1. Reports from the National Youth Agency into the impact of lockdown on vulnerable young people highlights negative effects, particularly for those with pre-existing/emerging conditions. 2. The ‘Out of Sight’ & ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ 2020 reports both point to the closure of schools/extracurricular clubs as having had a significant threat to young people’s wellbeing. 3. Almost a quarter of children/young people said there was less mental health support in their school than before the pandemic.

Our project is a 1:1 mentoring project for children/young people aged 11-17 years experiencing low self esteem, anxiety, low-level mental ill health and challenging behaviour following the Covid-19 pandemic. Our already established mentoring project in High Wycombe has shown very positive results and the current pandemic has brought on even more demand. In order to build rapport with the young person, interactions are face to face and the mentor will meet them up to twice weekly for 10/12 weeks.