The North East is currently on COVID level high which does mean there are a number of things we can and cannot do and we thought with half term looming it would be a good idea to clarify what the rules mean for you, our young people when it comes to socialising.
Meeting up with Friends and Family….
The new guidance for our area means you CANNOT meet indoors with anyone outside of your Household or support bubble this includes in homes, restaurants or any other indoor setting. You can see your friends and family that don’t live with you outdoors but this cannot be in a group larger than 6 and you must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Meeting in a group larger than 6 is now against the law in our area and police may take action against you if you do meet in a bigger group, they can issue a fine of £200 which could increase to up to £6400 if you are caught again.
Is Silx able to open now?
Our Teen Bar sessions are still not able to open as we cannot implement the National Youth Agency rules of working with no more than 15 young people indoors socially distanced as we could not possibly only allow 15 young people to come into the building or choose 15 young people as this would not be fair. We have been made aware that other youth settings may have reopened but as an organisation we are not prepared to put our staff or young people in danger, we understand from talking to young people that they are disappointed but they also totally understand why these sessions are closed as COVID 19 is just as bad if not worse than it was at the beginning of the pandemic if you look at the statistics for Northumberland so we refuse to be pressured to open and potentially spread the virus so these sessions will remain closed until further notice. We are however still hosting weekly virtual youth sessions via Zoom Call on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, so please contact us for the password to get onto these calls if you would like to get involved.
Our detached work is continuing in Tier Two. We have multiple detached teams out on the streets which has meant we have been able to carry out 10 detached sessions over 6 days every week since June, the teams are dedicated to the young people in Blyth and have fantastic relationships with all of the groups they meet and continue to be positive influences on the young people whilst ensuring the young people are following the rules and also educating about the rules. Ourselves and our Friends at Newsham and New Delaval Youth Forum are the only organisations carrying out detached work to this level and it is because we are so passionate about keeping in touch with young people and keeping them safe during this uncertain time. Our teams adhere to social distancing and wear face coverings, they can all be easily identified with Silx Uniforms and carry ID.
We are able to offer one to one socially distanced appointments within our Employability Project- during these appointments young people have their temperature taken on arrival, they must sanitise their hands and wear a face covering at all times unless exempt. We also have an NHS Test and Trace QR code for all attendees and a clean down is done after each appointment. If you are 16-25 and require an appointment, contact a worker and we will get you in.
We hope you all have a fun and safe half term break and remember youth workers are contactable 7 days a week to assist you with any issues you may have.
Tel: 01670 351356
Email: silxteen@aol.com