bbc news The struggle is real A recent BBC News article reported a huge rise in severe mental health difficulties in children and young people in the past year, sadly this is a statistic that is very true and close to home. Over the past year we have seen an increase in the number of children
church Youth Chaplain for the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire This year I have been given the honour of being the Youth Chaplain to the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, not only is the first time this has happened in Herts, but it is the first time in the history of the Shrievalty, which is over 1000 years old. You can
company support Flip Connect supporting Phase The Flip Connect teamFlip Connect employees were invited to nominate a charity close to their hearts and chose Phase Many of Flip employees are parents and know all too well the pressures that young people are under in society today. Ben from Flip Connect said 'We all think that Phase
pornography Porn-pandemic In a recent Ofsted survey it was highlighted that teenage girls were asked for nudes by up to 11 boys a night. The impact of pornography on young people is a silent pandemic that has been spreading for years. The rise of social media channels where images can be shared
Time Trek Adventure Time Trekkers! Here is all the information and links you will need to enjoy your virtual Time Trek adventure. The first thing you will need to help you make the most of your Time Trek adventure is the Mission Brief If you plan to print the Mission brief, here is
burnout Avoiding burnout Over stretched, beyond capacity, burnout – these may be terms that were not part of you vocabulary before COVID19 and the beginning of the pandemic, however they may well be part of your everyday speech or thought now. As we approach the year anniversary of the first lockdown many people are
anxiety Looking ahead and moving forward... Our Director, Kieran, takes stock of what we have ahead of us as a nation (and town of Hitchin) and offers practical advice for this last stretch of lockdowns and restrictions... It was exciting news from PM Boris Johnson as he announced the roadmap for the way out of lockdown
Renew As we all come out of lockdown and begin to rebuild a sense of normality, routine and restore our lives, it is important to remember that each one of us will have been impacted by COVID-19 in many different ways. Our wellbeing, our mental, emotional and physical health will have
community Working with the local community Since 2002 Phase has been a key part of the Hitchin community with our focus being building the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people – our vision is to see them thrive! We may be the ones doing the face-to-face work however there are many others across Hitchin who
COVID-19 Covid Christmas I had planned a very different blog post, however following Saturday's announcement of Hertfordshire and much of the east and south east of England moving into a new fourth tier and the huge implications this has on the Christmas many of us planned, I thought I would share some thoughts
giving tuesday Christmas giving As we begin December, we have had Black Friday, Cyber Monday, but now we get to the most exciting day - Giving Tuesday! As we approach Christmas and you and I prepare to give presents, I wanted to encourage you to think about other ways you could give this year
school It’s the end of the…… term? To say that this has been the strangest academic year would be an understatement. As we come in to another six-weeks at home, it is a summer break that is not filled with the joy, anticipation, relieve and excitement that every other year has. It has been a challenge; however,
Coronavirus Adapting, surviving and then... thriving!! Unprecedented times, the new normal, lockdown, social distancing, self-isolation – change is on every horizon and in every aspect of life as we knew it. So what are Phase up to and what are we doing as we all tread carefully into the future? As Director I wanted to share a
virtual mentoring Virtual Mentoring As we all go through this incredibly difficult season of isolation where routines, rhythms and everyday normality has been removed, it can make us feel lost, fearful and uncertain about what the future holds. At Phase we are passionate about equipping children and young people to journeying through adolescence, whereby
Young People Changing the landscape COVID-19 We have lived through a week that will define a generation. The COVID-19 crisis has turned the world upside down for all, but mostly for our children and young people. As the dust settles and we come to terms with the likelihood of schools being closed until September, with the
Try something new New year, new decade, new start, new hopes, new dreams, new, new, new!! As we begin a brand new year it can be a great time to think about how we want this year to be different from the last, a chance to reflect on the changes we can make
mentoring Mentoring; a space to grow What do you do if you don’t know how to do something, say some DIY? Perhaps you would look for some videos on Youtube, read some articles or even call a friend you know who has the knowledge you need. In a small way this is you being mentored.
perspective Start how you mean to go on New school year, new start. A new start to me often feels like starting a new exercise book when I was at school, where I would promise to myself to keep this one neat, clean and tidy. Sadly it was something that I rarely managed. But I’m old and
resilience Top tips to build resilience Resilience is a bit of a buzz word right now, but what is it, why is it needed and most importantly, how do we build it? In this blog post I want to answer these questions and give you 10 great tips on how to build your resilience whether your
tips for uni 10 tips to de-stress Today's blog piece is from a guest writer, David Price of Health Assured offering his top tips to de-stress. Stress is a common occurrence in our everyday life and in most cases it is manageable without the need for any drastic actions. However, if left unaddressed, stress leads to other
charity film awards Finalists We've made the final! Phase are extremely please to announce that we have made the final of the Charity Film Awards 2019, but we've not won yet! Vote Now Our Let's Talk - Self-Harm film has made it through early voting stages and now needs your help to win. You
grants Hitchin Youth Trust Phase are excited to announce that we recently recevied a grant from Hitchin Youth Trust to support our Creative Space drop-in programme. We are extremely grateful for the continued support from Hitchin Youth Trust. Grants enables Phase not just to continue the programme but expand it so that more young
join our team Work with us Phase has an exciting opportunity for the right person to come and join our staff team. Below is the job description and form to complete to register your interest in this role. Support and Interventions Lead - Full time £23,000 - £25,000 Phase wants to pioneer programmes that
Youth Work Youth work learnings 4 things I’ve learnt about youth work? Hi everyone, I’m Molly and in September I moved to London to begin a gap year with XLP. I grew up in Hitchin and have experienced the work of Phase whilst I was at school and they inspired me to begin
phase team Amy's work experience Often Phase are asked if we can accommodate young people on work experience. In July Amy joined the team for the final week of the summer term, here are her thoughts on a week with the Phase team.... In July I enjoyed a week of work experience with Phase, I