L – Light-hearted
Being light-hearted means being playful and active – using humour and fun, being willing to give things a go without taking them too seriously or worrying about the outcomes, and taking sessions outside and making them active where possible.
- Playful
Aim to keep things light and joyful. Being playful doesn’t mean being funny all the time or constantly playing games, but it does mean finding moments to share silliness and laugh together. It can be helpful to demonstrate being playful so that young people will feel safe to be playful themselves – it might take some young people a little time to join in. Being playful can bring moments of positive connection and will help young people to want to engage with HOPEFUL. It can help young people to keep working on a task that they find emotionally or mentally challenging. It can also help young people to learn that it’s okay to make mistakes, to not take oneself too seriously, and that feeling silly or embarrassed is a temporary feeling that they can cope with and then bounce-back from.
Places like coffee shops or even just outside, doing semi-structured work sitting down in some sort of open spaces. Putting someone in a neutral zone, and if you do feel stressed, you can go and look at something, rather than being forced to sit down and talk. If you’re uncomfortable, you can take a second to go look at the pretty flowers.
- Active
Take HOPEFUL sessions outside where possible, e.g., meeting to talk either outdoors or in a public space, such as a cafe or community centre. It helps many young people to be outdoors, or in other places that feels relaxing yet interesting. Being able to look at or touch (where allowed!) things like plants or sculptures can really help young people if they feel anxious or emotional. Taking sessions outdoors could include incorporating a walk – which is good for health but can also make it easier for many young people to talk more freely and openly. You can do many of the HOPEFUL activities outside, e.g., finding objects for collages or sitting in the park to do visualisations. Another benefit of taking sessions outdoors is that it will help to expose young people to different things that might help them to identify what is meaningful to them, e.g., sports activities or future career options. It will help for you to identify local places and spaces that might be good places to visit, e.g., parks, nature reserves, libraries, cafes, community centres, galleries, monuments, installations, art trails, and interesting walking routes, etc.