Dealing with pandemic emotions

 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)

With Trish Notes

Without Trish notes