Since the COVID-19 crisis caused schools to close and our normal programmes to be put on hold, we have been hard at work looking at how we can adapt and continue to support the young people we work with.
We thought the best place to start was finding out what our young people want and need. We are hosting lots of video calls and online discussions, listening to them and learning about their experiences of this pandemic. We have also been speaking to parents, teachers and youth workers. This helped us to build a picture of the unique challenges our young people face, how they are coping, what the long term impact might be and how we can support them.
These voices are often overlooked by the media. Click below to hear from our young people and about how we've responded as an organisation.
The Daily Mirror have featured our 'Life in Lockdown' conversations with young people to give a flavour of how they've been affected by lockdown and school closures. Read more
Ashanti (17), one of the members of our London Youth Panel, speaks on how lockdown has affected her mental health, but also given her time to rethink her future and make some big decisions. Read more
61% of young people are now more worried about their futures. See our full survey results on young people's experiences of lockdown, and their needs and concerns for going back to school. Read more
Power2 frontline staff (Leah, Mark and Scarlett) reflect on their experiences of speaking to young people throughout lockdown and what they've observed and learned. Read more
Paige (15) discusses her experiences of lockdown and the impact it's had on her schoolwork, her wellbeing and her future. Read more
Zoe and Carly (both 13) talk about the challenges they've faced during lockdown and how it has affected their emotional wellbeing. Read more
Kemoy Walker, the Year 9 Pastoral Manager at St Matthew’s RC High School, shares his thoughts and experiences about the mental health challenges for young people during lockdown. Read more
Amy and Bethany (both 15) from our Young Leaders programme share their experiences of lockdown and school closure, and how it has impacted them. Read more
Will Cole, Head of Impact & Programme Development, shares what Power2 are doing in response to the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19 and why he expects us to emerge from this crisis stronger and better. Read more