- 15 June 2021
- Apprentices &
Talking About Loneliness - National Loneliness Week 2021
The impact of Covid-19 and the lockdowns associated with it were the catalyst behind many mental health problems over the last year and a half.
One of the biggest problems to come out of lockdowns has been loneliness, especially in the younger generation. A study by the office for national statistics found that over 50% of 16–24-year-olds have experienced some kind of “Lockdown Loneliness” and over 7 million people in the UK had been affected by loneliness.
Saks Apprenticeships take a duty of care for all our apprentices and strive to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone involved with us. So, to help combat this problem we introduced some innovative and accessible programs throughout lockdowns aimed at getting all our apprentices involved in discussions, learning and development and to keep them interacting with people who had similar interests and were going through similar circumstances.
One of the most popular introductions was the fantastic Facebook forum where all apprentices, educators and employers were able to log in and discuss anything they wanted to. We were also able to host live videos chats with educators, display Zoom tutorials from Saks educators and leading stylists, including our very own Luke Pluckrose, and host fun and friendly competitions between our budding hair stylists, barbers and beauty therapists.
Educators would also contact their apprentices to allow them to catch up on their progress and give them an opportunity to discuss things in a more private one to one session.
Not only did these amazing tools help to reduce the loneliness within our apprentices it also gave them a routine keeping them motivated and giving them a sense of achievement.
Follow these Simple Actions to Help with Loneliness
This week is National Loneliness Week and to help people to cope with loneliness during this post pandemic period we have compiled some useful tips.
Keep in Touch: If you can, meet up with friends and colleagues, have a chat or go for a walk. Some people will be keen to meet up, but some might not, for those that want to keep to themselves have a chat over text, through social media or even a video call.
Join A Group: Find people who have similar interests, as mentioned above our apprentices and employers can get together with other apprentices and employers on our Facebook Forum. To find out how have a chat with your educator for an invite.
Give us a call: Our 20 plus years of working with apprentices and salons have helped us to develop an outstanding support network for all our learners with a team of fully qualified safeguarding officers and staff who are always available for a chat.
Speak to a support service: We have a great list of useful support charities and businesses who can help with almost any problem you might have including Lets Talk Loneliness a website that brings together organisations, resources and inspirational stories that are united in a shared aim, to get more people talking about loneliness.