Those present will be invited to talk about their experiences of lockdown, good and bad, and how it has affected them.
Minutes:
The young people present were asked to share their experiences of the lockdown that had come in in March due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Rhiannon explained that she was confused by the mixed messages around the current restrictions. At school, young people were able to sit in a classroom with 26 other people but were not allowed to meet up with anybody outside of school.
Emma felt that anxiety due to the lockdown or due to returning to an education setting should be considered and standardised support put in place.
Councillor Morris referred to lessons on line and asked what the young people’s experiences of this were.
Emma explained that not all young people had access to a laptop. Some schools and colleges were renting laptops out at £6 per week but it was felt that this wasn’t viable for some people. It was also explained that some people had access to technology but it was old and slow so causes issues keeping up.
Phoebe explained that schools had expected everybody to have kept up with their lessons but as some people were excluded due to technical inequalities it hadn’t been possible. This had then added more stress when returning to the classroom setting.
Emma explained that the physical measures that had been put in place in schools and colleges could be anxiety inducing.
It was difficult to social distance in a school setting as the corridors were quite narrow.
Rhiannon explained that the transition from high school to college had been really difficult with the restrictions in place. Moving onto college was daunting during normal times but in the current climate it had been stressful.
Emma explained that travelling to and from school and college was causing issues as there were fewer seats available on buses but no more buses to help with this. This meant that she had been late for college a number of times. It was also stated that not all buses were complying with social distancing and were packing people onto them.
Emma stated that the decisions around the GCSE and A Level grades had been really stressful. There had been no support from the school she was leaving or the college she was joining and she had felt like she was in limbo.
Sara referred to the way that the results had been assessed with 40% being downgraded and what this would mean for future prospects.
Councillor Morris referred to the physical activity strategy and the fact that physical activity had increased during the lockdown. Councillor Morris asked whether this was the experience of the young people at the meeting.
Harriet reported that she had become more active in some areas, she had started to play rugby but had stopped walking as much as she used to walk to college and would use stairs at college a lot.
Emma stated that she had started to run more.
The role of other organisations such as the Combined Authority and mental health services was discussed.
Adele explained that Bury Youth Services had been carrying out COVID safe detached work across the borough to meet with young people and discuss concerns or issues with them.
Those present suggested services and provision for young people such as one to one tutoring, free tutoring, free or reduced cost gym membership, extension of Our Pass.
It was agreed:
That everybody be thanked for their input.