Molly Rackham

Make Your Summer Count

GCSEs and A Levels are finally behind you – deep breath, it's done! Whether you’re feeling elated, exhausted, or somewhere in between, one thing is certain, summer has officially arrived. And after months of revision, stress, and late-night cramming, you deserve a break. But how do you make

Water, Wait, Grow

Lately, I’ve been gardening more and spending time outdoors, soaking up the sunshine, and reconnecting with nature (and of course wandering round garden centres). There’s something enjoyable about the rhythm of it all, planting seeds, watering, pulling weeds, and watching things grow at their own quiet pace. I’

Lets talk about sleep

Happy International Sleep Day! Let’s talk about sleep. That glorious, underrated superpower we all have but don’t use properly. If you’re a teenager, you’re probably sleep-deprived. If you’re a parent, you’re definitely sleep-deprived. And if you’re just a regular person muddling through life,

Love Languages

Love is universal, but we all experience it differently. Some feel most loved through words, others through actions or time spent together. Dr Gary Chapman introduced the concept of love languages in his 1992 book The 5 Love Languages, based on years of counselling couples. He identified five key ways

More than just a day…

Blue Monday is often called “the most depressing day of the year.” It falls in January when the excitement of christmas is over, the weather is cold, grey and frosty, and many of us feel the pressure of exams, money, or just life in general. But here’s the truth:

Rewiring Your Brain: The Power of Neuroplasticity

Did you know your brain is constantly changing? Every time you learn something new, practice a skill, or even think in a different way, your brain reshapes itself. This incredible ability is called neuroplasticity, and it’s the reason we’re always capable of growth and change, no matter our

Adventure Awaits

With the school holidays coming up, it's the perfect time to try something new, get outside, and enjoy a little adventure. Earlier this year, I was up in Scotland, soaking in the views and beautiful cities, when I stumbled across geocaching. I remember having fond memories of geocaching

"Just Breathe"

We’ve all heard it: “Just breathe.” It sounds simple, maybe too simple but there's actually solid science behind why breathing exercises are so effective at calming the nervous system. Whether it’s before a big presentation, during a moment of overwhelm, or in the midst of a

A Path to Positivity: A Review of 'The S.U.M.O. Secrets to Being a Positive, Confident Teenager'

We're excited to share a fresh perspective on the book 'The S.U.M.O. Secrets to Being a Positive, Confident Teenager.' This review comes from Isabelle, a sixth former who recently joined us at Phase for a week of work experience. Isabelle's insights

Connection in a Digital World

Last week was Loneliness Awareness Week, and this year the theme was ‘Random Acts of Connection’. In today's fast-paced and non-stop world, it can feel hard to have genuine human connections (or enough of them!). Technology can be awesome and can be an incredible way to connect with

Meet Bethany

Hello everyone, I am Bethany, and I am a new volunteer starting at Phase. I am very happy to be undertaking my student placement at an organisation that has fantastic values and aims for young people while I complete my studies. I will be working at Phase primarily on Mondays

resilience

Resilient Women

Today is international women's day, a day where we celebrate women in our lives who guide us, lead us and have a special place in our hearts as well as highlighting the groundbreaking work of women across countless sectors, there are so many lessons we can learn from

Phase Mentoring

At Phase we are passionate about supporting young lives for a brighter day and a better future. We do a variety of work across Hitchin all pointing to this central mission we have. We aim to support their wellbeing and resilience, help young people to see hope, to be able

wellbeing

Digital Wellbeing

Digital wellbeing may be a phrase that you haven't heard of before but you will definitely be aware of the impacts that technology and digital media are having on the world, both good and bad.  There are so many positives to the digital sphere, it allows us to

habits

Effective Rest

It's the summer holidays! Although at the moment the weather isn't especially sunny, the school holidays provide us with a natural break to take a breather, reflect and look ahead. It also gives many people, including our children and young people a time for rest, recuperation

mental health awareness week

Mental Health Awareness Week 2023

It is Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 this week and this year the theme is Anxiety. The aim of Mental Health Awareness week is to open up conversation with others about important topics and support one another by sharing experiences and tools. Anxiety is an emotion that we have all

Meet Molly

Hello! My name is Molly and I am the new Schools Worker here at Phase! I am really excited to be joining the incredible Phase team 3 days a week, Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays. On these days I will be delivering workshops and lessons in the local primary and secondary

mentoring

The M-factor

What is the 'M-factor'? Mentoring! Mentoring is such a valuable tool that adds so much to somebody’s life. My experience of mentoring has been really positive and helped me to learn and grown in myself. By meeting with someone regularly and consistently really honestly has so many

social media

Social media and social change

We hear a lot about social media in the news and about many of its negative effects on our brains, mental health, physical health, sleep and so on. As a young person in a school environment I am more than aware, like most of my generation, of the impacts that

wellbeing challenge

May's Photography Challenge

What I love about photography is that it allows you to press pause on a specific moment of time and save the atmosphere, sights, feelings and all the senses from one moment using no words. I did the photography challenge for Mays wellbeing challenge and I was given a word

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Growing up with Phase

I have known and had connections with Phase for the last 6 years through ‘It’s your move’ workshops, Holding Nothing back, Time trek, school assemblies, Westbrook, after school club and so much more. But in this last year I have been working much more closely with the team. In

Faith

Holding Nothing Back

Since starting out at Hitchin Girls' School we have always gone to the Holding Nothing Back lunchtime group. It was always really nice to see familiar faces each week especially when there are another 1000 students who are all older and taller than you. Holding Nothing Back allows us