Since the outbreak of covid-19, young people have been under an enormous amount of pressure and many will become increasingly vulnerable.
The initial feedback we received from our members is that many feel bored, while others feel isolated from those around them. Some of these young people live in busy homes and lack personal space whereas others live in households with no one around to support them. These are just some of the issues our young people have been experiencing.
We have created an online media programme for our members to make short films based on issues that are important to them. This gives them a chance to voice their thoughts and feelings, and empowers them to share their views with others who are in a similar situation. This also encourages young people to stay in touch with their peers and collaborate remotely to take part in a social action programme.
Our youth media team has been working with young people to tell their stories about how the covid-19 is affecting their day to day lives and how they are coping with its impact on their mental and physical health. Each week, the young people are creating a short film at home, on devices such as their phones, tablets or gopros.
If you are interested in creating a film or other media contact our media manager: Shipon.hussain@fya.org.uk or call/message him on 07716845886
#Lockdown Series
I am a Peer Mentor
Being a peer mentor helps others! This film shows the role of the mentor and the mentee, it elaborates on how effective a mentor can be for a young person. Peer mentors are especially important, as they play a significant part in supporting someone and building relationships as well as having important discussions and making an impact.
Stay Safe Man
This film highlights safety measures for young males who are out and about. It gives safety tips and shows how young men can also be vulnerable outside.
Think Before You Type
This is a short film created by young people at FYA to show the impact of negative social media posts. It highlights how negative comments can impact a young person’s mental health so think before you write anything online because you don’t know how your words might affect someone.
Dyslexia and Me
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that many young people around the world and the UK live with. This film sheds light on some of the ways in which a young person overcomes some of these difficulties.
Negative Body Image
This film was created in partnership with Westminster Kingsway College by a group of young people to express the importance of body image and how a negative body image can be seriously detrimental to a young person’s life.
Fitzrovia Christmas Community Dinner 2021
The Christmas Community Dinner was organised by a steering group of young people for the local community and featured a stage of entertainment, a full roast dinner and bingo
Street Party and Community Dinner 2021
Every summer, young people organise a street party and community dinner for local residents. A stage is erected in the play area and tables and chairs set out in the street. Young people host the event on stage, provide entertainment, serve the food, organise decorations and tidy up and provide all the stewarding. This event takes place around the Warren outdoor play area and is aimed at improving relations between young people and residents who live close-by.
Racism is Real
This is a film that was created in partnership work with Lauderdale house and Camden Youth Service. A group of young are having a discussion about their experiences with racism and how it has impacted them moving forward. Here you can hear some of their stories!
Warren Cup 2021
This event is one of our football tournaments organised to engage young people in healthy lifestyles, whether playing sport or raising awareness of health issues impacting young people and our community. On the day, there was scheduled games between local youth teams, Cinema tent where we screen peer education films created by young people and also operate a BBQ. This event was sponsored by Take-Two Interactive, Groundwork and Camden Council.
This film shares a young person’s view on how their journey to create a film came about. It shows how an idea developed, was discussed and created. Many young people feel that the peer education project is a way for their voices to be heard and their ideas to take form through a media piece.
Peer Education
https://youtu.be/EK6Mo9fHpcI
I need space!
This film looks at how three young people are living in an overcrowded home with too many occupants. One of the younger siblings got into an accident due to the lack of space. This film highlights how space is key for not only safety but also the way it impacts on young people’s mental health.
Fitzrovia Community Planting Day 2021
Fitzrovia Youth in Action organised a street planting event involving young people, local residents and corporate volunteers. A big thank you to our funder Regent’s Place, as well as to our corporate supporters, Metro Bank, Veolia and British Land, for helping to make Fitzrovia blossom!
What did we learn during the pandemic?
This animation was created in partnership with a group from UCL academy, it discusses some of the different things that these young people have learned during the year. Skills such as using remote learning platforms, staying in touch in different ways, and building good habits during lockdown.
Speak up!
Our young people created this short film about how sometimes men/boys keep things in because of societal expectations at the expense of themselves. This young person is sharing how important it is to speak up and that you shouldn’t be embarrassed to seek help when you need support so things don’t get too much.
Real facts about homelessness
Looking at the statistics about homelessness, these young people have created a film that shows some of the causes of homelessness and how the youth have been affected. The pandemic has left more young people at risk of becoming homeless and the struggles that are faced day-to-day such as abuse, poverty and relationship issues indicate that many are at risk.
No place to go
This film was created in partnership with New Horizon. It looks closely at a young person’s experiences with homelessness and the impact that not having a stable home has had on their mental health. Some of the themes that have been touched upon are health, friendship and community. This short film highlights the importance of feeling a sense of belonging but also a need for young people to have stability in terms of housing.
