Third Space continues supporting young people during difficult times Our Third Space Programme is continuing engagement with young people in Banbridge, Cavan and Donegal despite the challenges and uncertainty presented by the ever-changing Covid-19 restrictions. During the first lockdown in March, the Third Space team worked together to evolve our programme in such a way that we could continue to engage with our young people using online tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Classrooms. Over the past number of months our digital model has been an essential resource in enabling our dedicated team to continue reaching out to our young people and providing much-needed support during these difficult times. Where possible, in most locations, we have been using a blended approach of both online and physical delivery. While online delivery has come with its own set of challenges, our team has been resourceful in overcoming these and finding ways of engaging the young people while also having fun! Part of our online delivery also includes setting short challenges and tasks each week for the young people. As well as providing a welcome distraction, these tasks have also helped our young people develop their skills in photography, filming and audio while using the technology they have at home. This has given them more creative freedom and as a result we have had had some fantastic creative results. While it’s still early days, our young people across all three sites are in the process of forming the first online Third Space band! We are really hopeful that this initiative will not only provide a platform for the young people to nurture and showcase their musical talents, but will also enable our young people to forge relationships with other like-minded people. Our return to physical delivery has also presented its own set of challenges. The safety of our young people and our Third Space team has and continues to be paramount. As a result, we have had to introduce a range of measures to minimise any potential risks of transmission. Our young people must be commended for working with the Third Space team and following all new safety measures now in place! The Third Space are looking forward to continuing engaging with the young people over the festive period! October Highlight Throughout October, we based a number of our sessions around Black History Month, focusing our sessions on the themes of equality and diversity. During one of our online sessions with the young people of Banbridge High School, we explored the actions of Rosa Park and her influence on the civil rights movement in America. The young people shared some interesting points of view on a range of important issues from equal rights, gender equality, influence and bravery! November Highlight Anti-bullying Week 2020 was celebrated from November 16th to 20th. Throughout the week, we focused on different types of bullying and the impact it can have. The young people taking part in the Third Space project from Banbridge High School were given the opportunity to create a short stop motion video or film on the subject. The young people also designed their own jigsaw pieces which were then joined together to represent inclusion and diversity.