UPDATE: FOLLOWING THE GOVERNMENTS LATEST MEASURES TO TACKLE COVID-19, WE HAVE INTRODUCED ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO ENSURE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
After listening to the government’s latest advice on COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we have decided that we need to work from home as much as possible to make sure that young people, our visitors, and our team are all kept safe.
If you need to know more about the Coronavirus and how you can keep yourself and your family safe, you can read the NHS’s guidance by clicking here.
COVID-19 is still quite new, so the guidance could change as experts start to learn more. Keep an eye out for any updates on the NHS’s website to make sure you have the latest information.
The Changes
At the time of writing (Wednesday, March 25), the latest guidance has advised:
Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
You should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons:
- Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
- One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
- Any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
- Travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home
Visiting Our Hub
We will not be holding drop-ins at the Babbasa Hub. But, our team are all still working from home and are happy to help with whatever you need. You can call us on: 07376428817 or email us at admin@byep.org.uk and we will be in touch ASAP.
If you need to meet someone face-to-face, we can use Skype or Google Hangouts.
Challenge Programme – Ask About Me
Sadly, we have decided to cancel our annual, Ask About Me event this year.
However, our Youth Ambassadors have worked really hard to bring the event to life, so we will be looking at other ways that we can try and get young people introduced to professionals and opportunities. We will be in touch when we have more details.
Mentoring
Young people and professional mentors will no longer be holding face-to-face meetings, but have the option of meeting over the phone, or by video call.
For any new young people who would like a professional mentor, or new professional mentors who would like to join our scheme, we are looking into ways that you can meet your mentor for the first time in a safe environment. For any further questions please get in touch with Zoe at: zoe.lynes@byep.org.uk
Support Programme
For any young people that need additional support from our youth worker, we are going to try to hold as many meetings as possible by phone or video call.
We won’t be doing any home visits during this time. For any further questions please get in touch with Matt at: matt.winn@byep.org.uk
Placement Programme
There will now be no placements or internships available in April or May and we are also stopping our LifeShop group sessions for now. We are going to be using this time to find out what you’d like from our group sessions in future and we’d love your help with this.
We are also continuing to work with local businesses to get you as many work opportunities as we can. You can get in touch with Ayanda at: projects@byep.org.uk to hear more about what positions we are advertising for the summer.
A lot is changing at the moment throughout Bristol, the UK, and the world, and it can feel very overwhelming, but we are determined to continue our mission of providing equal opportunity in Bristol. It is now more important than ever to make sure that underrepresented communities are not left further behind by the backlash of COVID-19.
If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact us. It’s important now more than ever that we look out for each other. Stay safe, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.