The New Normal

A project by St Dominic’s Grammar School, Belfast, and Friends’ School, Lisburn.

November 2020-May 2021

What is the new normal?

This is not a great time to be young. No one would wish to experience the current pandemic. There are some things – such as the search for a new vaccine – which we can’t control. However, young people in their communities have the ability to support one another and make the situation more bearable both for themselves and for all of us.

Our aim is to give young people a voice during the current pandemic and to be recognised as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

We provide our participants with a platform to work together and come up with fresh ideas, based on their own observations. They focus on what has changed in their homes, families, or communities. What is working and what is not? Our role is to support those with whom we work throughout the development of their ideas.

We have established partnerships with organisations with specialist skills to support and mentor the participants. They include Young Enterprise Northern Ireland, The Oh Yeah! Music Centre, Start 360, Suicide Down to Zero, Fresh Ideas and Stranmillis University College. Our network combines a unique pan Northern Ireland approach, supported by strong local grassroots involvement. As a result, we have the capacity, expertise and flexibility to back almost any idea with which the course members come up.

Who is taking part?

We are a group of 14 sixth form politics students from St Dominic’s Grammar School, Belfast and Friends’ Grammar School, Lisburn. We have been working together via Collaborate Ultra and Google Classroom since November 2020. In total we have completed 5 sessions, and each week we have looked at a particular issue that we feel should be tackled in order to make Northern Ireland emerge from the COVID 19 pandemic in a stronger position.

What issues have we focused on?

At our first meeting we discussed what we wanted Northern Ireland to look like after this pandemic. We discussed our ideas about what we felt could be improved upon in our society and some the ways in which our local Executive could bring about important changes.

There were 4 areas that we decided to focus on:

1. Mental Health & Wellbeing for Young People 2. Loneliness and Isolation 3. Economic Impact 4. Social Media

Who have we spoken to?

We recognised that to build on these ideas we needed to speak with those who are experts in the field of politics, policy and public engagement. We have posed questions about some of the issues that mater to us above to the following prominent individuals. Each session was conducted online and lasted for an hour in length.

• Alex Tennant, Head of Policy and Participation at Northern Ireland Commission for Children • Hugh Roarty, Action Mental Health, MensSana • Peter Weir MLA, Minister for Education • Michelle O’Neill MLA, Deputy First Minister • Gary Middleton MLA, Junior Minister in the Executive Office • Julian Smith MP, Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland • Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste for Republic of Ireland

Issues that should be prioritised.

Mental Health & Wellbeing for Young People

The area our group was tasked to assess was the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of young people. A Secondary Students’ Union of Northern Ireland (SSUNI) report found that, in a survey conducted between November and December 2020, 76% of young people asked had experienced mental health problems related to the pandemic, and the handling of it by the government. As a group, our goal was to research the impact of the pandemic, and suggest strategies to de-stigmatise mental health, raise awareness and provide support to those who need it.

Over the course of the project, we were given opportunities to ask questions relevant to our research to experts in the field of mental health as well as politicians. On the 17th November, Peter Weir announced his Educational Restart Wellbeing fund, a £5 million fund to help educational settings support the mental health and wellbeing of their students, stating “Wellbeing was identified as one of the key areas of the Education Restart Programme. A project was established to ensure educational settings have the information, resources and support they need to help them provide a culture of positive emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people.” We had the opportunity, through Politics in Action, to attend a Question and Answer session with Peter Weir in January of 2021, in which many of the groups participating raised the issue of mental health. The Education minister recognised that this area needed focus as so many had been affected by it, and gave insightful remarks on how his department would help to raise awareness around mental health. Furthermore, he acknowledged the failures of his department on the lack of clarity within the 2020 and 2021 CCEA examination period. SSUNI found that 85% of the students they asked said that the lack of clarity put a strain on their mental health, and Peter Weir stated that he was aware of the shortcomings and the problems that this lack of clarity created. Additionally, a further Question and Answer with Michelle O’Neil showed us that the issue of young people’s mental health had reached the top 4

level of government within Northern Ireland, and was obviously being discussed within the Executive committee. Further Question and Answer slots with Alex Tennant from NICCY, and Hugh Roarty from Action Mental Health, gave us an insight into the work that local charities have been doing during the pandemic, such as the ‘Heads Up’ campaign by NICCY, which produced a Mental Health Toolkit to help young people. Additionally, reports such as the SSUNI ‘Mental Health Matters: Secondary School Mental Health Reform in NI’ allowed us to access figures from surveys conducted on a larger scale, and see what a larger organisation would suggest as an effective strategy to deal with the issues around mental health.

