A new program is about to start in South West Sydney to help young people adjust to the challenges of face-to-face learning after thriving in a virtual environment. Our Re-Engage program is fully inclusive and will provide support for children from 12 to18 years old returning to school.
The Re-Engage program was born during lockdown in Southwest Sydney, which was one of the worst hit areas of COVID transmission in New South Wales. It quickly became apparent that the psycho-social wellbeing of people from all walks of life was impacted, resulting in an increase in metal health issues. Practitioners and other support service providers were inundated with new requests for support/services and in most areas of the region there was no support available, as services were already stretched to the limit and there was no capacity to accommodate new clients.
Through community inter-agency meetings it became clear that some children had thrived in the virtual learning environment that became so commonplace during lockdown, as it enabled them to ‘control’ the environment on their terms. At the same time, other children who were more naturally social and animated suffered from not connecting with their teachers and friends.
One thing that all the children had in common was the need to prepare for the prospect of a return to school, as the Department of Education set a date for the resumption of face-to-face learning for both primary and secondary students. The Disability Trust takes a pro-active approach on how we support people with a disability and their families, so Business Development Leader Brett Fairley and Master’s student Angela Evelyn Nguyen (who was on placement with The Disability Trust from Western Sydney University) undertook research from which the Re-Engage Program was written.
The great news is that the program has now been funded through a grant from Camden Council and is expected to start very soon. Designed to teach resilience to young people, the program is intended to improve mental health and reduce the stress around social interaction for those wishing to engage with it.
If you have any questions or you live in the Camden area and would like to join this program email Brett.fairley@disabilitytrust.org.au or phone 8582 1367
