The Wishing Well has been gifted £1891 to support online education services following the halting of its face to face services during Covid-19.
The charity, who reach out to the most vulnerable members of the community, has used their donation to purchase IT equipment such as laptops and smart phones for its tutors so they can provide online content aimed at boosting confidence and furthering life and employability skills. They have launched a new YouTube channel featuring many tutorials which correspond to the Project Packs available for learners.
CEO of The Wishing Well, Charles Maines, says lockdown halted the majority of the charity’s face to face services which meant its education services were also stopped:
“On an annual basis we would usually work with more than 450 adult learners that include young people, include young people, families and the elderly. We did manage to adapt our work during lockdown and offered alternative services such as a meal delivery service. As we emerge from lockdown, we’ve made plans for a new bespoke education curriculum and are fully prepared to carry it out digitally thanks to Redrow’s donation, meaning there will be nothing stopping our members continuing their education.”
The bespoke curriculum is based on a model on eight aspects of wellness. It is monitored using a wellness web where a wide variety of courses would be available to facilitate learner development.
Charles continues: “Through investing in IT in this way we can ensure that if there are further lockdowns, tutors will effectively be able to keep in contact with learners and continue to provide learning opportunities for the community. Learning at home means our members can relax in their own environment and we hope this will help break down some barriers and alleviate some anxieties about an initial return to learning at the centre.”
According to The Health Foundation, 69% of adults now report feeling very worried about the effect COVID-19 is having on their life and with unemployment on the rise, The Wishing Well recognise the impact education can have on improving outcomes for its service users.
Simon Bennett, interim sales director for the North West, says: “The effects of Covid-19 and the numerous lockdowns will impact many of us for years to come however it’s charities like The Wishing Well that actively work to help communities deal with the effects. I’m so pleased our community fund will help them to help its members going forward.”
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