Teens throughout the Yarra Ranges have become creative in beating the impact of Covid-19 and staying connected and engaged, thanks to Cire Community Hubs.
To support young people as much as possible through such challenging times, Cire used Zoom and other virtual platforms to deliver a range of programs, specifically targeting secondary students. Activities such as cake decorating and making dreamcatchers have proven to be a popular alternative to Netflix and gaming and helped teens tap into talents they did know they had.
“Covid-19 has been challenging for young people aged between 12 and 18, and even more so with Stage 4 restrictions,’ said Naomi Taylor Cire Community Hubs coordinator.
“Teens from years 7 to 10 in metro Melbourne are still ‘on hold’ on the Health Departments back-to-school road map. As a result, these young people are struggling to stay connected … some feel they have been forgotten as others plan the next phase out of the current restrictions.”
Tribe Monbulk Youth Inc has surveyed almost 70 secondary school-aged youth in the Yarra Ranges with young people expressing feelings of loneliness, disengagement with friends, family and peers and increased levels of fear of the unknown.
Belinda Grooby, CEO Tribe Monbulk Youth, reported that those surveyed said the lockdown was having a negative impact on their overall wellbeing. Many expressed frustration of not being allowed to see friends and family due to the current five kilometre restrictions.
“Young people in the local area are desperate to find ways to connect as many social activities for youth remain off-limits, such as social groups and sporting clubs,” said Ms Grooby who is also a Cire Community Hubs Coordinator.
“While playgrounds have been opened allowing families and younger children to rebuild social connection, many teens feel left out, and angry as places such as skate parks remain closed to the community.”
It was when restrictions were extended into the school holidays that Cire Community Hubs set to work to create opportunities for young people to feel connected. Cire has been greatly encouraged by the levels of engagement:
“Well for starters I think it was a great fun activity to do and everything gets sent to your door safely. I love that you can get on a Zoom call and everyone is there with the trainer, it’s much better than doing it by yourself. It was just nice to do something different and creative,” said 12 year old Lola, who was particularly keen on the cake decorating session.
Both Naomi and Belinda said Cire Community Hubs had enthusiastically embraced the challenge of supporting the community during this period and pivoting to meet the needs of young people particularly.
“These initiatives will assist us in mapping out the ‘new normal’,” Ms Taylor said.
