Thrive-ing in Lockdown

88% of young people feel supported by Thrive Teams since getting involved

2020 was a hard year. When lockdown hit and schools closed, young people didn’t just lose access to their education, but to friendships and community too. Isolation has damaged the mental health of many in this generation. Families in disadvantaged contexts also face disproportionate financial pressure through job loss, and inequitable support for homeschooling. For some, lockdown means no escape from a hostile home environment; for others, losing school lunches means a daily battle against hunger.

These challenges are very real to the young people Thrive Teams work with in Oxford’s most disadvantaged estates. It was a privilege to walk alongside them in 2020. Enormous highlights were launching our clubs online after the first lockdown, and seeing their commitment to joining in and looking out for each other; our brilliant summer holiday clubs which were possible in person and in blazing sunshine; and the cheer of our Christmas events in the dark midwinter.

Thanks to your support, Thrive Teams were a lifeline to many in 2020. With your help, we continued to develop resilience and leadership in young people who lost so much last year, but have so much to give. Thank you for being there for them: we can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve.

Make a donation at https://innovista.org/donate/ to support Thrive Teams.

Kacie’s Story

Kacie

When Kacie first joined Thrive, she was overwhelmingly shy and struggled even to make eye-contact with leaders. Over several years, her confidence slowly grew, and we all saw her enormous potential. In fact, she won an award for Breakthrough at our 2019 Young Achievers Dinner. Having aced her GCSEs, she started A-Levels and wanted to apply for university, but with little support from her school, the prospect was too daunting. Her ambitions might have gone unrealised without Thrive Teams. We knew what a difference a mentor would make to 17-year-old Kacie’s confidence and aspiration. Just after the first lockdown we matched her with Belinda, a PhD student in Biochemistry (Kacie’s chosen field). With Belinda on her side, Kacie applied to university (including Oxford, where she was interviewed by two colleges). She did brilliantly in her mock A-levels and has received offers from three universities so far. We are excited to see Kacie’s potential being unlocked, and so proud of how far she has come!