Vulnerable Wiltshire children being helped back into school routine

£6,000 has been given to the Youth Adventure Trust towards their work with young people from troubled families, with the aim of getting them back into school after lockdown.

The money's come from Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner's Coronavirus Fund, to restart their activity programme into the Autumn term.

The charity supports almost 200 teenagers across the county - including those who might have been excluded, young carers, or to provide early intervention.

Wiltshire PCC, Angus Macpherson said:

"It is very clear that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented stress and disruption for children and young people across the country.

"Not only did they have to cope with schools closing and the impact on their education, but they have also missed out on vital social interactions with friends and family.

"They are now emerging into a very new world, which will take some getting used to, and anything we can do to help support them as they try to return to some sort of normality can only be a positive thing."

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

The Youth Adventure Trust say they'll use the grant to put on some activity days in October.

They're also running one-to-one mentoring sessions for youngsters deemed most at risk.

Director of Fundraising Louise Balaam said:

"We are so grateful for this grant because these activity days will help get these young people back outdoors. We want to get them participating in group activities and have some positive social interactions away from school.

"We want them to continue their journey with us because we know what an impact we are making on their lives and we feel like they need us more than ever right now.

"We do have concerns the young people might not want to go because of their anxieties. Many of the young people we are working with have had their routines go completely out of the window since March. They haven't done any schoolwork, they have been staying up until 3 or 4am and staying in bed until 2pm so we need to get them back into a school routine."

BACK TO SCHOOL BINGO

One idea to help young people to feel excited about their return to lessons has been their Back to School Bingo idea.

That's giving teenagers a series of milestones to acheive to prepare them for the school day.

Bingo squares include things like setting an alarm, or getting school bags ready the night before - with prizes for those who get a 'full house'.

It's aimed at giving young people a routine and preventing anxieties about going into school.

Wiltshire's PCC has set up the Coronavirus Fund with support from the Wiltshire Community Foundation.

Their interim co-chief executive Fiona Oliver said:

"We are very thankful to Mr Macpherson for this funding and are pleased it will be helping this brilliant group to support so many young people when they need help the most."