Pandemic problems
The pandemic has impacted young people and their mental health. This film looks at how the pandemic has caused many problems and some to feel quite low. This film also highlight some of the things you can do to remain positive during a difficult time.
Peer Educators
Here’s a young person’s take on what the peer education project offers. Simply speaking there’s an immense amount of training, discussions and group work along with a creative film-making. It is quite a broad project which many of our young people enjoy taking part in! You can see for yourself how enthusiastic and involved our young people get. Being a peer educator is extremely rewarding!
Stay hygienic! Covid-19
Practising good hygiene is very important more now than ever as we are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. This film was created in partnership with a group of students from Westminster Kingsway College, it highlights some of the important hygiene practises that we all should be doing in order to stay safe and stop the spread of the virus.
Becoming an FYA Ambassador!
Take glimpse into some of the important work our young people do at FYA. This clip showcases a few of great things that our FYA ambassadors have done so far and some of the exciting things ahead. See what it means to become an ambassador for FYA.
Keep going! Lockdown
This short film is about not giving up when things start getting tough. The young person in this film is experiencing stressful times during the lockdown but by no means are they letting those feelings overwhelm them and take over, instead they are looking at the positives and trying their best to keep going.
Bullies can’t be friends can they?
Here is a film created by young people looking into bullying and discrimination in an educational setting. In this clip it shows a new student who is being picked on by his peers and they make him feel quite worthless. Some bystanders step in to defend him because they notice he’s being bullied. It’s important to stand up to bullies and not allow discrimination to take place!
Lockdown Top Tips
This film was created by a group of young people from Westminster Kingsway College. They wanted to share some of the activities they do during lockdown so that they can stay busy. This film discusses what you can do during the lockdown and why it is important to have a good routine as well.
Vaccine misinformation COVID-19
There’s a lot of misunderstanding about the COVID-19 vaccine, mostly spread through fake news and social media posts. This film is a take on how a young person is dealing with what they’ve read and heard and how it has impacted their choices as well as the choices of their family members. In this clip the young person is advising her parent who doesn’t speak English in regards to the dangers of the vaccine. But after careful thought she expresses the importance of speaking to an actual health advisor if you’re not sure about the vaccine itself.
Changes
This is a short film created by a group of students from LSU which looks at Great Britain and what it has to offer but what lies beneath brings into question some of the changes that have to take place within education, social division and power.
COVID-19 and Social Norms
This group of students at Westminster Kingsway College created a film that outlines the big changes that have taken place due to Covid-19. The new normal is something many are finding difficult but there is hope for better days ahead because of testing and a new vaccine.
Community Christmas 2020 – Christmas to Your Door and Community Christmas Online event
This year, our youth organisers held socially distant Christmas – connecting the community at a time of year which can be incredibly isolating, this year perhaps more than any other. This film shows how our brilliant youth action volunteers still made this happen delivering meal packages to over 600 local residents, supporting 350 people from homeless organisations American International Church Soup Kitchen on Tottenham Court Road and St Mungos residents in Camden AND hosting an online event attended by over 50 people.
Camden Youth Action Digital Showcase 2020
Camden Youth Action Digital Showcase occurred online because of the COVID-19 measures. Young people performed poetry, songs, shared their music and films they had created online. There were discussions about how films were produced as well as how they came up with ideas.
Ela’s performance at the Camden Youth Action Showcase 2020
This is a performance by an FYA member Ella. This performance was part of the showcase and everyone was able to tune in and watch it live.
Washed up Masks
In partnership with WAC arts, this film has been created by a young person who wants to discuss climate change. Due to the on-going pandemic, she feels that the climate crisis has been sidelined and people are forgetting about climate change. So the idea explored in this clip is the importance of remembering the condition of our planet and raising awareness.
Let’s Talk Mental Health
In partnership with Coram. Coram’s Young Citizens share their experiences to help other young people new to the country who may be struggling with their mental health. Young Citizens is Coram’s ambassador programme for 16-25 year olds from migrant and refugee backgrounds. They use their experiences to inspire and empower other young people new to the UK.
Better together – Community togetherness during Covid-19
Since May 2020 Bengali Workers Association and Fitzrovia Youth in Action have been coordinating fortnightly meal deliveries to individuals and families impacted by COVID19 reaching between 260 to 400 people per event. We worked together alongside amazing partners Hopscotch Asian Womens Centre, One Housing Esther Randall Court and during peak lockdown KCBNA, to reach as many people who were shielding or more isolated.
Life on Pause
The virus has had an impact on everyone’s day-to-day lives and many new changes have had a negative effect. This young person in the film is hoping for better days ahead and is looking forward to the positives after the restrictions are lifted, so life returns back to normal again. This short film was created in partnership with WAC arts.