After hearing that the pandemic had caused an increase in mental health issues, and that strategies were being proposed to intervene and support, we discussed a number of strategies we could propose and implement to help with mental health and wellbeing. A number of key issues were identified, including the stigma that revolved around mental health, limited awareness and support for people whenever and wherever they need it. One idea we developed was an Instagram page to promote positive mental health and wellbeing. Approximately 153,000 young people aged 13-17 use Instagram in Ireland, and we feel that an account which posted details of groups who could provide support and help to those who need it would be beneficial. Additionally, we hope that presenting the issue of mental health in a way that they find easier to connect with would help remove some of the stigma surrounding mental wellbeing. Additionally, we are writing to Politicians to raise awareness around the issue and we hope to hear responses to show that Members of the legislative Assembly consider the issue of mental health to be a significant one.

Overall, it is clear to see that the coronavirus pandemic has taken a significant toll on the mental health of young people, and we hope that our strategies will help de-stigmatise mental health, raise awareness and support those in need.

Loneliness and Isolation

A commonly agreed-upon description of loneliness is the feeling we get when our need for rewarding social contact and relationships is not met. According to Immigroup, the UK is considered to be the second most lonely country in the world. Similarly, according to a study conducted by Cigna, loneliness is on the rise and younger workers and social media users feel it most. A survey conducted by YouGov UK of UK adults in November 2020 found that 24% had experienced loneliness in the previous two weeks. This has led our group to focus on the impact that the Coronavirus pandemic has had on loneliness and isolation. With further discussion, we decided to focus mainly on the loneliness and isolation felt by young people, in particular those in full-time education, as well as older people and the clinically vulnerable who are shielding or generally spending much more time at home than they would've done in pre-Covid times. A report by NICVA in December 2020 revealed that 71% of people want the Northern Ireland Assembly to do more to tackle the issue of loneliness.

Throughout the pandemic, many of us have had to resort to using technology to stay connected to our peers and our education, particularly during the period of home learning from January to March 2021 as classes were streamed online and work was submitted on services including Canvas and Google Classroom. However, as I’m sure we all know, technology is not only expensive, but temperamental and unpredictable at the best of times, ultimately leaving many students at a disadvantage, as a result of not having suitable access to a device or broadband. A study carried out by the Belfast Telegraph in February 2021 revealed that in Belfast Model Girls school, 30% of the pupils were accessing remote learning resources via a mobile phone which is, put plainly, inadequate to the not only the volume of work, but the velocity with which it is expected and the requested format. For this reason, we, as a group, believe that more needs to be done to combat this digital isolation in our virtual world. Upon speaking to Peter Weir, we were informed that the Northern Ireland Assembly had donated 24,000 devices in January and that he anticipated that 10,000 more were to be donated, alongside BT WiFi vouchers

being delivered to those with inadequate broadband. While this is absolutely a good starting point, we believe that more should have been done to aid those with inadequate technological resources, and that more needs to be done to help students who have missed out on the opportunities they would have been provided with, in previous years. Furthermore, we feel that more needs to be done to combat social isolation within schools and subsequently came up with the idea of a “buddy system”. This would involve older pupils mentoring and befriending younger pupils in a monitored environment to encourage open communication across age groups to allow for a more open conversation about loneliness and any other issues that they may be facing. We believe that this would allow for younger pupils to feel more comfortable speaking about these issues in general, but also to allow for an older mentor figure that does not have the same authority as a teacher or other adult. Several studies conducted by YouGov across the past year have shown that the one of the groups who have experienced the most loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic have been young people, and it is our hope that this will help address loneliness and isolation from within schools.

Another issue that we feel needs to be addressed is loneliness and isolation amongst older people. Age NI reports that 80,000 older people in Northern Ireland live alone, and over the course of the pandemic, the majority of older people have had their daily routines disrupted and some have had to be separated from their families for an extended period of time. As a result of their inability to complete their daily routines, they may have noticed an increased physical decline. Our focus, however, is more so on their emotive state. Mary Peters launched a ‘Move with Mary’ campaign which has allowed the older generations to exercise safely at home, alongside other local celebrities or television personalities like Joe Wicks that have encouraged older people to regularly exercise by broadcasting regular age-appropriate exercise routines with which older people could get involved with. This has, in turn, allowed for some emotional improvements and helps them feel more connected to their wider community. As a result of the widespread fear and anxiety of leaving the house, a lack of connection with friends and family has led to an emotive decline in the health of older people, and in turn has shown massive increases in the loneliness experienced by the older generations. As a group, we have 7

