09:00, 14 October 2021
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
A 'digital universe' has launched for young people to safely and anonymously share their experiences of loneliness, and the small steps they’ve taken to tackle it.
Lonelynotalone.org is the first platform of its kind and is part of the Co-op Foundation’s Lonely Not Alone campaign to address the stigma of youth loneliness. The campaign has been backed by NUS, Universities UK, apprenticeship providers, and the Co-op.
The platform is designed to connect young people and invites 10 to 25-year-olds to explore an exact replica of this evening’s night sky. Here, they can type or leave voice notes detailing their experiences of loneliness for others to read and learn from. These stories will be made into stars in the digital night sky. Each star will be put into a Lonely Not Alone constellation, which represents a different experience of loneliness and aligns with real constellations you can see tonight.
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This means that young people can look up into the night sky at any time and see their star shining bright. Lonely Not Alone reminds young people: The universe goes on forever. Loneliness doesn’t have to.
This year’s campaign has been designed by 15 young people aged 14 to 22 in partnership with specialist co-design agency, Effervescent. The launch comes as newly released stats from the Co-op Foundation show interventions like Lonely Not Alone work to tackle loneliness.
Researchers spoke to 2,001 10 to 25-year-olds and found that three fifths (60%) of young people who are lonely at least occasionally agree that talking about how they feel is easier to do online than in person. They also found almost two thirds of young people (64%) say helping other people makes them feel less lonely.
Nick Crofts, CEO of the Co-op Foundation, said: “The past 18 months have been a challenging time for everyone, but for many young people, they’ve felt like their lives have been put on hold, making connections hard to create and maintain.
“Our research found that loneliness is intrinsically linked to mental wellbeing. We hope our Lonely Not Alone campaign together with Co-op's work in communities, can have a positive impact on young people.
“We’re so proud of our young co-designers who set about creating a space for other young people to connect and start a conversation about loneliness. Their creativity has resulted in an entire universe that allows young people to build empathy and understanding of loneliness, while sharing useful, practical tips for other lonely young people.”
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Co-op Foundation has been tackling youth loneliness since Co-op and British Red Cross research found young people were lonely more than any other age group. Since 2017, it has awarded more than £6.5m to youth projects and helped to develop networks and resources to support youth workers. Find out more about the Co-op Foundation and donate here.
