Stand up to Youth Loneliness

Recent research conducted by The Co-op Foundation suggests that 76% of young people felt lonely at least occasionally during lockdown, compared to 59% before restrictions began.

Yet many young people experiencing loneliness struggle to ask for help, with only 36% feeling confident to talk about their feelings. While many do not know where to go for support, the large silence surrounding the topic suggests that tackling stigma is critical in supporting them to seek help.

Our youth loneliness campaign, Stand Up To Youth Loneliness, created in consultation with young people from across the county, seeks to highlight the issues surrounding the social isolation that affects young people and encourage conversations about loneliness, so that this stigma is reduced. It is aimed at young people aged 11 – 18. This campaign includes signposting to resources that can support young people.

The campaign content can be downloaded using the links below or, to request hard copies of materials, get in touch with tlc@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk. The campaign pack includes:

• A series of 4 posters highlighting some of the issues around loneliness:
  • poster 1 for young people who feel different at school
  • poster 2 for young people who don’t feel they fit in
  • poster 3 for young carers
  • poster 4 for young people with a disability
• Graphics:
  • It’s ok to feel lonely (young person with head in hands) graphic
  • It’s ok to feel lonely (girl on bench) graphic
  • Having a disability makes me feel different graphic
  • Being a young carer can make you feel lonely graphic
• An accompanying flyer with information about loneliness and signposts young people to The Go-To
• A resource pack for professionals, providing more detailed information, links to further resources and an example lesson plan.

All these resources direct young people to the dedicated loneliness page on The Go-To, a website managed by NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, on behalf of local authorities supporting wellbeing and mental health for young people in the county.

The resources include information on the Lonely Not Alone campaign, the #LetsTalkLoneliness video from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and links to the Youth Isolation toolkit by Neighbourhood Watch.

Let’s Stand Up To Youth Loneliness and tackle youth loneliness across North Yorkshire together.