Surge in demand for Sprowston youth engagement project
The drive in demand started in March and has continued to grow in strength since
A youth engagement project in Sprowston has seen a surge in the number of young people looking for support after the easing of restrictions.
Clare Lincoln, head of the Sprowston Youth Engagement Project (SYEP), told us that "every single week we get new young people". But she says this type of surge in demand is "unheard of" considering most of the new people don't know each other and haven't joined the project through word of mouth.
She told us that a rise in year 7 and 8's joining is probably due to how lockdowns have affected them socially, "They haven't been able to make the friendships they otherwise would have made".
She admits that a lot of the people that come to the project are struggling with their confidence and anxiety. She told us that she is worried about how the pandemic will affect young people "later on in their lives".
She is also concerned by how the rise in mental health issues will affect the already "stretched" local service, "There's already massive strains on Mental Health services and if this carries on you worry how these services are going to cope."