admin, Author at Youth Unity

Time spent in blue spaces benefits children in later life, says study

14/10/2022

by admin Health & Wellbeing News & Updates Press Articles Sports & Fitness

SOURCE LINK THE GUARDIAN

Exposure to spaces such as beaches and rivers leads to greater value being placed in natural settings, study finds

Childhood days on the beach or messing around in rivers can have significant lasting benefits for our wellbeing in adulthood, according to a study.

It found that exposure to blue spaces – such as coasts, rivers and lakes – as a child made revisiting blue spaces in adulthood more likely, as these adults showed greater familiarity with and placed greater value in natural settings.

More than 15,000 participants in 18 different countries were surveyed for the study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology by researchers at the University of Exeter.

“Learning to swim and appreciate the dangers in terms of rip currents, cold temperatures etc is of course primary,” says Mathew White, a senior scientist at the University of Vienna and co-author of the study, “but the message we are trying to get across is that to only teach children about the dangers of water settings may make them overly afraid of, and ill-equipped to benefit from, places that can also be hugely beneficial to their health and wellbeing as they grow up.

“The vast majority of blue space visits both for adults and children do not involve getting wet – so there are also many advantages from spending time near water, not just in it.”

There has been a growing body of research over the last decade about the specific beneficial effects of blue space on mental health.

A review published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health in 2011 suggested visits to blue space could increase people’s physical activity levels and lower stress and anxiety, while boosting their mood and psychological wellbeing.

Another review published by the Environmental Agency in 2020, found that blue spaces were associated with improvement of mood and feelings of restoration to a greater degree than green spaces.

The study’s lead author, Valeria Vitale, a PhD candidate at Sapienza University of Rome, said via email: “We recognise that both green and blue spaces have a positive impact on people’s mental and physical health. Also, prior studies examining childhood nature exposure and adulthood outcomes have largely focused on green space, or natural spaces in general. However, as we highlighted in our paper blue spaces have unique sensory qualities (light reflections, wave motion, sounds, etc) and facilitate a distinct range of leisure activities (swimming, fishing, water sports).”

She added: “We believe our findings are particularly relevant to practitioners and policymakers because of the nationally representative nature of the samples. First, our findings reinforce the need to protect and invest in natural spaces in order to optimise the potential benefits to subjective wellbeing. Second, our research suggests that policies and initiatives encouraging greater contact with blue spaces during childhood may support better mental health in later life.”

Our recent project in Cornwall: Project Point of View
Working in partnership with Elemental UK

North Meets South – 1:1 mentoring service

14/10/2022

by admin Mentoring North Meets South

Youth Unity is pleased to announce that we are the new selected provider to deliver a 2 year Mentoring program for vulnerable young people, working in some of the most deprived areas of London supporting the local communities, working in the areas of Barking & Dagenham and Havering.

The new service will offer a referral pathway that will allow us to provide direct 121 and contextual case support to some of the most complex cases working with Schools, Social Care and Metropolitan Police.

We have been developing our model and building an evidence base for the past 12 months following success in other areas, this funding will improve outcomes for our young people around CCE & associated vulnerability strands as we get the opportunity to network with key partners across the Borough of Barking & Dagenham we wanted to acknowledge all the people & organisations that have supported us on getting there.

Please get in touch if you’re reading this and would like any further information on our service, and how we may be able to support young people in your community.

The ages covered are between 7-18 associated or at risk of exploitation, gangs, or associated vulnerability (if they fall outside the eligible age range, they will be considered on a case-by-case basis)

at significant risk of harm from exploitation, (such as violence or criminal groups, a risk to themselves, or pose a risk of harm to others motivated to change to involvement (if applicable) and are willing to work with the service
working with social services, youth offending or safeguarding team

Individual and group mentoring will provide tailored activities for YP in need of further and more specialised support. This will have an impact on a wider range of outcomes than the lower-level support initially offered to them, as it will consist of regular and sustained mentoring, addressing a variety of issues and risk factors that affect the young people.

The 1-1 support will aim to improve relationships with trusted adults, focus on their attainment and attitude to education and work on achieving personal development goals.

The group mentoring will focus more on improving mental health and wellbeing by developing positive peer relationships and engaging in fun and meaningful activities. The YP will design and participate in activities tailored to their goals, improving self-efficacy and resilience.

A third of children have adult social media accounts – Ofcom

14/10/2022

by admin Mental Health News & Updates Parenting Press Articles

SOURCE LINK

One in three children lie about their age to access adult content on social media, according to research commissioned by the regulator, Ofcom.

Many social media sites, such as Instagram, do not permit under-13s to sign up, while accounts for under-18s have limited functionality.

But researchers found children were faking their ages to skirt the rules.

Ofcom says this increases the risk of children seeing content which may be inappropriate or harmful.

Anna-Sophie Harling, from Ofcom, told BBC News the way social media platforms categorised users by age had a “huge impact” on the content they were shown.

