Mayo parents dealing with parenting challenges created by Covid-19 are invited to attend an online workshop designed to help them through these unprecedented times.
Parenting Your Teenager Through Covid-19 will be the title of the interactive online workshop on Thursday, April 23, at 7.30pm.
The free event is hosted by Planet Youth, a primary prevention initiative that aims to enhance young people’s health and wellbeing and assist them in achieving their full potential. Planet Youth has been operating in the counties of Mayo, Roscommon and Galway since 2018.
"A key area of focus for us has been to provide support to parents in the region. We are very conscious that parents are now dealing with extraordinary challenges and we want to be there for them," said Pat Conway, a member of the Planet Youth steering committee.
"As we are all restricted in our face-to-face contact at this time, we are holding this workshop online using an innovative facilitated format.
"Parenting Your Teenager Through Covid-19 offers parents the opportunity to engage with other parents in conversation where they can share their challenges while also acknowledging the good parenting that is taking place."
The workshop will be led by Adolescent Psychotherapist Gina Dowd. Gina works with teenagers and their families.
"We know from the extensive Planet Youth surveys carried out last year that, by and large, parents are doing a great job. For example, over 90 per cent of 15 and 16 year-olds surveyed across the region said they received warmth and caring easily, and this workshop will help build on that," added Pat.
The workshop will last for approximately 90 minutes and will be followed by a further video created by Gina that will be circulated to parents in the days afterwards.
A parent who attended a recent trial event for this format, described it as 'very helpful and re-assuring.' She said: "This is a very challenging time for parents, and it was great to chat with other parents who are in the same boat right now, and also to get some professional pointers from Gina. I found it very supportive and I think many parents will derive great benefits from attending."
To register for the workshop, simply email ‘Mayo’ to [email protected] and you’ll be contacted with a registration link. The workshop is supported by Healthy Ireland funds.