proposed that local TV networks, such as NVTV, could show older programmes on television to promote nostalgia and hopefully, decrease the loneliness they have experienced, and with no set end in sight, will likely continue to experience. This is backed by Age NI, who reports that older people who are unfamiliar with technology are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness. In a representative survey conducted by YouGovUK, 24% of UK adults had felt lonely within the “previous two weeks”, which is something that we feel needs to be addressed by members of the UK government, which includes the MPs representing Northern Ireland.

For similar reasons, organisations such as Young Enterprise could provide training sessions for older people virtually or safely in-person to familiarise them with the basics of technology to ensure that they remain connected to family and friends. Furthermore, many older people have reported that phone calls from people such as volunteers, neighbours and churches have been greatly appreciated. Age NI has reported that a Check-in and Chat friendly phone conversation can bring significant benefits to the older person and their families. Organisations such as Suicide Down to Zero could provide opportunities for volunteers to give up their time to regularly communicate with an older person, and even issuing incentives such as certificates for CV’s could encourage young people to take part in these schemes. Furthermore, for those who are shielding or are spending more time at home than usual, we have proposed that organisations such as Young Enterprise or The Oh Yeah! Music Centre could provide virtual courses to encourage people to gain new skills or to find a new hobby.

The ideas mentioned previously are all things that we have the ability and drive to do ourselves, and we would like to briefly mention one of your previous colleagues and the impact that she had both in life and continues to have on loneliness in the UK. Helen Joanne Cox was the MP for Batley and Spen from May 2015 until her murder in June 2016. Soon after becoming an MP, Jo set up a cross-party Loneliness Commission with her colleague Seema Kennedy MP. Jo’s vision was that the Commission would run for one year and work with charities, businesses and the Government to turbo-charge the public understanding and policy response to the loneliness crisis. This commission 8

works with charities such as AgeUk, the Alzheimers Society, CarersUk and SilverLine, a helpline for older people, as well as large organisations including Co-Op. According to LocalGovUK, Black and Asian Minority Ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected by virus related mortality, resulting in not only increased trauma, but subsequent loneliness. The Jo Cox Commission does, however, work alongside Refugee Action and has allowed for some focus on the loneliness experienced by minority groups in these trying times. As mentioned previously, according to a study conducted by YouGov, 24% of the UK population has experienced feelings of loneliness in the past two weeks, which is something that has been continuously, effectively combated by the Jo Cox Commission. Since her passing, the Jo Cox Commission has led to the appointment of a minister for loneliness, and the post is currently held by Baroness Barran. It is undeniable that the Jo Cox Commission has had a massive impact on loneliness in the UK, and THIS is what we would like for you to take away from today. The appointment of a minister for loneliness is something that has had a massive influence on the UK, and the appointment of an effective minister for loneliness in Stormont is something that we think would massively improve the quality of emotional health across Northern Ireland.

Economic Impact of COVID-19

Our group wants to make a difference with the homeless community who were seriously impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The term ‘homelessness’ encapsulates individuals sleeping on the streets, begging or street drinking. However, a person may also be deemed to be homeless if they are, for example, living in temporary accommodation such as a hostel or bed and breakfast. Whilst housing and the economic status of the individual can play a large part in their becoming homeless, there are many other contributing factors. Research has shown that the root of homelessness lay within traumatic childhood experiences like physical, mental and/or sexual abuse; bullying; neglect; witnessing alcohol or substance misuse; and domestic violence in the home. It is clear, therefore, that individuals who are homeless

don’t simply need accommodation and income but access to mental health services if this systemic issue is to be, even in part, resolved.

During the pandemic, over 50% of services across England reported an increase in homelessness in their local area, and nearly three-quarters (73%) an increase in demand for support with similar patterns in Northern Ireland. Northern Irish charities that work with the homeless said that some of their homeless clients have not been able to get support from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) during the pandemic. Many of those who are homeless in Northern Ireland are not entitled to housing or homelessness support because of their immigration status. This can include those on work permits, spouse visas, international students, and asylum seekers, as well as EU citizens who are out of work or have moved here after 1st January 2021. Liz Griffith, a board member of Flourish NI, a charity supporting individuals impacted by human trafficking, said the NIHE declined to help a victim of trafficking facing homelessness last November. Ryan Doherty, who has worked with refugees and homeless people has also given accounts of homeless people being denied help during the pandemic. To us it seemed as if across the UK, homeless people have fallen through the cracks in legislation and support services. After hearing about how poorly the homeless community were treated during the pandemic, we decided to focus our project on helping them and giving them essential resources to alleviate some of the difficulties they face day-to-day whilst also working towards a long-term solution that will help a homeless person to integrate back into society and lead a fulfilling life.

