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Exploring mental wellness during COVID-19 with Youth Corps Singapore

The three-part Zoom conversation series 'Phasing It' lets youths discuss tips for coping and thriving during this season.

Justin Hui

Published: 27 May 2020, 10:40 PM

COVID-19 has been a challenging phase for many people. With so many disruptions to our daily lives, many are finding it difficult to cope, much less thrive in this situation.

In this context, Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) collaborated with the Community Health Assessment Team (CHAT) to create an online conversation series, Phasing It, to explore issues related to youth mental wellness.

Phasing It is part of the #mindoverbody series run by YCS’ Virtual Red Box, which engages youths with daily live sessions from Monday to Saturdays.

“This conversation series was created in response to the rising concerns regarding youth mental health during COVID-19,” said Siti Nuraisha Safri, 24, one of the YCS staff working on this collaboration.

“After understanding the issues that youths were facing, as well as their needs, we wanted to provide a safe space for youths to air and learn from one another. The series hopes to empower youths and put the power in their hands to know what they can do during this situation.”

Registration is open till 12pm on the day of each session.
IMAGE CREDIT: YOUTH CORPS SINGAPORE

The three-part series will be conducted on Zoom, starting with the first session on Saturday (May 30).

The sessions, led by CHAT youth workers, will include interactive small group discussions. Youths can look forward to exploring the topics and gaining insights from each other.

The small group discussions will be facilitated by youths, with guidance from YCS and CHAT youth support workers. This arrangement empowers youths to find their own meaning through shared input.

The sessions are not one-way lectures. Participants will have opportunities to share their own tips and strategies in small groups.
PHOTO CREDIT: EDWARD JENNER VIA PEXELS

The conversations will cover topics such as resilience and peer support, and will also explore the importance of creating safe spaces during this time.

Siti Nuraisha said: “With the current circuit breaker, movements are restricted and we are spending more time at home and online.”

The second session will thus delve into how people can create safer spaces both online and offline for ourselves, to regain some sense of control over our lives.

“With this shift in the way we live, there is also a blur in the boundaries we used to hold, which may cause more conflicts and affect our mental wellness.”

If you’re interested in being part of the conversation, you can sign up here!