REACH Across & it’s impact on young people
I have been a member of REACH Across for just over 2 years.
Last year was a very hard year for us, we started off the year on a high with lots of activities and events, everything was running as normal. During this time we were planning our international exchange trip to Cyprus which I was chosen to go on. The group from Cyprus was able to spend Hallowe’en with us in Derry which made us even more eager to go visit them.
Our trip was of course cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though hope remained that we could take part the following year. Coronavirus has taken away a lot of opportunities for us young people at REACH Across. We all look forward to our summers with REACH as we know it will be packed full of lots of activities, day trips and residential weekends away. Without REACH Across we would not have these opportunities. It helps a lot of us young people that have become members. Since starting I have become a much more confident person and more open to meeting new people. REACH Across broadened my horizons and let me mix with young people from different communities within Derry, something we have missed out on in our education.
I can say I have missed that a lot with what has going on especially seeing my friends from REACH Across. I have met a lot of new friends through REACH and not being able to see them as we all live far from each other has taken its toll. We are all from different communities and areas and REACH was the only place for us all from different communities to come together. This has affected our mental health a lot as sometimes we need that chat from friend or that weekly catch up as it can make our week much better and gives us something to look forward to.
This year has made me realise how essential REACH Across is for us young people and how many opportunities and life experiences we gained through our time at REACH Across before the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that we get a chance in the future to do all the activities we have missed out on and to get away on our international exchange trip. I feel that without REACH Across I would never have gotten the opportunity to take part in something like this and I do not want to let the opportunity slip away.