THE NEED?
With loneliness and deteriorating mental health a legacy of the isolation caused by Covid, the challenge for us all once restrictions were eased was charging our projects with new energy to re-engage with and make a difference to the wellbeing of young people – to ensure that they feel like they belong and matter.
Critically, we needed to support resilience, rebuild life skills and encourage aspirations and positive life choices to help young people to reach their potential, despite the difficulties many had faced.
THE IMPACT
The graph below highlights how confidence, activity and feelings of inclusion levels dipped during the pandemic but have reached near pre pandemic levels now sessions are regularly accessible again.
The words Hull Wicketz participants associated with lockdown:
LANCASHIRE SUPER 1s ADAPTING TO COVID
There was much uncertainty in March 2020 as routines were turned upside down and participants were unable to see friends or look forward to Super 1s, which for some was a highlight of their week.
As we entered a second lockdown, zoom activities – something that had already become a staple for some participants where no cricket activity had been possible – took on a greater significance. Combining multiple Super 1s hubs, sometimes from across projects, in the same zoom call allowed participants to interact in a safe space with others who they had not met before but with whom they shared an enjoyment of Super 1s. The sessions required creativity from home, as balls and stumps were replaced by rolled up socks and waste-paper baskets – it was not Super 1s as they knew it, but they enjoyed it.
The range of activities strengthened friendships and developed new skills in such areas as martial arts and cooking, healthy eating and sports coaching. They took part in the Mencap and Special Olympics virtual challenge week and enjoyed games of virtual bingo. New participants joined and stayed, despite having never been to a cricket session or met any of the other members before. During a confidence workshop, participants were asked to take turns in giving and taking compliments – these were surprisingly open and touching, with people who had never met each other in person, openly expressing how much they enjoyed interacting with each other. Participants left the session feeling more confident, due not only to the tips provided in its content, but also the comments of their peers.
Some participants had been shielding or self-isolating for multiple weeks and many said they were finding the calls to be a welcome interaction with the outside world, rebuilding confidence and their fragile mental health.
The aim of Super 1s is always to develop people, with the game of cricket being the foundation used to enhance life skills. It has also always been about making friends and creating a healthy social environment. It has become clear that even in this setting, without the game of cricket itself, Super 1s has had a lasting impact, even in the toughest of times.
