This week marks five years since the moment we were all told to stay at home. It seems unimaginable now, looking back, that (almost) all of us did as we were told. The working environment changed overnight and has never really been the same since and every household found themselves stuck inside their four walls.
My family was fortunate. We had a garden to enjoy during those gloriously sunny days that stretched into weeks and months. We had a network of footpaths for daily exercise and easy access to the countryside. But even with these privileges, I can still recall the challenges—being in the same space, all day, every day. Not seeing other people. Not being able to go out freely. I had once lived in a rented flat in the city centre and have often thought how tough it would have been to live in that small space, with no garden – not even a balcony – and windows that opened just a fraction.
Sadly, that is the lockdown many children experienced. Their learning was massively disrupted, their friendships put on hold. In households where parents were working on the front line, there was fear of illness and worse. In homes without access to IT and parents unable to help, learning stopped altogether.
I joined Go Beyond in August 2021 just as we were told we could once again have children to stay. Until that point, we had just welcomed small ‘bubbles’ (remember those?) of children from local schools. The children we met in those early days had fallen behind in many ways, not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. Instead of playing freely, making friends and exploring the world around them, many had spent lockdown living with with fear and bereavement, others had been in multi-generational homes shielding vulnerable elder relatives.
The impact was clear in both big and small ways. Less than half of the children had learned to swim—something so many take for granted. More subtly, many were hesitant to communicate and were nervous about making friends.
Now, we speak as though it has ended but some of the children we meet always live in circumstances akin to Lockdown. Many still live in overcrowded rooms, in temporary accommodation, or in homes without safe outdoor space. Every year, we send Christmas presents to hotel addresses. How must it feel to grow up in a hotel, with nowhere to play, let alone study?
For those of us who are fortunate enough to have a decent place to live, it is hard to imagine how tough it must be. No wonder families struggle to sit down to eat together.
Frontline work is still tough. We’ve stopped clapping our NHS but they are still working hard every day for not very much pay. Children who come to us are very often from poorer households where adults are working hard to make ends meet.
There is a cost of living crisis and too many children are living in fear in households where there is violence and not enough of anything to go round.
I remember wondering how the first children coming to stay would feel about sharing six to a room on their Go Beyond break, but in the very first group we had children who don’t have their own bed at home, never mind their own room.
It costs nothing to go outside and walk in the fresh air – even if just to a local park yet for many, it is still not accessible. Parental ill health, financial struggles, or lack of awareness about the importance of outdoor play puts barriers in the way. Many of the children I’ve met since the pandemic have told me how they play indoors on screens, or maybe they go to the pub with their parents. Very few have told me about going to the beach or going for a walk.
What impact must all this have on young people? No wonder we fear for their mental health and wellbeing. The children who come to us are 8-13, the pandemic and lockdown affected them at a crucial point in their development, when they were just embarking on their childhoods.
These are some of the reasons why a Go Beyond break is more relevant than ever. For every child who is living a life like we all did in lockdown but for whom there is no end in sight, we are here to give them the chance to play freely, run outside, make friends and live the kind of childhood we’d like for all children.
It’s easy to refer a child to us. Simply visit the Referrals page on our website or reach out to our referrals team at coordinators@gobeyond.org.uk.
Michele