Through My Eyes
Looking at racism from a young person’s perspective highlight some of the issues that they are having to deal with. It also gives a view on what needs to be changed and emphasises the message that we all need to stand together against stereotypes, racism and inequality
Easing out of the lockdown life
In partnership with Wac Arts, a film was created to convey a young person’s thoughts about the easing of lockdown, the A-level/GCSE grades coming and people being able to go out and about. The message details that there still needs to be high level of safety maintained as the virus is still around. Although figures aren’t being displayed as they were before people should remain aware and alert.
Football is Back!
We are excited to have our football programme back. Check out the video from our coaches explaining how football will take place from now on. I’m sure we have all missed a kick about with our friends or a competitive game. It feels like it has been a while! Guess what? You can get your time on the pitch now! So, start booking your slot and get back to playing! All safety and social distancing measures will be in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
Fake News
‘Fake News’ is the first of a series of short films written and performed by members of FYA. It is about the spread of inaccurate information on covid-19 which is having an impact on a young person’s mental health.
Lockdown
This short music video is called, ‘Lockdown’ – it highlights some of the experiences of a young person under the current circumstances of the lockdown. Members closely collaborated to create lyrics that showcased their emotions and displayed the changes that they are facing.
Lockdown Diaries Part 1
A young person talks about how life in isolation has been causing him to feel low. He outlines strategies of how to cope during the lockdown. He’s also advising others on how to stay active (he is trying to start using his ‘daily’ exercise allowance to walk as he hasnt been leaving the house very much) and explains the current difficulties that young people are facing during their time at home. He shares some ideas of how to stay occupied and why it is important to do so during the lockdown.
Lockdown Learners COVID-19
FYA carried out a telephone survey with over 120 young people about their experiences during the lockdown. Their number one concern was their education – how the lockdown would affect their exams, their results and what will happen next. This short film focuses on a young person who speaks about her feelings about her education due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
#LockdownGoals
This film is an account of what young people are doing during the lockdown. In keeping with the advice given, the young people are trying to keep themselves busy by doing activities they enjoy indoors. Young people are watching movies, reading books, singing and song writing etc. This in turn is making their time at home easier and is keeping them occupied.
Habits During Lockdown
This is a film from different young people’s perspective showing the different habits they have developed during quarantine. Not all are positive, some young people are over sleeping. While more positive habits are being developed such as exercise and getting fresh air.This film has been created with young people from Westminster Kingsway College.
How did it happen?
This short music video challenges conspiracy theories surrounding 5G, the news coverage around covid-19 and how life has dramatically changed in the last few months. It has a positive message about standing together and protecting the NHS by staying at home and saving lives. This piece was filmed by a young person who followed the government’s social distancing guidelines.Created by young people at home, all the filming, lyrics and beats were created by the group.
FYA Ambassadors – It’s Good to Talk
FYA ambassadors have been meeting once a week during lockdown, to discuss the different issues young people are facing during this time and providfe peer support to each other. They explore some of the current issues that are being faced and some possible solutions. Here’s their conversation last week in action!
I AM NOT THE VIRUS – COVID19
‘We wont let this divide our community. We won’t let it define our future’ I am Not the Virus is our latest film in the Lockdown Series -This film displays young peoples insight into how covid-19 is changing their lives and how interaction and behaviours have drastically changed over the last few months. It explores the idea of how young people’s future may be uncertain due to school closures. It clearly states the idea that, ‘I am not the virus’ and delivers a hopeful message that we are going to overcome this together.
The group who created this had been working on a film as part of our #PeerEducation project and were ready to film the day FYA had to close its doors. They quickly adapted to working online together and created a new film in response to their experience. They contacted friends and other peers to be involved too.
Changes – COVID19
This is a spoken word film created, written, acted and edited by an FYA ambassador. She takes a glimpse into the way lives around the UK have drastically shifted and the impact it has had on society. In this piece, she sends a positive message about remaining hopeful.
You Are Not Alone #togetherness
During the lockdown a group of young people from La Sainte Union Catholic School (LSU) have weekly meetings discussing issues that are important to them currently. This week one of the members wrote a song to show support to others and to inspire togetherness. She performed her piece live to them during a group video call. A key message behind her song is to remind others that they are not alone
Hate Crime Discussion #togetherness!
This week one of the members from LSU discussed the topic of hate crime that the Asian community are facing in the UK. She created a poster to present the rise of hate crimes in the UK linked to the coronavirus. A key message behind the group discussion is the impact that hate crimes may have on the mental health of young people. She has also expressed that many in the community may feel scared or worried to go outdoors due to this.
