The true and lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is only now coming into focus across the world. Most of 2020 and well into 2021 was overshadowed by the threat of a dangerous virus, talked over compulsively by almost everyone and featuring as a running headline bulletin on most news sites. The waves cast by the pandemic will ripple around the world for a long time to come.

It is within this fractious environment that children and young people have been navigating the daily pressures of school life, social life, exams and homework. Alongside the usual stressors have been weekly Covid-19 outbreaks, long days of mask wearing, swaps to online learning at a moment’s notice and the increasingly bleak outlook on jobs post-education. Research around the myriad ways in which children and young people will be affected by the pandemic in the long term is being published now, and the findings are concerning. The UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology found in mid-2021 that ‘referrals to child mental health services have reached record highs, with the latest NHS England data […] showing the highest ever recorded monthly referrals.’ Similarly, the Young Minds charity reported that of those who took part in their study ‘67% believed that the pandemic will have a long-term negative effect on their mental health.’ These statistics are a sharp wake-up call, and we must now look at how children and young people can be protected and supported going forwards.

In our work with children and young people at Kazzum Arts, we have witnessed the impact that access to the creative arts can have upon a participant who has been through an adverse experience. Beyond our own anecdotal evidence and yearly impact reports, there are more independent, peer-reviewed studies than we can count on the multiple benefits of the creative arts on mental health. From engendering feelings of community and belonging, to developing a flow-state of concentration and enjoyment, the multitude of ways that art can repair mental ill health means that it will be an essential component in how we come back from the effects of the pandemic.

Alongside the need to provide access to the creative arts for children and young people is the necessary shift for those working with them to be trauma-aware. We have previously written extensively about our own transition into becoming a trauma-informed organisation and the role it has played in our workshops. In the post-Covid-19 world the troubling truth is that there will be more children and young people having been through adverse experiences and needing nuanced support. As detailed above, the pandemic has created an increased rate of children and young people struggling with their mental health, and the adults that engage with them must be equipped to provide an environment that promotes trust and a feeling of safety.

A trauma-informed approach means that facilitating adults have the skills and understanding to provide an empowering space for children and young people which actively works against re-traumatisation. At Kazzum Arts we have seen the benefits of having a whole team and extended collaborators develop a trauma-informed approach and we now offer training for individuals or whole organisations. As the world moves forward into a post-Covid-19 era, we can only do what we can to support those children and young people within our network who may struggle to cope with the long-term changes.

Further Resources:

Trauma-Informed Training with Kazzum Arts

The Childhood Trust - Post-Lockdown Children in Crisis Report

The Children’s Society - Impact of COVID-19 on Young People

BBC Children in Need - Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Young People

Covid-19: How can we Mitigate the Long-Term Impact on Children and Young People?