What is The Lounge?
The Lounge is a space within school to “come as you are” and step away from the pressure.
The Lounge is run by our trained volunteers and Soulscape staff, who are on hand to chat with any student who wants to talk. It’s a space to share what’s on your mind, process what you’re feeling, or just to take some time out from the pressure and relax.
“Thank you for just listening to me”
What’s different about The Lounge?
We don’t come into a school and tell young people what they need. The Lounge is created for young people, by young people. When we launch The Lounge, we first spend a week discussing the idea with every year group to ask how they would like it to work, making sure that the space will provide what they really want and need.
We believe that creating a space like this within school is the ideal scenario, as all the young people are already there and can easily access it. Our experience from running Pause spaces is that school can be a pressurised place and young people really value a place to rest and reflect during the day.
Why is The Lounge important?
We know that young people today face 24/7 pressure from all sides, and don’t get much time to stop, reflect, relax and just be themselves. This has implications for their development and mental health. Schools are also under pressure to get their students through exams, and time and budget contraints can mean that more creative, reflective subjects get squeezed from the timetable.
We developed The Lounge in collaboration with local schools after the Covid-19 schools closure. We recognised that for many young people it has been a very anxious and uncertain time. It’s more vital than ever to prioritise young people’s wellbeing and give them time and space to de-stress.
