Guiding the next generation at Burnley College

As is the need in these current circumstances, we had to switch our delivery to the students at Burnley College from face-to-face to online

We used to have reservations about the impact that online deliveries had, as opposed to being there in the flesh

This pandemic has resulted in a shift towards technology that has really forced our hand

Teams, Zoom, Blue-Jeans to name but a few, there are a multitude of online platforms that are looking to serve this space

Our experience has been that people are actually far more willing to engage with the topic of adverse mental health when they don't have to maintain any kind of facade in front of their colleagues or peers

The number of questions coming through in real-time is far greater than at deliveries in person, where all of the questions arrive after the fact when we offer an anonymous line of communication

We have also noticed, and it was apparent with today's delivery, that the younger generation are for more adept at engaging in this manner, it is their norm

So, if you are holding back on staging an event because you share our early reservations, rest assured that this 'new' way of interacting is already embedded within the younger demographic, and the older ones are ready and willing to embrace it!

As for the impact, responses are still coming through from a Northants NHS Trust delivery that we did 4 months ago, and Burnley College have indicated an immediate "buzz" around the campus with conversations about our delivery and what it means to those who tuned in.