The reality of returning from lockdown
The return to full face-to-face delivery has been a journey, one which we are continuously adapting to all the time.
Young people have missed out on so many opportunities and experiences and the repercussions of the past year come to the forefront when you’re back engaging young people and delivering activities face-to-face.
It is an everyday part of youth work to ask how young people are feeling, what they’re up to, how’s home – just the basic conversations youth workers have with young people to build up and maintain those essential relationships.
These conversations have never been so crucial, especially as some of the young people we support can’t call home a safe place due to a wide variety of difficult and complex issues.
Young people have been speaking to us about their futures in terms of seeking jobs and training. That awful question they get asked by adults… “What do you want to do career-wise?” comes with serious levels of increased anxiety for young people right now due to the economic effects of the pandemic.
It’s been so tough for young people to maintain and build positive friendships, especially during the lockdowns. Socially even I’ve lost some skills there!
We have all been reliant on technology to stay connected, however, if you have a lack of WIFI, no equipment or zero connection in the house, that increases feelings of isolation and loneliness.
On the flip side, if you have all of those things and are bored, flicking through social media 24/7 – also increases feelings of isolation and loneliness and young people have never had so much time to sit on their phones and procrastinate.
There is no doubt in my mind that the pandemic has hit young people hard, and without interventions and positive opportunities young people will remain those most negatively impacted long-term.
I have been fortunate to work for the Rio Ferdinand Foundation for 7 years, I began my journey as a coordinator and then became a project manager, now I manage the Foundation’s programmes throughout the North West.
I love that my job is so varied, due in no small part to the fact the young people the Foundation supports are from such a wide variety of different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures – all with their individual and unique needs.
These needs could involve things like being a carer, a looked after child, NEET (not in education or employment), young people with poor emotional health and wellbeing issues, special educational needs, excluded from mainstream education etc. And the list goes on!
So, whilst I am grateful the easing of restrictions has enabled us to resume full face-to-face delivery and the team are buzzing with lots of ideas and opportunities to re-engage young people. The reality and continued side effects of the pandemic have never been so prevalent.
Our young people have existing barriers and challenges to engaging already – throw in a pandemic and I’m on the phone every day to my colleagues and partners rethinking workshop plans, responding to safeguarding concerns, adapting to unbelievable levels of challenging behaviour and it is only Monday!
For those of you who saw the Sky News report earlier this month, on how lockdowns had put children under unprecedented levels of distress, this is our reality.
We will continue to engage as many young people as we can and support them to achieve their full potential. The Greater Manchester team and I take each day as it comes, we have a plan A, B and C, as well as fantastic partners working alongside us.
What will never change is our drive to ensure young people are at the heart of everything we do and we will continue to support and empower them so they can succeed.
For me, when a young person achieves something, they thought impossible, and they have that moment of realisation that they’ve accomplished it – that’s the best part of my job.
Together we can support more young people and change lives, get involved
Victoria Lowe, Head of Programmes North West