Keeping the interest going online and over the phone when befriending

[BefriendingNetworks]

With the Covid-19 pandemic, befriending services have all had to rethink their models of delivery. Traditionally most befriending has taken place face to face either on a one to one basis or in groups. Organisations have been using the phone and digital platforms such as Skype, Zoom and WhatsApp to keep in touch with people. If you have had experience of any of these methods how have you found the technology, how has it been? Has it been a challenge, exciting, enlightening? Hopefully many people will have learnt new skills to help them feel less isolated. We have been sharing lots of ideas to keep things interesting such as quizzes, virtual dance, exercise or singing sessions, sharing hobbies – who can show the most interesting item associated with their interest? Have you come up with any fun or interactive ways of engaging online or on the phone? Claire and Emily shared some really creative ways on yesterday's post of keeping the fun going during lockdown, can you think of any others?

[Freddy44]

It's not directly about befriending, but my family has come up with few ways to keep in touch during lockdown.

We've started writing letters again. For those who don't like writing (or aren't able) this can include pictures and photos.

We have shared recipes and dropped off food (mainly biscuits) at each others houses. This has also included some silliness where we sing to each other as we drop them off.

We have used Zoom, but it really doesn't suit everyone. To me, I feel I'm in a work meeting 😩

[BefriendingNetworks Expert in reply to Freddy44]

Hi Freddy, I know what you mean about Zoom meetings feeling like work! But what a brilliant way to keep in touch with letters, photos, and doorstep drop offs. Who doesn't like to get a hand written letter through the post. I'd love to know what songs you sing to each other, I hope it's not Elvis - Return to Sender!

[LDAutie]

Hi BefriendingNetworks i use the zoom platform a lot for the art studio I’m with, I’m an artist with venture arts, which is for youngsters and adults with Learning disability.

When Covid happened they switched onto zoom, and I was unable to use it to the degree I needed it due to being non verbal and a user of proloquo2go.

VA sent me another iPad on free loan so I coud use theres for the zoom camera and mine for proloquo2go/AAC.

It opened up a new world to me, I was able to skype my parents (zoom is to advanced for them)and my sister,brother in law,my nieces for the first time and my mum had been going through very bad cancer (still is) she was diagnosed just before the first lockdown so they put off her treatment which made a lot of my behaviors and mental health worse.

I began doing lots of work with the studio which has changed my life,made me a lot more confident and interactive with other people and I don’t think they will ever know how much it has helped me cope,I have told them a bit,when I have blogged for them,but I think they’re all incredible staff and volunteers.

I’m currently working with the Scottish sculpture workshop remotely many hours drive away from Manchester through the studio-it’s me,a great friend/and an amazing artist,and the studio staff along with SSW taking part Once a week on zoom for 8 weeks,before that,we worked with the Wellcome gallery in London,we couldn’t have worked with them without the lockdowns or zoom-can you imagine them wanting to link up with Manchester without the power of zoom type apps?

I have also got to know my mates/staff so well so it has had some good sides to it.

[ClaireRPT_Mencap in reply to LDAutie]

LDAutie - thanks for taking the time to share this, it really does echo what we are hearing from some of the Mencap local groups. Some groups have been loaning tablets to their members (pre-set up with apps like Zoom and WhatsApp) and also supporting them to learn how to use them. This has enabled them to see their friends and connect with the online activities running. It has really helped their members who are non verbal to continue to be involved and linked in. We have also had groups from different parts of the country getting together virtually to do quizzes and music nights which never would have been possible before. It's so good to hear how positive this has been for you.

[LDAutie in reply to ClaireRPT_Mencap]

Hi Claire, I can’t do anything more than second everything you said-I’ve heard a lot of great stories that mencap have done to go above and beyond helping service users, I always felt far supported by mencap than any other service and I’ve enjoyed helping them when I coud,I am not just saying that-there aren’t many places out there who will go above and beyond for lots of service users,I know mine didn’t and left me to regress during lockdown.

I have got an idea that may be of use to mencap services,I’m working for 6 or more months with a PHD student who wants to find out why learning disabled artists are left out of the mainstream art world,we work over zoom,sometimes just drawing the same object together if I’m to overstimulated. She introduced me to the world of “mail art”, which was started a very long time ago, she and myself and my friend/fellow artist from VA are doing mail art together, so everyone has blank post cards, I get my staff to write a message to inspire my friend (I can’t write), and she then does the same to the student,and the student then to me,we keep doing this. Every time mine and my friends postcards are sent to the student,she keeps them and we start without them, as this keeps costs down from packaging and stamps.

Each post card has to be numbered as well.

We have a theme at the moment which is rare animals/nature in the UK,and I did one called the Manchester honey badger because they are extremely rare in Manchester lol,but it’s about people using creativity and communicating with each other when they may not be able to write or understand traditional language well.

Lots of galleries or museums woud love to take the finished items and exhibit them, manchester museum (or the uni,I can’t remember which sorry) have a huge amount of mail art that woud be on display now if it wasn’t for covid.

How it coud work,is a mencap facility,can get all the service users interested to make art on the postcards, send them to another mencap facility,and to another,one service or more coud be made to be the collector so all art will be kept by them when it gets to them,just to keep costs down and also less chance of damage to art work.

A theme can be used, or it can be what ever the person feels like doing, whether it’s drawing,painting, acrylic pouring even...or collages, or stamps etc.even writing a poem.

It’d be a way at keeping mencap facilities in contact with each other, may be less feeling of isolation, and it might help with creating a routine and some sense of normalcy during lockdown.

I’m only thinking of this,as I mentioned it to the company who support me,it was put forward to the big powers that be and they missed the hole point,and have instead offered to do a two page spread on me in their national magazine,not what I asked for though...😑

Sorry for going on,I write to much as I have no short term or working memory.

[ClaireRPT_Mencap in reply to LDAutie]

Thank you for letting me know more about this. This sounds so interesting... I like the idea of the Manchester Honey Badger There's a real interest in people connecting up in different ways and sometimes having themes can really inspire people to think about such a range of different subjects/topics. It gives the opportunity to be creative which is fantastic. I think this would be an excellent thing to explore with my colleagues and the Mencap local group Network. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this.