Hailsham Town Council’s youth workers (Hailsham Youth Service) have issued a message to young people in the town, encouraging them to stay safe, keep in touch with peers through social media and remain positive during the current lockdown.
The message follows the decision several weeks ago to close all youth services and facilities run by the Council to help keep young people and staff safe.
Andy Joyes, youth project coordinator at Hailsham Town Council said:
“The Government’s advice hasn’t changed since our last message a couple of weeks ago…don’t go out! Of course, you should only do so if you’re buying food or medicine, exercising alone or with other members of your household, or helping someone vulnerable.
It goes without saying that this is a very difficult time for most and there’s a high chance that you’ll all get bored at times. Nevertheless, please continue to follow the ‘Stay At Home’ advice, as it will inevitably save lives.
While we were very sad to have to temporarily close our services as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, we are still here for young people if they need us, online and via social media.
Young people are encouraged to connect with discussions on how they are all managing whilst being socially isolated and take part in various online activities, including interactive challenges, and recommendations on which films and TV programmes to watch and what games to play on their smartphones.
Maintaining contact with young people and keeping them engaged and in touch with each other too during this difficult time is vital, especially with the recent closure of face-to-face services.
We’d like to take this opportunity to give you – Hailsham’s young people – some tips which will hopefully help you to remain active and positive during the lockdown period.
First of all, keep in touch with family, friends and peers. Relationships with other people are very important, even more so at present. Whether it be phone or video calls, board games with family, online games with friends, or even virtual book clubs, sharing songs or baking cakes – they’re all fun things to do if and when you have spells of boredom at home.
Perhaps you have a relative who would love to hear from you via Skype or Facetime? Or a grandparent you could write to or email?
Secondly, there might be some activities you’ve thought of trying before – and now is the time to have a go! There are several free online tutorials for all kinds of skills, including learning foreign languages, gardening, crafting, baking, cooking, magic tricks, vlogging, making music, creating a piece of art, accessing home education tools online or via smartphone apps and much more.
You can visit our new Instagram page daily, as there are several links to activities, cooking ideas such as making your own pizzas, cakes and scones from scratch, discussion about what films to watch, which online games to play and what apps are all the rage at the moment. It’s well worth checking out our Instagram page on a regular basis!
When planning your days during the lockdown, you should aim to include some of these activities and perhaps even challenge yourself and your friends or family to do the same. Let us know if you think of any more.
Social distancing and self-isolation bring challenges for everyone. But many young people can face a particularly hard time. Therefore, we encourage you to take care of your well-being during the lockdown by doing the above.
For now, remember all of the important things we regularly talk about in groups, stay safe, look after each other and of course, be kind.
And keep in touch with us and we’ll let you know when the youth centres and activity groups will re-open.”
Regular updates and activities can be accessed on Hailsham Youth Service’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HailshamYouthService/) and Instagram account (www.instagram.com/hailshamyouth/).
Terry Hall, Communications Officer
Hailsham Town Council, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AE
Telephone: 01323 841702 | Email: terry.hall@hailsham-tc.gov.uk