抚养我们的孩子所做的重要付出。还要感谢为支持这些家庭以及孩子们而努力的人们，感谢你们投入的精力，无私奉献以及远见卓识。

It is a brave thing to believe in an outcome – in a world even – that might not be fully felt for a generation or more. But what you do isn’t for the quick win – it’s for the big win. It is for a happier, healthier society as well as happier, healthier children.

去相信可能需要一代甚至几代人才能等到的结果，在整个世界，是一件非常勇敢的事情。但你所做的不是为了迅速取胜，而是为了大获全胜。这样做是为了一个更健康快乐的社会，为了更健康快乐的孩子们。

Only by working together can we bring about lasting change for the generations to come. Because I truly believe, big change starts small.

只有共同努力，我们才能为后代带来持续的变化。因为我相信，伟大的改变始于毫末。