Local youth worker and trainer Jenni Osborn is one of the architects of Covid Catharsis – a creative new project that seeks to help people process the emotions of the last 12 months.
From Easter Saturday for 6 weeks there will be a new project running which aims to encourage people from age 4 to 84 to express some of the tension and emotion of the last 12 months. Join in for one week or from week 3 or however it fits with your plans. It is called Covid Catharsis, here’s further details:
The Need for Catharsis
We believe it is important to create a space for people to be deeply saddened and unrelentingly happy; a space where things need not (perhaps cannot) make sense, where we acknowledge the presence of mess and confusion, but also note where hope is filtering through. We are confident that in the expressing of these emotions, people will begin to make sense of their experiences of the past year.
The Invitation
We want to invite you: young people, youth workers, teachers, church leaders and anyone else who sees this manifesto to express this mixture of sad and happy, discomfort, confusion, chaos and loss in whatever form comes most naturally to you. In doing so, we hope and pray that you will find some catharsis for yourself, and potentially also for others.
How will this work?
There are many ways you can do this. Using photography, written words, music, poetry, or design. You can do this just for yourself, but if you’re happy to share your creation(s) on social media, we’d like to encourage you to use the hashtag #CovidCatharsis and we will share these on various platforms. If you would like to share but remain anonymous, then email your contribution to one of us and we will publish on your behalf.
Each week of the project, using the hashtag #CovidCatharsis we will suggest a theme to inspire your thinking. We will post these themes on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, always using the hashtag and we invite you to join us by creating and posting.
The real beauty of this is that, just as lament, grief and yearning are messy, so this will be too. We’re not looking for beautifully constructed, polished and finished works of art, but your raw, real, emotional expression of these deeply human emotions.
So, if this strikes a chord with you and you think those in your care will appreciate the opportunity: join us.
Who is behind this project?
Andy and Jenni are long term youth workers who are deeply invested in encouraging good mental health practices which contribute to mental wellbeing and fitness. We are both freelancers, believing that there is space in the world of youth work for big organisations and small outfits.
Andy Campbell: coach, trainer, poet and occasional square peg. Andy helps people work out who they are and what their next step might be. Find out more at www.qawah.co.uk Contact Andy on andy@qawah.co.uk
Jenni Osborn: mentor, trainer, author and host of the Jenni Talks podcast. Jenni’s passion is supporting those who support young people in a variety of ways. Find out more at www.jenniosborn.org Contact Jenni on hello@jenniosborn.org
Jenni is a member of Gather Collective, an Eastbourne based community church.