Today, we celebrate International Youth Day, and this year’s theme – youth engagement for global action – is reflected in the hundreds of positive stories of youth engagement and resilience that we received during UNESCO’s “My COVID19 Story” campaign. The storytelling campaign was launched in April of 2020 to serve as a platform for youth around the world to share their voices and highlight their different lived experiences during the pandemic, including their feelings, perceptions, and innovative initiatives to find solutions to the crisis. In total, the written and video testimonials that UNESCO received represent all regions of the world, proving once again that they are key actors when it comes to developing innovative solutions to the global challenges that the world faces.
Perceptions, Lived Experiences, and Youth Action During the Pandemic
Throughout this pandemic, youth have sometimes been accused of spreading the virus and lacking respect for quarantine and sanitation procedures. However, this initiative has shined a light on the fact that youth are among the ones who are most active in responding to the pandemic and helping their communities remain safe and develop coping strategies. Young people, such as Maria from the Philippines, Farkhad from Kyrgyzstan, Olga from Belarus, Akwasi from Nigeria and Manuel from Argentina, demonstrated the power of youth engagement in unprecedented times of crisis through the development of major initiatives.
Social bonds
The testimonials represented youth perceptions of their experience during the virus, particularly in relation to lockdown measures. Although many expressed their enjoyment of increased family time, Crystal (11) from Hong Kong does not experience that privilege; she has been separated from her father for over 5 months due to him being in Taiwan, where he must stay and work. Overall, the lack of in-person contact (not being able to see friends and family members) was a common difficult experience for youth to navigate.
Culture
Another noted difficulty by youth was finding ways to celebrate traditional events that are deeply important to many cultures, such as weddings, funerals, musical/theatrical performances, or the celebration of Ramadan. Many of these have been shifted online; Siwon (24) from South Korea explains that performing arts centers, such as The National Gugak Center and the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater have shifted to livestream performances.
Mental health
Many respondents also reported on how they have found ways to ensure that their own mental health does not suffer. Some mentioned that they discovered new hobbies and engaged in activities such as martial arts, meditation, and yoga. Pearl (13) from China, even started her own cooking channel, and Palomi (19) from India has spread awareness about mental health through her Instagram: instagram.com/thepsychehealer, where she posts about different quotes and tips related to mental health or how to change certain mindsets.
This resilience speaks to the power of community, rather than society, during this time. As Moises (25) from Mexico explains “My community has learned that as humans we are so fragile alone, but together we can make a huge change.” This power of collective action is reflected in the testimonials, as youth have come together to tackle the challenges of the crisis. The following challenges were most commonly noted, irrespective of country or region: food insecurity, loss of employment, difficulty to provide universal access to education, discrimination and racism, increased cases of domestic violence and harassment, a lack of belief in the existence of the pandemic, increased difficulties in marginalized and vulnerable communities, weaknesses in healthcare systems and governments, stigma around the virus, and stress and depression.
Community and vulnerable people
Among the video submissions we received from different communities around the world, we have several which showcase the most the importance of young people’s engagement in initiatives aimed at helping vulnerable people. For example, various video testimonials from Eshana (a member of CCV Global from Sri Lanka who delivers COVID-related supplies to individuals), Tammy (a member of the Mask Volunteers from the USA who makes face masks for community members), and Sanjana (a woman from the UK who created posters and baked cupcakes for healthcare workers), all of whom were involved in distribution of items for their communities. Dhruv (16) from the USA created the initiative “Teens Helping Seniors” to deliver groceries to elderly individuals and working with “Arts-n-Stem4Hearts” to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) to health care workers.
Access to education
Other initiatives focused more on the theme of education. As Justin (25) from Zimbabwe explains, “Educational disruption has affected learners. This is why I teach students on WhatsApp through voice recordings and sharing notes as text messages. This makes it cheaper to access information as [access to strong internet speed] is expensive.” Ifunanya (23) from Nigeria similarly provides free lessons to primary and secondary students in her driveway.
Misinformation
Another way to educate is through fighting misinformation. Tiancheng (27) from China disseminated medical knowledge to eliminate prejudice and misunderstanding around the virus and the victims of the virus. Shivang (23) from India created posters to support COVID-19 survivors and to raise awareness about proper sanitation measures. Aida (19) from Kazakhstan and Nhial (21) from Kenya have worked on informative campaigns for UNICEF Kazakhstan and Kakuma Refugee Camp & Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement in Kenya, respectively.
Online hate speech and discrimination
Zhong (17), from China, explains that “Misleading, biased information and conspiracy theories have resulted in hatred in racism.” Aline (32) from Brazil noted she is concerned about “The increase in prejudice and racism, especially because [she is] an immigrant.” Wuhan, where the initial outbreak occurred, has faced many challenges with discrimination, and Belinda (14) and Sally (14), both from China, have made posters to support Wuhan and end such discrimination. Overall, these actions show that youth are engaging in peacebuilding activities and showing resilience during the COVID-19 crisis.
Eyes on the Future
These testimonials speak to the fact that youth are at the focal points of resilience-building and will shape the #NextNormal. Numerous responses, including expansive remarks by Jennalynn (18) of the USA, and Fatma (28) of Oman, demonstrate how youth are observing the positive impact of this crisis on the planet and on climate change. Fatma describes how it has served as a type of “rebalancing of the earth after years of high levels of pollution, where the environment suffered from human selfishness and its struggle to drain the wealth of this land.”
Still, despite this resilience, it is important to note that youth worry about the future, especially with the general difficulty with adapting “to a changing reality,” as Dmitri (19) from Russia explains succinctly. This is particularly hard for vulnerable and marginalized groups, as explained by many youth who noted the lack of infrastructure and government involvement in helping these groups. Gol (32) from Iran was particularly concerned about this, as it is leading to increased risk of infection with the virus, but also poorer mental health in vulnerable populations.
Overall, the insightful knowledge about how COVID-19 affects different people differently shows that youth are thinking beyond the direct impacts of COVID-19. Throughout the “My COVID-19 Story” Campaign, which we bring to a close today, the deepened solidarity and empathy expressed throughout these responses speaks to the influence that young people – the world’s future leaders – will have in the #NextNormal.
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During the “My COVID-19 Story” campaign, young people have been sharing with us their creativity, knowledge,
humour, innovative ideas and messages of hope:
Explore their creative touch here.
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- Learn more about the My COVID-19 Story campaign here!
- Share with us your inspirational story by creating your own video! How? Sign up and do it here
- UNESCO Youth Programme