Carers across the region who already struggle with isolation are now isolated more than ever and Newcastle Carers are a blood line of support for them. After hanging up the call instead of feeling desperate in this situation we felt mobilised, passionate and ready to roll our sleeves up. We had chatted about the importance of finding new creative ways to communicate and how this might look when reaching out to vulnerable people, which is now more difficult than ever.

Stepping around these seemingly impossible barriers thrown up in this current situation takes divergent thinking and a collective of people with a shared purpose. This only solidifies further the importance of finding people and projects you really care about from a human perspective, because when things look bleak together you find ways to carve out new directions. Working together has never felt so fundamental to everything as it does right now and we feel privileged to be in a position where we can have these conversations and overcome these challenges.

Some top tips on keeping connected and creative:

  • Prioritise groups wellbeing – offer tips to look after yourself. Encourage a new hobby, read a book, meditate, cook
  • Use social media to connect and share ideas
  • Conversation channels like Slack and Zoom are great to keep in contact with teams and clients
  • Reach out to your clients/audiences and communities through 1-1 calls or group calls
  • Set up creative activities to keep groups motivated and engaged