Five girls aged between 11-14 have recently been benefitting from the support of Positive Futures Liverpool, to help them with their struggles around isolation, anxiety and self-esteem. These struggles were leading to problems at home.
The group of participants all lacked confidence and struggled in group settings which had been exacerbated due to the national lockdowns. So, the desired outcome of this project was clear, to boost the confidence of these young women and encourage interactions online via Positive Futures. Furthermore, the team wanted to gently challenge them to sign-up for and online workshop ran by a partner organisation, here they would engage with young people and professionals who they did not know…yet.
The intervention
The sessions were structured around an introduction, activity and discussion which provided a safe and informal environment for them. As part of this process, the young people would interact more with each other, develop their communication skills and try new things such as cooking, art and tie-dye.
The outcomes
The initial 12-week project concluded in December 2020, when one young person commented that;
“The group has allowed me to communicate with people, give me something to do and I really enjoy it, getting involved in the online session was new to me but helped me loads”
The group all reported improved levels of confidence and self-esteem in themselves. This improvement also had a knock-on effect on their relationships at home and with peers, with the group members communicating better about themselves and their feelings.
The impact
One of the biggest achievements of this project was the group participation in the Child Friendly Cities Webinar in late November, something that just a couple of months earlier, most, if not all of the group members would not have done. During this webinar, the girls contributed their ideas and answered questions from the session facilitators. The girls had their cameras on and were happy to get involved.
The group will continue with their face-to-face sessions in a Covid-19 compliant way, but are all also planning to get involved with some of the upcoming online activities with other young people who attend Positive Futures.