She cited the recent Molly Russell inquest: “That was a very specific case of harmful content that had very detrimental impacts and tragic outcomes on a family in the UK.

“When we talk about potentially harmful content to under-18s, it’s content that might have more significant negative consequences for under-18s because they’re still developing.

“When children are repeatedly exposed to images and videos that contain certain images, they’re then essentially led to act in different ways or to think differently about themselves or their friends.”

The Ofcom-commissioned research found 32% of children have an account intended for adults, while 47% of children aged eight to 15 have a user age of 16 and over.

And 60% of children under the age of 13 who use social media accounts have their own profiles, despite not being old enough.

Ms Harling said the age categorizations were meant to be “one of the main ways” in which platforms protected the safety of their users.

“If we want to get serious about protecting children online, we need to make sure that platforms have a way to find out exactly how old those users are,” she said.

“We need to work both with parents and young people, but also platforms, to make sure that the ages at which those accounts are set are done in an accurate way.”

YouTube says it has made investments to protect children, such as launching a dedicated children’s app and introducing new data practices for children’s content.

The BBC also approached Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, for comment. A spokesperson referred to the latest work from Meta on verifying the ages of younger users, such as allowing people to “ask others to vouch for their age” or using technology which analyses videos people take of themselves.

Twitter and TikTok have also been approached for comment.

Point of View – DP9

05/10/2022

by admin Point of View

Part 1 . The London Landscape

The project will start with the young creatives travelling across London, gaining a glimpse of what it’s like to live and work in London. From visiting iconic buildings to visiting consultants that work across Dominvs’s developments, the young people will start to understand what real estate is from the bottom to the top level boardroom through working with some experienced corporations in London.
Visit 1: DP9

What an amazing day with DP9 who delivered an inspirational talk to our young participants. They gave valuable insight on how Development and Planning takes place for some of the most iconic buildings in London.

After the talk we traveled together by London Underground to visit number 22 Bishopsgate.

The young people were given the opportunity to visit a viewing gallery that is not yet open to the public. The development host one of the most iconic views of London.

The young people were given the opportunity to be among the first members of the public to visit the viewing gallery that overlooks much of Londons landscape.

For many of these young people an opportunity to visit something as iconic has never been part of their vision.

It was fantastic to see their reactions as they became part of the new developments history.

Point of View – Turner & Townsend

05/10/2022

by admin Point of View

The second day of the project was a visit to Turner and Townsend.

The group spent time in the offices meeting the staff and listening to a presentation about the services and developments that Turner and Townsend offer. The young people also looked at last projects and had the privilege to look at projects that the company have planned for the future.

The group also had the opportunity to meet and talk to younger members of staff that have joined the organisation and have established good career routes etc. The focus was to enlighten the group about possible apprenticeships or positions within the company that may occur in the future.

The staff of Turner and Townsend organised an opportunity for the boys to visit two of the live sites that are in development. The young people were allowed access to some of the most prestigious properties in the borough.

Some of the properties were valued at up to ten million pounds. The group naturally placed their orders.

The group were the taken to the main offices of Turner & Townsend for lunch followed by an invite to visit the viewing deck by St. Paul’s Cathedral.

As well as a great opportunity for the group to take selfies in such a great spot, they also took on board new values about how they too can move forward positively and live a much more sustainable life in the future.

All of the group mentioned that fact that without projects like these, they may never get the much needed insight in how they can use education to live a life that contributes positively to the greater development of communities and other surrounding areas.

Point of View – Dominvs Group

05/10/2022

by admin Point of View

The project will start with the young creatives travelling across London, gaining a glimpse of what it’s like to live and work in London. From visiting iconic buildings to visiting consultants that work across Dominvs’s developments, the young people will start to understand what real estate is from the bottom to the top level boardroom through working with some experienced corporations in London.

Full project overview

Day 3. Dominvs group kindly extended their offices to our young people to host a podcast session with some of the most senior members of staff.

The young people were given the opportunity to produce a broadcast quality podcast full of questions and advice on how they can choose a career in their futures.

Some of the questions the young people asked were thought provoking and challenging at the same time.

The Principal Jay, delivered a ten minute talk highlighting the challenges that he and his family faced when they came to the UK and started a small business.

This story provided a real life perspective of how to overcome the challenges to success.

Wes also delivered his perspective on how the young people can pursue a career in property development.

Overall a very inspirational day for the young people and the staff, which was followed by a trip to Nandos.

Point of View – US Embassy

05/10/2022

by admin Point of View

Day 4: Our final visit before Cornwall was spent with the US Embassy

We were given the opportunity to visit the embassy with the young people.

This is a huge chance for them all to experience the diverse and interesting operational functions of an establishment like this.

The young people were given a special tour of the Embassy with the team.

They also enjoyed eating lunch with some of the staff.

The boys were able to ask key questions about the running of the Embassy and the importance in todays society. They also learned a lot about the relationship between the US and the UK.

The boys also had the chance to meet young US marines that have chosen a career in the forces.

