Supporting young minds this summer

Lynne Yousef runs Escape Intervention Services in South Tyneside, a project to support the mental health of young people aged 4-25 and their families.

“Young people are feeling pressure to make this the summer of all summers. They’re feeling the expectation to ‘get back to normal’. To get back together with friends and to enjoy their freedom. Just as every child and family reacted differently to lockdown, we have to expect the response to restrictions lifting to be just as personal.

Throughout Covid-19, we’ve been working with families to help them manage the additional stress the pandemic has added to their lives. We’re running lots of free one-to-one therapeutic counselling sessions to help young people to tackle the anxiety and depression they might be experiencing, and we have some great activity sessions to rebuild confidence and self-esteem. The best thing about our service is it’s not time limited – we continue working with young people until they are feeling well enough. If you or a young person you know needs some support, we’re here for you.”

To find out more about the sessions run by Escape Intervention Services call 0191 427 6353 or email info@escapeintervention.org.uk

Marisa May runs Mindstars in North Shields, a project to help children take control of their wellbeing from an early age.

“We’ve seen a real mixture of responses to the easing of social distancing. Some children are desperate to get out there and to take part in activities, but some have become so used to being on their screens in their bedrooms that they don’t feel ready to come back outside. Some are fearful of being in crowds and feel doubtful that it’s safe – especially after the false starts they’ve already experienced. There’s definitely a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

We recently launched Star Hub in North Shields town centre, where we are running all kinds of fun and creative sessions for children. Through art, music and engaging interactive sessions we’re improving the resilience of children. This will reduce the need for mental health intervention later in life and will build a foundation for a better quality of life.

Thanks to funding from Karbon Homes, we have a limited number of free places available for residents.

We’ve also recently been awarded government funding to offer 20 free child places at our summer camp for those in receipt of free school meals. This will run for four weeks over the summer holidays, beginning Monday 19 July, 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday, with lots of fun activities and lunch included."

To find out more about the sessions run by Star Hub call 07464 836699 or email info@mindstars.co.uk

Lynne and Marisa’s top tips

Here are some positive ways young people can manage their feelings about changes to lockdown:

• Remember your feelings are totally normal - the pandemic has been hard for all of us and all of the change and uncertainty can feel worrying.
• Focus on what you can control- planning ahead for situations can help you feel more settled. Making a timetable for your day or week and building in fun or relaxing activities can help you feel more in control – especially as the summer holidays stretch out.
• Small steps - take it easy and don’t be tough on yourself if you don’t feel like you can cope with something. For example, try a little walk without a mask, try getting on a bus or a train and maybe meet one friend first rather than a group.
• Find a way to cope in difficult moments - if things get tough there are some quick things you can do to calm yourself. ‘Grounding activities’ are a good way to stop your mind spinning. A good example is to focus on what’s going on around you. Find five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. Finding a nice distraction, like a walk or listening to music is another good tactic and mindfulness activities, like art are great too.

For more advice on how to support young people visit www.mind.org.uk