This is an extremely useful and adaptable session plan from Trish on Momentwm Core. It is designed to help young people and youth workers talk about and work through the emotions which have been stirred up by the pandemic and lockdown.
Youth work session planning
After lockdown series
Aim. To give the young people a chance to talk about the lockdown.
-Share
what they did.
-Share
what they missed.
-Share
what they found hard
-Share
what they might want to keep from the experience
-Share
their worries for the future
-Share
their hopes for the future
And generally support them as they
explore life after a pandemic
Possibly a bit more of a party
atmosphere with the first session if possible but will have to think about how/if
we can, provide food and drink safely. – E.g. using disposable cups? Writing
names on plastic cups so as not to have young people sharing accidentally.
Session 1 We missed you and are very proud of you!
Celebrating surviving, being sensible,
and other achievements.
Starting with the positive and giving
them time for the new freedom to become more normal.
Starting a wall of
remembering/de-cluttering ‘Our Pandemic’
anonymous postings with a sign that the
community may also use the wall to share their pandemic experiences but
displaying will be up to the creators
(and all posts vetted by me and the team first!)
This first week a list of the sessions
we will be having will be sent to parents so they can know what we are doing
and if they have any concerns or views they want to add.
Session 2 Turn back time what you wish you could have experienced.
Remembering exam results, birthdays, funerals,
smaller things like going out when they wanted to moving up to a new class
Make sure we have extra staff on hand
and recourses ready for any who may get upset and/or reveal personal things.
-
While we don’t want deeply
personal things up on the wall, displaying them wouldn’t be healthy but talking
would be, we can provide space for the general things .
This session
will be hard work but very very worth it. From this point on we need to have a
soft space to retreat to if the conversation gets too much but is also
‘staffed’
More thoughts
needed RE:- safeguarding, and practicalities but don’t want to leave this session
too far from the start as there will be
a lot of missed things. Might do two if we need another. Anger might also be an
issue – could do with an anger space where they can safely express their rage/
learn how to do this without self harming/hurting others.
Session 3 – letting go and holding close.
Remembering
the things we want to let go of, possible talks about BLM and other issues that
appeared while in quarantine.
Could be that
we want to let go of spending so much time indoors, or computer time.
Also thinking
about the things we want to hold onto family meals? Taking a walk a day or
another exercise, getting on with siblings? Any new skills people have acquired
and want to expand.
Again
creating something that’s displayed anonymously.
Session 4 – Hopes, worries and actions.
Thinking of
our future hopes and worries writing them down/drawing them so they are voiced/
displayed on our ‘Our pandemic’ wall.
What happens
when we get to our GCSE’s if this happens?
Hopes that
good grades from lockdown study can be maintained
Worried that
friendships might not be as strong
Hopes that
the community will still remember how they rallied together.
Again this
could be a tough session as worries will always be there advice on how to deal with
stress and anxiety might be needed.
Actions.-
what actions will we take in the next few months because of our hopes and
worries – Try and turn a negative into a positive.
So we need to
make a study plan for our GCSE’s/School work? Do we need some planned meetups
with friends?
We can worry
about the virus spiking again but following the guidance washing hands a lot
catching coughs, wearing masks etc
Session 5 – Free session for anything they want to
share
Really focus
on the suggestion box suggestions – do they want to learn how to sew? Cook?
Draw? Have a dance party or a film session (maybe watching InsideOut would be
helpful)
Keep adding
to the wall.
Other thoughts
Through all
this communication is key both with young people and the volunteers - provide your volunteers with the plan as
you have done the parents. – I’m hoping to zoom mine and plan some of these
sessions with them.
Make sure you
check in with all the volunteers Before/after each session – they are going
through this too.
You. – give yourself time
to reflect and express before hand.
Be honest in
what you say to the young people but only if they ask this time is for them you
are almost being a chaplaincy for them.
-
Re read chaplaincy for everyone
-
Invite staff (outside of volunteers)
with a chaplaincy vocation/calling? – remember to do safer recruitment things
too with these people.
Below are the links to download the word document version of what you see above (the second is just the session notes without the additional thinking from our Trish)
