EXPERIENCES of children during the pandemic have been shared in a 'Letters of Lockdown' booklet.
The initiative organised by Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) invited young people to submit either letters or drawings about their time during lockdown.
All the entries have been included in a booklet which is available to download from the charity's website.
Ellen Finlay of CiNI said it was delighted with the response.
"(We) would like to thank every child and young person who took the time to create their entry.
"The emotive booklet is a collection of drawings, poems and letters which highlight the impacts of this global pandemic including the loss of connection, the impact on emotional health and wellbeing, and social exclusion and isolation.
"Children and young people have shown incredible resilience, but even the most resilient children will need extra support as we move forward.
"Listening and reading children’s experiences and including them in decision making must be a key part of the government's response so that we can recover and rebuild better communities."
Q Radio DJ Ibe Seasy, a CiNI ambassador, said it had been a privilege to be part of the project.
"Not being able to see grandparents, missing friends in school and not being able to go places they enjoy has been incredibly tough for children and young people," he said.
"In text and illustration, they have brilliantly depicted what life has been like during this time from their own point of view in a humorous but also serious way.
"Some used diary accounts or a poem and some just pointed out the difficulties for them and their family living through lockdown.
"Well done to all children involved in this project. Just like myself, I know you’ll find it a very interesting read."
Fellow ambassador Kerry McLean, who also help select the winners, said it was a "wonderful project".
"I had no idea how moved I would be by the efforts of the children and young people.
"Their hard work resulted in some incredibly beautiful and poignant art and their letters and poems reduced me to both tears of sadness and laughter.
"At a time when my mental health felt a bit bruised by everything we were experiencing, this wonderful collection, showing the talent and resilience of our children, made my heart swell and filled me with joy."
The downloadable booklet is available at: www.cinicommunityhub.org.
