Here’s a blog written by one of our lovely Academy graduates during their time on the course. They found that taking part in Brightsparks Academy gave them the confidence they needed to make a plan of action for taking the next step in their career.

We often get asked for details on the support that is available to families living in and around York; so we have put together this list of local organisations which we hope you will find useful.

Liz Mould is a teacher and a parent who has been teaching in primary schools for 11 years. We invited Liz to talk to us about her experience of homeschooling.

On Friday 12th June 2020 we held our first Live online Q&A via Zoom. The Q&A was open to everyone who completed our free online course: 'Supporting Your Child's Emotional Resilience During Covid-19' and provided a fitting conclusion to the hugely popular and well received course. Our course tutors Katie and Christine were on hand to answer any questions that attendees had, which led to some thought provoking discussions. Below we have rounded up a selection of the questions that were asked and the responses from Katie and Christine.

I have worked with children, young people, and their families in a number of roles for the last 20 years across the Yorkshire region. The majority of my career has been spent working with refugees newly resettled in the UK who have experienced multiple traumas.  I have also supported Foster Carers through accredited courses to develop skills and strategies to help identify and support children with trauma and attachment issues.

Easter is one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar and is recognised around the globe. This year celebrations are likely to be very different as we stay at home in order to halt the spread of coronavirus.

We have come up with some ideas and activities to help make the Easter weekend that little bit special during the lockdown and to ensure that those who want to celebrate its true meaning can do so.

Liz Mould is a Teacher and a parent who has been teaching in primary schools for 11 years. We invited Liz to talk to us about the best way to help parents and carers manage homeschooling now that the schools have closed their gates.

It is important to talk openly to children and reassure them about the changes they are seeing around them due to Coronavirus. Following the announcement of school closures, children may worry about themselves, their family, and friends getting ill with COVID-19. Many children, like adults, are sensitive to uncertainty and any changes to their routine.

In response to seeing the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on families’ mental health, Brightsparks, a York-based social enterprise, has created a FREE online course: ‘Supporting Your Child’s Emotional Resilience During Lockdown’. The course aims to help parents and carers of children aged 4-11 to understand how to best support children to strengthen their emotional resilience, enabling them to navigate successfully through these uncertain times.