As we look ahead to the relaxation of the current government guidelines to Stay home – Protect the NHS – Save lives, I wanted to first reflect back to several weeks ago as we were all asked to observe social distancing.
The term “social distancing” immediately made me worry about all our collective futures & communities; the future for Incredible Education; family & friends, and indeed my own mental health and well-being. Working as I do for a social enterprise, the idea of not being social goes directly against what we have achieved over the past 6 years, as we have successfully delivered and facilitated programmes and projects in support of people's physical and emotional health through our work in Horticulture and Forest School.
For the wider community, I had concerns about those people who prior to lockdown were already suffering from social isolation. The people, both young and old who would have been accessing our services, as many projects were about to get underway in March 2020. Then there was the financial impact upon a social enterprise which, from day one in June 2014, has never been able to plan more than 12 months ahead with regards to any financial security – but have so far been adaptable and innovative enough to have survived the challenges of the Third Sector.
Close family and friends are now only accessible through Zoom or the telephone, I know that they are safe and well, but does that remote contact tell the whole truth?
Finally, my own mental health. I need to be doing, I need to be active – I have a very supportive immediate family including Teddie our pet dog, but there are days when even all that can’t lift the feeling of “What is next, what is the impact”, and I say that with regards to all those groups I have just spoken about.
This week we have been told by many to expect guidance about how the current lockdown will start to be lifted, and I hope that as this week unfurls, we can look ahead to a positive future. I have watched, like many people, videos posted on social media that relate to how the world may look. A recent short video, a young parent recounting the story of the virus impact to a young child at some point in the future. The narrative talks about how we reflected on our mistakes, although mainly about how capitalism had created so much greed, world travel and pollution!
I really do hope that from all the suffering that has been inflicted upon so many, that we start to think differently and that this potential shift will have a positive impact upon the world. On my daily exercise I have observed many more families with young children walking and enjoying the outdoors, and as someone who regularly walks, I know from my previous experiences that this is a significant increase in families spending quality time together, this is so valuable to all of us.
So, as we start to digest the news this week, I wanted to mention Cleavley Community Forest Garden, also known as Project X.
It is something that will, I hope, have a positive impact upon all four of the groups and people that I spoke about earlier. Communities, Incredible Education, family & friends, and myself. The site, I believe, will be a powerful resource for us all, as we start to re-engage with our communities, families, and friends. If you would like to join us on this new journey in some way, then please do get in touch - info@incredibleeducation.co.uk.
In conclusion, and this is a very personal statement, I am not convinced that those who measure success in monetary terms will change their lifestyles, for some, possessions (how many loo rolls they have) will still be the measure by which they want others to see them. However, I also believe that there are a great deal more people who, through the recent period, now see the world differently, and will want to contribute to creating kind, confident and connected communities.
Ian Bocock - Director & Education Lead, Incredible Education CIC.