The Charlton Youth Group through their auspice body Charlton Neighbourhood House were successful in receiving $2,000 funding from the Department of Premier and Cabinet for Youth Week 2020. Youth Week was to be in the first half of 2020 but due to Coronavirus impacts it was postponed to a month of celebrating the youth of Victoria from 15 November to 15 December 2020.
The Charlton Youth Group decided to launch a creative club during lunchtimes at secondary level, which has only had an opportunity to flourish this term as the school environment returned to some normality.
The group acknowledged that transitioning to a social environment post covid was not going to be easy for many and wanted to create an environment that would launch activities where youth could be creative solo or connect into small groups. With a heavy emphasis on sport in rural communities, they felt it was important to stress the importance of diversity and explore creativity.
Neighbourhood House President Kaylene Cossar said, “Throughout this difficult period we worked with Youth Group President Dora McGeown, her peers, and many other young people, particularly those in the 14-25 age bracket, to identify and address what we saw as the top 5 challenges facing them- mental health, social isolation, education impacts, impacts on family life and changes on their planned activities. We had already funded and coordinated many projects like Kite making, Spoonville and Christmas activities for the Playgroup, Kindergarten and both primary schools and wanted this funding to focus on secondary level. It was incredibly evident that coming out of restrictions our social interactions would alter, so we worked with Dora and Charlton College Student Wellbeing Coordinator Natasha Saunders to identify a longer-term solution for the financial investment, and they came up with the Creative Lego Club concept.”
Natasha explained the benefits the formation of this club has had “Lego Club has provided a range of benefits for our students. They now have the opportunity to engage in a creative activity which stimulates their imagination and encourages dialogue amongst students from a range of year levels. For our students who may not wish to engage in physical activity every lunch time, they can now also enjoy quieter activities which build on their teamwork, communication, and social skills. It is great to see them problem solving and experimenting, all in a safe, stress free environment. For some, it has lowered anxiety and increased school attendance and participation. The purchase of our Lego has made a significant difference to the wellbeing of our students and we are incredibly thankful that we could get this initiative off the ground.”
The Charlton Youth Group decided to launch a creative club during lunchtimes at secondary level, which has only had an opportunity to flourish this term as the school environment returned to some normality.
The group acknowledged that transitioning to a social environment post covid was not going to be easy for many and wanted to create an environment that would launch activities where youth could be creative solo or connect into small groups. With a heavy emphasis on sport in rural communities, they felt it was important to stress the importance of diversity and explore creativity.
Neighbourhood House President Kaylene Cossar said, “Throughout this difficult period we worked with Youth Group President Dora McGeown, her peers, and many other young people, particularly those in the 14-25 age bracket, to identify and address what we saw as the top 5 challenges facing them- mental health, social isolation, education impacts, impacts on family life and changes on their planned activities. We had already funded and coordinated many projects like Kite making, Spoonville and Christmas activities for the Playgroup, Kindergarten and both primary schools and wanted this funding to focus on secondary level. It was incredibly evident that coming out of restrictions our social interactions would alter, so we worked with Dora and Charlton College Student Wellbeing Coordinator Natasha Saunders to identify a longer-term solution for the financial investment, and they came up with the Creative Lego Club concept.”
Natasha explained the benefits the formation of this club has had “Lego Club has provided a range of benefits for our students. They now have the opportunity to engage in a creative activity which stimulates their imagination and encourages dialogue amongst students from a range of year levels. For our students who may not wish to engage in physical activity every lunch time, they can now also enjoy quieter activities which build on their teamwork, communication, and social skills. It is great to see them problem solving and experimenting, all in a safe, stress free environment. For some, it has lowered anxiety and increased school attendance and participation. The purchase of our Lego has made a significant difference to the wellbeing of our students and we are incredibly thankful that we could get this initiative off the ground.”
