Over the past few weeks our YMCA Exeter youth and support workers have been in touch with young people getting their GCSE, BTEC and A-Level results. Read on to hear our Joint CEO, Si Johns, reflect on his own story from education into employment and discovering God’s calling. _______________________________________________________________________ Being a teenager in 2020 is pretty nerve…
New research from YMCA reveals that 77% of young people have felt lonelier and more isolated during lockdown, 73% feel more stressed, and more than half (56%) are worried about falling behind at school. Five months into a global pandemic, this vulnerable and disproportionately affected group find themselves anxious, isolated and futureless. As young people…
TEN:10 Interns 2019/20 “My host family made it so easy for me to feel at home in Exeter. They became my second family and supported me all the time, comforted me and gave me a home of love, joy and warmth.” -Carmen, Intern 19/20 We’re looking for local host families to give our new TEN:10…
YMCA Exeter surprised residents and business owners in Exeter last week with random acts of socially-distanced kindness. Free bags of chocolate, posies of flowers and drink vouchers sprang up attached to railings and trees across the city in a bid to put a smile on the faces of people coming out of lockdown. Sticking carefully…
YMCA Exeter is offering early intervention support to young people, their parents and carers, to address emerging mental health concerns as recent data shows that roughly three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health condition. As Covid-19 pandemic sees rise in fear of long-term mental health impact on children and young people, YMCA Exeter is calling on parents and carers to not face this…
Written by Gareth Sorsby and Si Johns (Joint CEOs) Psalm 103:6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. As a local Christian charity, wishing to demonstrate God’s love for all people and communities, YMCA Exeter stands in solidarity with everyone working peacefully to end racism and discrimination. To this end,…
This month, we meet YMCA Exeter resident Courtney. Courtney is 20 years old and has written a blog about her experiences of lockdown. Lockdown has been a very difficult time for me. In particular, my mental health got worse when I had to self-isolate due to showing symptoms of COVID-19. The way I personally dealt…
My name is Katie, I’m 21 years old, I’m a resident at YMCA Exeter and I live with a chronic illness called Fibromyalgia. During lockdown I have seen many articles about how lockdown has affected our mental health and how to cope with that. Yet whilst lockdown has taken a massive toll on everyone’s mental health,…
We have seen much needed cleaning supplies arrive from local Exeter businesses to ensure the continued health and safety of our 60 young residents. Toilet rolls, hand sanitiser and bleach spray were amongst the items donated over the last few weeks by local businesses having to close their doors during the current crisis. As supermarkets emptied in the run up…
A letter from our Joint CEO, Gareth Sorsby: I look back to February this year – we’d just left the EU; politics was hot on our minds and here at YMCA Exeter we were discussing the topic of homelessness with the BBC. Even thinking back to just three weeks ago and our night under the…
