MEMBERS of Young Farmers’ Clubs (YFCs) are being encouraged to stay connected during the Covid-19 crisis through a new initiative called YFC at Home, developed by The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC).

Working with YFC members, who are part of NFYFC’s steering groups, the federation has developed activities and information to deliver YFC at Home.

The plans aim to unite YFC members during a period of uncertainty and to provide practical and engaging ways for rural young people to stay connected during isolation. The programme of activity is also intended to help young people develop skills if they are currently not in school or work.

NFYFC chairman Dewi Parry said: “Living in rural locations generally means our members are familiar with being in isolation – however, the necessary Covid-19 restrictions have only made this remoteness worse. The weekly YFC meeting is often seen as a social lifeline for a lot of members – especially those working on the farm who rarely get to meet up with friends.

“NFYFC is keen to ensure that the YFC community stay connected during these challenging times to improve members’ mental well-being and support those around them.”

There are four key elements to the YFC at Home strategy, which include:

• Supporting communities – practical guidance on how YFCs can continue to support their local communities during the crisis.

• Taking care of yourself – a focus on mental well-being and ensuring YFC members look after their physical and mental health.

• Staying connected – ideas and support to help counties, clubs and members stay safely connected through online solutions during the crisis.

• Support for farmers – support for young farmers as well as advice on how YFC can support the wider farming community.NFYFC is supporting the Farming Help helpline and promoting HOPS’ seasonal labour opportunities to support UK growers.

One of the more fun elements of YFC at Home is the launch of the YFC Isolation Challenges. These weekly social media challenges reflect NFYFC’s competitions programme, and are aimed at YFC members practising key skills and sharing their results with the YFC community (and the general public) online.

So far, a YFC Isolation Bake Off attracted more than 100 entries with YFC members showcasing their ‘bakes’ on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

This week’s challenge – announced by Dewi during a Facebook live video chat on Friday night – is to take a photo to reflect a moment in isolation for a YFC member.

The isolation challenges will also culminate in mini ‘Challenge Finals’ where the best five in each category will be put forward to be voted on by the public. It is hoped that the first Challenge Final will be held at the Greatest Online Agricultural Show on May 2.

Dewi Parry added: “Competitions are an important part of the YFC programme that we know many YFC members are really missing right now. We wanted to bring some of these skill-based activities back and our YFC Isolation Challenges are a fun way to do this online. We also hope it showcases to a wider audience how important YFC is to young people living in rural communities.”

NFYFC has also been working closely with its 46 County Federations to help them manage their charities during the crisis. As well as weekly Covid-19 briefings and daily updates where appropriate, there are also new weekly video calls with county offices as well as catch ups with county chairs, which have received positive feedback.

Many county federations and clubs have already started online activities to communicate with their members – and are holding virtual committee meetings, quizzes and fun challenges.

Dewi will also be hosting weekly YFC at Home video chats on Facebook to help bring the YFC community together on a national scale. For more information about YFC at Home, visit the new section of the website here: www.nfyfc.org.uk/yfcathome