Progeny Teen Support and Ballee Pharmacy
Changing Attitudes...
Connect-Ed is a trauma-informed post-primary learning centre, registered as Progeny Teen Support. Situated in the Ballymena area, they work with young people who have been impacted by school attendance difficulties because of anxiety, bullying and trauma. The centre provides a safe space where young people can connect socially and grow in confidence, whilst gaining practical skills to prepare them for life through education and life skills tuition.
The aim of Progeny Teen Support is to provide a much-needed escape from the high-pressured school environment, re-integrating socially isolated young people into the community, to build their confidence and self-esteem.
Progeny recently completed Level Two BCPP Funding and was awarded £12,000 to work with Stephen Burns from Ballee Pharmacy. The need for this project arose from the impact of the serve anxiety and isolation experienced by the young people within the local area which led to school de-registration. In 2021, 10.7% of those at post-primary age had an attendance of less than 85% in Northern Ireland. The impact of the lockdowns has certainly increased feelings of loneliness and social isolation experienced by the people that Progeny Teen Support targets.
Over the months, the programme was designed based on the issues faced by the target group such as healthy eating, managing anxiety, depression and stress, exercise, the immune system, money management, first aid and social media/cyber addiction. Stephen, the Community Pharmacist led the sessions, using a holistic approach to tackle the issues that the young people were experiencing. Over time he built positive relationships with the group and provided expert advice. Many of the young people felt that others didn’t understand their situation, however with Stephen, they were able to share their lived experiences which made them feel empowered as they were listened to and felt understood.
At the beginning of the programme, the young people went to the Mill in Portadown for a team-building day. This exercise helped create positive relationships and build trust with the target group and community Pharmacist to ensure meaningful engagement. The group also went to Forrest Fitness where they completed an assault course as they were hungry for a challenge!
‘The Big House’ facilitated one of the weekly sessions, with Stephen the Pharmacist which educated the group on coping strategies to manage their mental health due to low self-esteem and struggling with their thought life. This is a prevalent issue here in Northern Ireland as 1 in 8 young people were considered as having anxiety in 2020.
The target group admitted to spending too much time on social media and gaming, with some feeling addicted. Research highlights strong links between heavy social media usage and the increased risk of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts. To tackle this issue and encourage healthier habits, ‘Love for Life’ lead a session on setting boundaries around screen use and relationships online and offline.
Many of the group felt anxious about their own health and the safety of their family members. With the BCPP Funding, St John’s Ambulance was able to teach the young people basic skills such as first aid and CPR to build their confidence and self-esteem to be able to respond in the case of an emergency.
The project afforded the young people with information and support to help them make better choices that will lead to positive outcomes, inform them of support systems that are available in their community and empower them to take control of their lives. As a result of taking part in the programme, the group's health literacy has improved as they have learned how to self-manage social factors that impact their well-being such as anxiety, stress and isolation. With the growth in confidence, the programme hopes to aspire the young people to provide support in their local communities through volunteering.
Following on from the Project, the young people have taken a huge interest in their health since working with Stephen the Community Pharmacist. Three are now members of the local gym, going more than three times per week as a result of learning how exercise can help manage anxiety and depression. Six of the young people also signed up to take part in 10,000 Steps a Day Challenge for Cancer Research back in March. One of the young men has secured a Saturday job, putting into practice the tools of saving money as well as the confidence that he gained from the programme!
The project was just as beneficial for the young people as it was for the Pharmacist as it improved his understanding of how anxiety can have a profound impact on a young person’s health and wellbeing, making them withdraw from social situations. Stephen’s awareness of this prevalent issue has improved through his involvement with BCPP and will be able to signpost similar young people to appropriate services and support. Progeny Teen Support, the Lead Community Partner, gained a lot from the programme as they have gained great partnership working with a local Pharmacist.
“Working on the BCPP project with connect-Ed has been a real privilege, getting to spend time covering health topics with such an engaging and thoughtful group of teenagers has been a real highlight this year”- Stephen Burns, Pharmacist
“Having Stephen come in this year has been fantastic. Through taking the time to get to know them individually he has built a great relationship with each of them and has helped inform them on many of the issues they face” – Karen Wilton, Lead Community Partner
“I have really enjoyed the programme with Stephen this year. He is so easy to talk to and I feel I could go to him for health advice on anything I was concerned about” – Young Person
“I looked forward to our sessions with Stephen as they were interesting and I learned so much that I didn’t know” – Young Person