Unprecedented times, the new normal, lockdown, social distancing, self-isolation  – change is on every horizon and in every aspect of life as we knew it. So what are Phase up to and what are we doing as we all tread carefully into the future? As Director I wanted to share a few key things that we are focusing on and some of the things that we are excited about – we can make the most of every opportunity.

Change can be difficult and this is one change that we are all going through. However with this change there comes huge opportunities to do things completely differently, to re-evaluate what we have been doing and make big changes to major areas that we could never have dreamed of doing before. Now some are out of our reach such as building a new education system from the ground up, but it does not stop us hoping that governments and leaders use this time wisely to do such things. On a more local, we-can-impact-kind-of-level, Phase have been virtually meeting with youth workers across Hitchin and the wider area to think about what youth work looks like in 2020, how we get to reset the pace of life many of us were living and asking the questions such as ‘is this the best way?’ or ‘how can we do this better now the parameters have changed?’. As humans we have the great ability to adapt, to be resilient, to look at a challenge and see a solution. This is a key aspect at the core of Phase. Here are some of the things you can look forward to:

Virtual Phase!

As an organisation that is built on connection, face to face work and relationships, we are having to develop a whole host of virtual programmes, here are some that you will be hearing and seeing a lot about:

Virtual mentoring – a space for any young person that wants to talk about whatever is happening, they are thinking or just a space to have some life coaching as we work our way through this time. Anyone aged 11-18 can get involved, young people, parents and schools can refer someone.

The Studio goes online – our fortnightly drop-in programme is moving online! It will be like a crazy mix or blue peter, art attack (showing my age!) and a video call! As we are all having to socially distance ourselves, we still wanted to create pockets of time where we can connect with others, forget about the pressure of lockdown and engage in some positive activities.

Resources page – at Phase we are continually developing new ideas and resources, but until now we have not had them in one space for you to access them – until now!! You can download a variety of things from our resource page all for free. We are passionate about seeing the lives of children and young people change and we do not want money to be a barrier. So enjoy, share them and let us know what else could help.

There are a variety of things that we are working on in the background and you will hear more about them soon, these include: online assemblies for schools, virtual transition session for those making the move from Year-6 – Year-7, parent support webinars and other Phase programmes moving to online.

The world and how we currently interact may have changed, but our mission has not, we want to do all we can to build children and young people’s wellbeing and resilience, this is something that is needed now more than it has been in my life time. Phase are committed to make a positive difference whatever we all have to face.

If there is something that you would like to see Phase do or think about, please do get in touch with me. in touch with me

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