Street-Based Group Engagement

Street-based group engagement: We have been working with a group of young people on the streets as part of the turning corners project - we worked with the group over 12 months and supported them to move from being unpopular and engaging in anti-social behaviour to accessing their local youth centre. The young people had started to be much more open about their life's direction and had made positive steps towards college or work.

We managed to engage with the young people the day the lockdown started and they were all concerned about their future. As a result of the coronavirus outbreak we have not been able to work with these young people in their usual setting - two of the young people have had their vocational college courses suspended and the do not know where or how they will be able to complete this. Another young person works in the hospitality trade and is not longer able to work and earn money.

The danger for these young people in this situation is that they will have their positive path disrupted - with the disruption of contact with their youth workers they will also not be able to talk through or get the peer support offered by the youth work sessions - as we are currently not able to gather in groups these young people will also be isolated from their peers.