WHAT'S THIS?
Groups offer you practical tips and info about issues you might be struggling with as well as the opportunity to meet other young people and share ideas in a safe, secure and confidential chat room.
Our groups work best on a laptop or desktop computer however you can also access them on your mobile. You'll be prompted to download the Clickwebinar app which will then allow you to take part from your phone.
WHAT WE DO
Groups are short, interactive, sessions that take place at a particular time (see What’s On), bringing you together with other young people to talk about issues like:
- Stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Relationships
- Confidence Building
To find out more about what happens in these workshops, click here for more information.
IS THIS FOR ME?
When something feels overwhelming, we can often feel completely alone. We might really want some help, but find the idea of ‘talking’ to someone tough. That’s where these online groups come in, because you don’t have to meet someone face to face and you don’t have to ‘talk’ (or type!) if you don’t want to!
Our groups give you the chance to get together with other people who are facing similar issues. You get the chance to find out more about what you're going through, as well as the chance to talk to other young people facing similar issues, which can help you to feel less alone as well as give you helpful hints on how to manage your problems.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Each online group is usually 30 minutes to an hour and a half long and usually happens in the evenings from Monday – Friday. There’ll usually be around ten people at the workshop, including two facilitators and other young people from around Greater Manchester who want to explore this particular issue. Some of the topics that are covered include:
- Stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Relationships
- Confidence Building
DURING THE SESSION
At the beginning of the session, the people facilitating the session will say hi and explain what's going to happen in the group. They’ll be a reminder about the group guidelines as we want everyone coming to the workshop to know that things will be kept private and that what they say will be respected.
Depending on which group you’re signed up for, there’ll be a bit of an introduction about that particular topic to help you understand the issue in more detail. There’ll be a chance to talk about people’s experiences, but there will never be any pressure to share, you can just sit and watch if you want to. The workshops have a practical focus, looking at coping strategies and positive things that might help when facing the particular issue you’re dealing with.
GETTING REGISTERED
If you’d like to attend an online group that’s coming up (What’s On), you need to register first. When you register, we will ask you a few questions about yourself. All of this information is subject to our data policy and will be kept private and confidential.
However, we do ask that when you register, you pick a display name that is not your name, an email address or a username you use regularly on other sites, so that you feel able to chat in the workshop knowing things are anonymous and confidential.
SIGNING UP
Once you’re registered, you’ll be invited to sign up for some of the online groupsthat are coming soon. Have a look at what’s on and sign up to a session that is running at a convenient time.
Once you’re signed up, we’ll send you some reminders by email ahead of the group. We will also send you a text on the day of the session. All you have to do is log in on the day, before the session, and you’ll be automatically sent to the group. Before you can join, you might have to answer a few quick questions, so that we can get an idea of how you’re feeling (if we’re concerned about how you’re feeling, we will get in touch with you either during or after the group - see here for more information).
Because we're always looking for ways to improve, at the end of the sessions we’ll ask you quickly for your feedback. If you found the session useful, then you’re very welcome to sign up for more. Simply return to the What’s on page and sign up to another session that you’re interested in
Getting along in the group
We ask that everyone who attends a group agrees to our group guidelines at the start of every session.
- Look after yourself! Please do take a break if you feel emotional during a session. Or, you can use the ‘ I Need Help Now’ button which will be pointed out by the person hosting the session. This button sends us an email alert and one of the team can then contact you after the session with some useful links and information for further support.
- Confidentiality: Everything you choose to share stays confidential within the group. You'll agree to respect each other's privacy and keep things confidential. If you think you recognise someone in the room please keep this to yourself and be respectful. If you're concerned about something, you can press the 'I need help now' button and speak to the facilitators privately about your concerns after the workshop; we will always take action to make sure you and others are safe. Don't post any personal details such as contact details or your real name. This helps us all to stay safe and anonymous.
- Focus! If you usually like to multi-task online then we ask you to sit back, put your mobile on silent, close down you're other tabs and focus on the session whilst it's happening. This will really help you to get the most from the workshop.
- Respect others - we're all from different backgrounds and have had different life experiences. You'll agree to respect other members' ideas and listen to one another without judging.
Browser not working
Our groups will work in most browsers except internet explorer. Browsers such as Safari, Chrome and Firefox ought to work fine. When clicking a link from us it may still open up in your default browser which may no be one of these – you can change your default browser in your windows settings or can right-click (long press on a touch screen) and tell your device which browser to use.
Unable to see a group
Whlst some of our groups are open to anyone, some require an invite from your worker. If you’re expecting to be able to see a specific group but can’t, please e-mail onlineteam@42ndstret.org.uk and we’ll make sure you have access to it. We can also check nothing has gone wrong our end as wellum. You will always need to register for the group first under the What’s On section before it appears under “my groups”
Using a camera or microphone
Most of our groups won’t need you to do this but occasionally things can be planned in advance that need members to be on audio or video. The facilitator can give you permission to share your audio or webcam; if there are difficulties with this you can
• Check there is a camera / microphone icon in your browser address bar indicating the page is accessing these devices
• Click on the COG in the AV viewer and check the right device and volume is highlighted under camera or microphone
• Check your browser settings (on Chrome, this is the 3 dots at the top right, under “privacy” and then “site settings”; microphone and camera may be switched off here)
• If using windows check if there is a microphone symbol on the bottom right of the screen to show a microphone has been detected
• Refresh the page you are on or close down your browser and restart
• Check nothing else is trying to access your webcam or microphone at the same time
• Check your firewall if relevant to see if it Is blocking these devices
