The Social Distance Squad

Background

COVID-19 and social distancing measures have hit teens hard. They have been cut off from their social circles during their formative years, missed out on key events and have been left searching for guidance on how to be social while apart.

Idea

The Social Distance Squad is a platform in which young people with cystic fibrosis have become thought leaders and influencers.

“We’ve been doing social distancing forever.

Six feet apart, nothing new. Can’t go out, can’t tell what day it is, we wrote the book.” On the website, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok 15 young people with CF share tips and stories about staying well and happy.

They’ve been doing it since birth. They offer personalised advice and many have appeared in virtual classrooms across the country, leading Q&A sessions to help kids cope with lockdown.

Results

The reaction has been immediate. Kids in virtual classes have been motivated by the Squad, seeing opportunities instead of frustrations.

Our Thoughts

While most other charities are sombre in lockdown, here’s a story that is SO INSPIRING. The default attitude to people who are disabled or afflicted by illness is to feel sorry for them. Channel 4 challenged that by showing us how disabled athletes are superhuman, and here’s The Social Distance Squad showing us that CF has given them the advantages of insight and compassion.

What a startling way to raise awareness of what CF actually is, and of the charities that deal with it. Wonderful work.