The young people’s laurate for London, Cecilia Knapp, has launched a campaign via the organisation Spread The Word to encourage young people to use writing and poetry to keep positive and feel connected to others during the current lockdown.

A recent survey by mental health charity YoungMinds has shown that 74% of teachers and school staff agreed that schools being closed during national lockdowns has negatively affected young people’s mental health. Meanwhile 80% of young people with a history of mental ill-health have found their conditions have worsened since the coronavirus crisis began in the UK.

Cecilia is encouraging young people to use poetry and creative writing as creative outlet during, and as a way to find a community with other writers. She has launched her #WriteThroughThis campaign with a video, and is offering further free videos and longer workshops in the weeks to come. More details