The day ended with a tour of the marines quarters, and a group selfie in front of the US embassy’s iconic signage.

All of the boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience and feel inspired to move towards a positive career that may even involve politics.

Well done guys and thank you for hosting us on a truly enjoyable day at the Embassy.

Elemental UK – Project Point of View / THE BIG SKY

05/10/2022

by admin Point of View

The second part of the project will revolve around mentoring and for that the young creatives will be visiting Elemental UK, who are based in Cornwall. The mentoring will involve a five day residential stay where the young creatives will plan a sound map of the life in London compared to rural life by the sea. The five days in Cornwall will be split between Newquay and Falmouth.

The five days in Cornwall will be split between Newquay and Falmouth.

What an adventure!

Over the five days we worked with these young people we saw them flourish in confidence and developed skills that enabled them to work better as a team.
The majority of the activities were water based and the young people, many of them had never embarked in water sports before embraced the challenges and all of the task set. Many of them overcame the fears they had of water.

The biggest success was witnessing two of the non-swimmers, pushing themselves to learn how to swim in such a short space of time.

The activities included surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding and coasteering, all of which require learning and adapting new skill sets in a short period of time.

Project overall

Project Point of View – Film Screening

05/10/2022

by admin Point of View

To mark the end of the project Dominvs hosted an official screening at one of their iconic hotels in the heart of London. The young people invited their parents and friends to come along to watch. All of the young people that took part in the project also received their very own Oscar!

Children more unhappy with lives, schooling and appearance – research

05/10/2022

by admin Health & Wellbeing News & Updates

The cost-of-living crisis is impacting families, a report said, while children are struggling following the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic.

Source:

https://www-independent-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/children-society-school-government-b2172599.html?amp

Children are becoming more unhappy with their lives, schooling and appearance, according to research detailing the “desperately worrying” decline of children’s wellbeing in the UK.

Around one in eight children (12%) aged 10-15 were unhappy with school in 2019-20, data analysed by The Children’s Society suggests.

And six per cent were unhappy with their lives overall, according to the results set out in its Good Childhood report 2022.

Events since then, such as the cost-of-living crisis, are having a significant impact on families, the authors said, while children are also struggling following the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic.

The charity surveyed more than 2,000 children aged 10-17, and their parent or carer, across the UK between May and June.

It also analysed data from the UK Understanding Society survey, which covers 40,000 UK households annually, with questions completed by adults and children aged 10-15.

More than a third of parents and carers surveyed by the charity said they had struggled with the costs of school trips and uniforms, while more than a quarter struggled with the cost of school shoes, computer equipment and PE kit.

Some 85% said they were concerned about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on their family over the next year.

And 11% of children and 13% of parents or carers said they did not cope well with changes caused by coronavirus.

Analysis of the Understanding Society study suggests, on average, happiness with life as a whole, friends, appearance and school were all significantly lower in 2019-20 – the latest available data – than in 2009-10.

Some 12% were unhappy with school in 2019-20, and six per cent about their lives overall.

It also found girls in particular were struggling with their body image, with 18% unhappy with their appearance in 2019-20.

This is significantly higher than the 10% of boys who felt this way, and a “worrying jump” from the 15% of girls who were unhappy with their appearance a decade ago.

Mark Russell, chief executive at The Children’s Society, called the state of decline in children’s wellbeing “desperately worrying”.

He said: “Right now, the negative effects of the cost-of-living crisis, the disruption of the pandemic to young people’s education, and the ongoing decline in children’s happiness are on a collision course.

“School is a vital setting to influence children’s wellbeing, but they need more support, as the reality of what’s facing children and the lack of a holistic response is a national scandal.

“We need a faster roll-out of mental health support teams in schools alongside early support hubs in every local community and there needs to be more support for children whose families are struggling to make ends meet with free school meals available to all children on Universal Credit.

“There is nowhere to hide from the ensuing wellbeing catastrophe unless urgent action is taken.”

The Children’s Society survey found children were happiest with their family, and least happy about school, with 14.2% feeling this way in 2022.

Children who said their family was not well off were less happy with school on average, while boys were happier with school than girls on average.

The environment was top of children’s concerns in 2022, with four in 10 children very or quite worried about it, followed by new illnesses/pandemics, crime, inequality and the refugee and migrant crisis.

A Government spokesperson said: “We are providing schools with £53.8 billion this year in core funding, which includes a cash increase of £4 billion, and continue to invest in children’s mental health and wellbeing support.

“Across Government we are also taking action to address cost pressures for families, including through the energy price guarantee, which will save a typical household an average of £1,000 a year on their energy bills. We will continue working closely with schools and the sector to address the pressures they face.”

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What an amazing day with DP9 who delivered an inspirational talk to our young participants. They gave valuable insight on how Development and Planning takes place for some of the most iconic buildings in London.

The cost-of-living crisis is impacting families, a report said, while children are struggling following the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic.