Youth workers send message to young people

Youth workers send message to young people

Ashton Youth Voice group with youth workers Amy and Christine

Wigan Council's youth workers have sent a message to young people in the borough, encouraging them to stay safe and positive during the period of uncertainty due to the coronavirus.

The message follows the decision to close the youth groups run by the council to help keep young people safe. 

The message says:

We were really sad to have to temporarily close our council youth groups in Wigan Borough this week.

It’s important that we all do what we can to keep everyone safe but we’re looking forward to the time when our groups will open again and we can meet up every week.

We know this is a worrying time and we are still here for you if you need us.

In the meantime, remember all of the important things we regularly talk about in groups; stay safe, look after each other and be kind.

Take care of your wellbeing; do something you enjoy every day. Try to find some positives in this situation and use the time to do something you’ve always wanted to do, such as writing a story or play, create a piece of art, write a song, try baking, make some music, try a new fitness app. Send us some photos of what you’ve achieved and we can publish them on our social media channels.

Try to stay in a daily routine and get a good night’s sleep. The Mr. Kip’s guide to getting a good night’s sleep has been written for you by some of our youth workers and is on the council’s Be Kind web pages .

You can also find lots of advice on those pages about how to keep yourselves and others safe. And there’s a great booklet that explains all about the virus in a really simple way, so you can share it with your younger brothers and sisters.

Here are a few other websites and phone numbers that might be useful if you need to talk to someone or if you want a bit more info on how to take care of yourself during this time:

• www.kooth.com
• www.mind.org.uk
• www.childline.org.uk or call 0800 11 11

DIAS is a useful point of contact if you do not feel safe at home: 075199 11 902 or 07519 911 897, 9.30am-1.30pm, Monday-Friday. (If you are ever in immediate danger always call 999).

We’ll keep in touch and let you know when the groups will re-open. We’ll post regular messages on here. You can also follow us on Twitter @LINC2Wigan or email tyssweb@wigan.gov.uk.