Element’s Response to COVID-19

Like many charitable organisations, Element’s work is heavily delivery-based: our main form of youth engagement - and a huge part of our work - is running group projects in schools and youth settings. From an organisational point of view, this model is likely to look very different over the next few months due to COVID-19 precautions. From a youth support point of view, we face a real challenge: creating spaces where young people can come together and create is a key value for Element. We may not be able to run “live” group projects for the foreseeable, but we feel strongly that we must continue our creative support of the amazing young people we work with. And so we’ve created a plan for the next couple of months. This may have to be extended; it may change up a bit once we’ve got some feedback from Element alumni; but for now this is how we’ll be working together with Element Young Creatives:

  • We’ll continue to be in contact with Element alumni through our pre-existing group chats. These tools continue to serve us well as a creative community, so we’ll be regularly checking in with the group, maintaining conversations and sharing jokes, as per! 

  • We’ll also be using this platform to create a timetable of activities, as a way of connecting during social distancing/self-isolation. We’ll be posting daily creative challenges, making interactive quizzes, going on group virtual gallery tours, and sharing books, films, and other creative resources to get stuck into. 

  • We’ll be running our fortnightly creative drop-in sessions via an online video platform, to keep up the routine and regularity of Element Young Creatives getting together and making art. We’ll be encouraging and supporting alumni to run their own activities during this time, sharing their creative skills and practicing their online facilitation.  

  • We’ll be offering the Bronze Arts Award as an online course to any alumni who is interested in working towards a qualification during this time. 

  • We’ll continue to liaise with our wonderful partners: Local Authority Leaving Care Teams, Virtual Schools and West London Zone, to develop further responsive and creative projects and approaches to support the children and young people that we are lucky enough to be working with. We send immense thanks to the Local Authority teams who are continuing to work and to meet with vulnerable young people, showing truly important support and care during these uncertain times. 

Our number one priority is creatively supporting Element Young Creatives. The reason we think this is so important, however, is universally applicable: engaging in your own creativity and sharing this with others can reduce isolation, increase wellbeing, create connections, form learning and development opportunities, and stimulate reflection and calm. We reckon we could all do with these effects - perhaps now more than ever. We’ll be sharing creative challenges on our Instagram and Twitter pages, for anyone to join in with - we’d love to see your own examples and open up the dialogue!

We’ll be contactable during our normal working hours, Monday - Friday, 9.30am - 5.30pm. 

Keep well and stay creative,

Team Element