By Lesley Morris | Head of Trust Income & Partnerships
Although the Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, many of the young people we support still worry about meeting others, travelling on public transport and risking an already weakened immune system. So, our regular, digital “crafternoons” continue to be an essential and much-loved pillar of our digital delivery strategy. Meeting regularly online, allows young people fighting the long-term effects of a cancer diagnosis to come together, wherever they are geographically, or in their journey to learn some new skills and meet others who genuinely understand what each other are going through.
90% of young people diagnosed with cancer experience anxiety, 70% experience depression and 79% report a serious impact on their emotional wellbeing.
Since our last report, the young people have come together, over Zoom, to take part in Scrapbooking activities. Ahead of the session, they were sent a scrapbook kit containing an album, craft papers, pens, tape, stickers, and lots of useful craft accessories.
Taking part in crafts like scrapbooking reduces stress and anxiety, it aids concentration and improves key skills. It’s been likened to meditation and deep breathing – helping the young people to focus on the present and regain a sense of purpose.
Getting together with other young people to take part in the class made it a fantastic social activity and stimulated many conversations about the pictures that each young person had chosen to include in their own book, the places they had visited, the people that were part of their experience. Spreading glue across the pages, cutting paper and pictures, trimming ribbons and tape, and twisting off glue and glitter caps all helped to improve their cognitive and dexterous skills.
For some of the young people, the scrapbook became a biography of their accomplishments, for others it was a record of their journey, their milestones and provided them an opportunity to see how far they have come.
To everyone who has supported this project, a huge thank you. Scrapbooking is a fantastic tool for the young people, allowing them to process difficult times in their lives, teaching them how to reframe their experiences and tell their story, their way, and importantly, has been an excellent way for them to connect with others, and be part of a very special community, united in a common experience – facing cancer in their teenage and early adult years. Thank you!
By Lesley Morris | Head of Trust Income & Partnerships
By Lesley Morris | Head of Trust Income & Partnerships
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