During uncertain times, young people are at an ever-increasing risk of losing focus. And losing hope due to uncertain futures while feeling very much alone. As youth-driven organisations and specialist youth-workers, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are still easy to reach. During lockdown young people face the additional challenges of anxiety, not being able to stay active and impending unemployment.
The key to working remotely is taking advantage of online resources that are already at your disposal, and easy to access:
Social Media:
Having an active social media presence means that you can communicate directly with young people. This can be through direct messaging, surveys and comment sections. This form of communication allows you to reach young people directly. It also allows you to communicate with them through a platform that is accessible and that they engage with on a daily basis.
Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Zoom, provide spaces for live events to take place. Here people can engage with the comment sections of streams and feel like they have direct involvement with youth workers.
Regardless of whether you’re using Facebook, Instagram or even Youtube, it’s important to know which platforms you want to engage with. A quick google search will show you how different age groups interact with different social media platforms. This can help you optimise the lengths at which you can reach young people.
Check out the link below to find out more about how you can approach a specific demographic.
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/
Online Courses, panels and events:
It is also important to make sure that young people can access resources to support them during lockdown. This could take place in the form of door-to-door services, online courses, or fun challenges to keep young people busy during lockdown.
Social organisations such as Redthread and Impact Fitness Academy have adjusted to lockdown restrictions by setting up a 14 day health and happiness challenge and delivering online fitness sessions, respectively.
If you’re interested in developing courses, check out the link below for a list of platforms that will guide you towards setting up online courses. https://zapier.com/blog/online-course-platforms/
Info For Youth Workers…
Make sure to get back to in-person meetings with young people. Youth workers can slowly return to much-needed face-to-face interactions that many young people value when asking for support, by maintaining social distancing rules and meeting up in open spaces. Community centres should now be able to open-up again but make sure to maintain appropriate safety measures.
What’s most important during this time is that young people don’t feel alone. Sending out a simple message through any platform can help reduce anxieties and bring back hope for the current situation, as well as, the future. Stay informed about the easing of lockdown restrictions. Let people know through social media updates or newsletters that safe activities are becoming available again. Keep adapting to the government’s rules so that eventually you can transition to normal life again.
Written by Anoushka Nair
For Aspire4U CIC,
The Mindset Lead Organisation
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