It is clear that this problem needs to be addressed and after taking inspiration from local voluntary groups such as Team Haven, we decided to organise a volunteer group consisting of friends and classmates. Over summer, we will begin raising money to give essentials to homeless people based in Belfast City Centre. The care packages will consist of: appropriate food, bottled water, sanitary products, (wet wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitiser, masks, shampoo and conditioner, toilet paper, razors), socks and underwear. However, this is only a short-term solution. Economic independence is the most effective way out of homelessness, but many homeless people lack the skills to keep a job. This is why we hope to work with voluntary groups and advisors who can 10

help homeless people develop their employability skills and begin working towards a route out of homelessness.

Many people who are homeless don’t have easy access to public services like the NHS and mental health support, so we wanted to focus on providing a long- term solution like making mental health services more accessible for homeless people and potential homeless people. We aim to spread awareness to politicians through Politics in Action in the hope that they may prioritise the homeless community and legislate for an improvement in social and public services. In addition, homelessness can become a vicious cycle stemming from mental health issues, compounding these problems and therefore making it difficult to return to normal life. Those who are trying to break the cycle, can face several barriers, for example lack of employment. Therefore, we aim to work with charities like Young Enterprise to extend a similar service to homeless people in order to build up their work skills and abilities as well as confidence and knowledge that can equip them to participate in society once more. Overall, we acknowledge the widespread and long-lasting nature of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but aim to in some way address these issues with our proposals.

Social Media

We were tasked with coming up with an idea on how to use social media to make a positive difference to people facing negative effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Collaboratively, we came up with the idea of using social media platforms to tackle issues that people, particularly young people, are facing as a result of the pandemic such as feeling isolated. A recent study found that 54% of teenagers get their news from social media and this shows how much young people engage with social media.

Our idea is for schools across Northern Ireland to use google classroom as a format for communication with pupils and that using a ‘buddy system’ would be one of the most effective ways for this communication. In practice, this would involve older pupils mentoring younger pupils and helping them to have

an open discussion about their feelings and mental health. This has already proven a success in St Dominic’s and hopefully if other schools carried out a project like this, a similar outcome would be present, with pupils better equipped to deal with mental health issues and are more aware how to use social media in a way that benefits them.

With this in place, we would hope that pupils would feel more at ease knowing that they can talk to someone similar in age to them. As we all know, each young person has faced different challenges over the last year and these challenges may cause some of them to feel less able to talk about what they’re facing.

We believe that using our idea at younger years (year 8-10) in secondary school can target the ages when mental health may start to deteriorate and can give the information that, while they might feel fine now, in the future if they feel alone, they are not alone and there are older pupils who can help them process their feelings and talk about support. During a session with Hugh Roarty from Action Mental Health, he suggested that it should be youth led with teachers added for safeguarding purposes and to oversee.

Another way that social media can be used is as a teaching resource about Mental Health. In the last year, schools have realised how much they can utilise social media for online teaching, mostly through Google Classroom. This could involve doing training regarding Mental Health through Google Classroom and groups such as MenSana offer Mental Health First Aid training.

We would hope to communicate with the Health and Education Departments about specific curriculum regarding mental health to be taught through Google Classroom. In addition to using Google Classroom, we think we could use social media as a way of advertising mental health events like using the school’s twitter to advertise “Well-being Week” and other events.

With the support of Health and Education Departments as well as the Assembly, we feel that our idea can make a real difference to the lives of young people in Northern Ireland. 12

Robbie Butler MLA suggested that, instead of talking to people from Google Classroom, Twitter and other social media companies to ensure that we’re maximising our use of social media platforms, we could look into developing our own app so we are confident there’s no unsafe or inappropriate material on it, like there may be with outside platforms. He also suggested that we could talk to Siobhan O’Neill’s office about potentially starting a position of ‘Mental Health Ambassador’ similar to that of Anti-Bullying Ambassador which is recognised in all schools across the country from the Diana Award.