Restored Lives Piloting Course for Children in 2021
Posted 3 years ago
Photo by Devin Avery Unsplash
This summer we will be piloting the first ‘Restored Lives for Teens’ course in partnership with the children’s charity Fegans. Designed specifically for 12 – 18-year-olds, the course will run online one session a week for six weeks.
Like the adult course, the teen’s course will give children a safe, non-judgmental space to meet others in a similar situation who will ‘get’ where they are at. A place where they can share and grapple with the feelings and issues they are experiencing, where they are listened to, reassured and encouraged as well as learning the tools and the skills they need to navigate their changed situation.
Essential to the delivery of this is hearing from young people who have been through a similar situation. How was it for them? What helped? To see and hear from people who have travelled a similar journey and gone on to lead a happy life brings enormous hope and confidence that current difficulties can pass and there is a future worth looking forward to. It is incredibly encouraging.
The aim is that teens will leave with a renewed confidence and hope born out of an understanding of issues such as:
- – how to deal with the changes around you;
- – how to resolve problems; managing your own emotions;
- – learning skills to cope with difficult situations;
- – a structure to let go and move on.
The emphasis is on building healthy relationships and gives teens a tool kit for all their relationships in the future.
Did your parents separate or divorce when you were a child? If so we need your help!
We are looking for volunteer ‘children of divorced parents’ who are now aged over 18 to help us produce some vox pops and short stories to use in the course materials. Can you help or know someone that could? We are particularly looking for 18 to 30-year-olds who experienced their parents’ separation when they were younger than 18, but all over 18s are welcome as every story has an impact. We are hoping to record about 40 volunteers during April to give plenty of variety.
Volunteers will need half an hour, a phone or laptop to record on zoom, a quiet space and a willingness to be interviewed and to share what happened to them, what helped and what advice they would pass on. We will anonymise as many elements as possible of any contributions by changing names and personal details etc.
Parents separating is a life-changing event for children. They are often isolated with few people around them to talk to. We want to change that and empower children to limit the damage, heal, learn about relationships and make good choices in their future lives. As on the adult course, where personal stories give life to the course material, we want to instigate conversation and openness using the real experiences of young adults. These stories can transform the experience of children and start to give them real hope that their difficulties can be overcome.
Please contact us to volunteer by emailing [email protected]