National realities in Europe: resources
Study on child participation in EU political and democratic life. Final Report (Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain)
Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission
This study focuses on child participation in EU political and democratic life, covering a broad range of mechanisms – such as consultations, polls, ad hoc meetings and structural consultation bodies – that have been implemented after 2012 across 28 countries (27 EU Member States (MS) and the UK). The study covers also mechanisms at the international, EU and national level, and at the local level in 10 selected MS – namely Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
How does Ukrainian youth live in the times of COVID-19? (Ukraine)
LVIV.Team: Socioinform, City Institute and MoloDvizh Center. Lviv
The survey contains the interviewing results based on the author’s model for measuring sentiments of young people ages 14–35 during the pandemic caused by SARSCoV-2. In general, every second male/female respondent (50.3%) has provided mostly negative assessments of the future situation of COVID-19. Yet only a third of Ukraine’s youths agree with the reimposition of strict quarantine.
At the Threshold: youth work through the COVID-19 pandemic (UK - Northern Ireland and Ireland)
Peace4Youth
The research was carried out with youth workers delivering youth programmes throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic. Respondents were employed as youth workers in the Peace IV Children & Young People’s programme, Peace4Youth. The Peace4Youth programme is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and supported by the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion and Youth (RoI) and the Department for the Economy (Northen Ireland). The research presents the experience of youth workers transitioning from the standard programme to new online activities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Impact of LGBT Youth Scotland’s Digital Youth Work on Young People (UK - Scotland)
LGBT Youth Scotland and YouthLink Scotland
This report details the findings of a qualitative research study on LGBT Youth Scotland’s digital youth work. The study explored the impact of digital youth work on young people who participated during the coronavirus lockdown from March to July 2020. Qualitative analysis of the stories revealed the following impact of digital youth work on young people: reduced isolation, improved wellbeing, personal growth, increased resilience.
Youth Work: Closing the poverty-related attainment gap during the pandemic (UK - Scotland)
YouthLink Scotland
This report explores how youth work responded to the needs of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. It considers where this can help understand how best to mitigate the longer term impacts and accelerate progress towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
Covid-19, youth employment, and mental health in Italy
European Student Think Tank
The survey among youth from Italy, one of the countries hit the hardest in the beginning of the pandemic, revealed that hardly any measures exist to promote mental health at work and a vast majority of young people does not know where to find mental health support if needed. It also showed that broaching the issue of mental health at work has a positive impact on individual well-being.
WFD analysis on youth budget allocations at local governing levels in Serbia (in Serbian only)
Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)
Youth people and the rural youth services (UK)
National Youth Agency - NYA (UK)
The report shows that in UK, rural areas that may experience a slower revival from Covid-19, with the capacity of youth services at its lowest base of support for a decade. There is little or no co-ordinated provision in many rural areas to tackle inequalities and put young people at the heart of Covid-recovery.
Youth ministry in a pandemic: the story of 2020. The challenges and opportunities brought about by Covid-19 (UK)
Youthscape
At the end of 2020, 350 youth workers responded to the question: “What opportunities in your youth work have you found due to the COVID-19 pandemic?” There’s encouraging news here. There were 239 references to an increase in depth during 2020 – be that growing engagement (97), more time for 1-1’s and small groups (84). Covid has exposed a capacity to adapt, and with that the possibility that change can bring about growth, not merely survival.
The impact of Covid-19 on England’s youth organisations (UK)
UK Youth
The report presents the financial impact of Covid-19 on youth organisations in England. The report finds that the pandemic is having a substantial, negative impact on young people, particularly regarding their wellbeing and mental health. In turn, youth organisations are seeing an increase in demand for their services. Youth organisations are simply unable to meet the substantial demand for their services, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. This is due to COVID-19 restrictions and the financial implications of the pandemic including reduced income, increased costs as youth organisations strive to adapt their services, and efforts to reduce expenditure leading to a loss in workforce.
Research to inform development of the youth work strategy (UK - Wales)
Welsh Government. Authors: Marshall, T., O’Prey, L., Parkinson, A., Grunhut, S., Teifi, I., Usher, S. & Knight, E.
This report presents the findings of research carried out by Wavehill on behalf of the Welsh Government between July and October 2020. The research was carried out to inform the ongoing development of work within the Youth Work Strategy for Wales, initially published in June 2019.
The reports consideres the impact of COVID-19 on youth work and organisations separately from the broader challenges and opportunities youth work organisations are experiencing.
“Glocal” and Transversal Engagement in Youth Social Movements: A Twitter-Based Case Study of Fridays For Future-Barcelona (Spain)
Frontiers in Political Science. Authors: Ludovic Terren, Roger Soler-i-Martí
Based on a social network and a content analysis of Fridays For Future-Barcelona’s Twitter account since its creation, this article explores the organization’s “glocal” and transversal dynamics, the relationship that might exist between these two, and the potential influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on these processes.
Next Generation Poland
British Council
The first in-depth examination of Poland’s youth since the start of COVID-19. It reports on the experiences, aspirations, ambitions and values of the first generation of Poles to grow up in a post-communist society.
SHEryica - Good Practice Booklet 2020 (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Scotland, Spain)
ERYICA - European Youth Information and Counselling Agency
This document offers best practices and success stories on youth information actions that were carried out during the pandemic in the following areas: Digital Youth Information Work, Youth Information outreach to disadvantaged groups, Media and Information Literacy, Peer-to-peer in youth information, and Additional Good Practices in the Youth Information Field.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and young people in London (UK)
London Assembly Health Committee (March 2021)
This report explores the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children and young people in London. A growing body of research, and the results of the Assembly’s own survey of young Londoners, paint a worrying picture of a decline in mental health and wellbeing across the capital. We explore how certain groups have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, with a focus on young carers, children and young people from low-income households and disabled children and young people. This compounds a reported rise in mental and emotional distress by children and young people in recent years alongside a rise in demand for counselling services, hospital admissions for self-harm and referrals to specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany
Ravens Sieberer and Kaman, European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (January 2021)
The current study is the first nationwide representative study to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health of children and adolescents in Germany from the perspective of children themselves. Comparing the impacts cross-culturally, children and adolescents in Germany do not seem to be affected as negatively as in other countries such as China, Spain and Italy. In comparison to other countries, German children and adolescents may have been impacted less severely during the initial phase of the pandemic, possibly due to a lower incidence and mortality rate of COVID19 and softer lockdown measures. A longitudinal study is planned to assess whether depressive and anxiety symptoms in German children and adolescents may increase during the ongoing situation.
COVID-19 and YOUTH: Effects of pandemic on youth participation
COVID-19 și TINERII: Efectele pandemiei asupra participării tinerilor (Moldova)
UNFPA Moldova
The data underlying the analysis were collected through the opinion poll conducted by the Center for Sociological Research and Marketing "CBS-AXA" between July 6-24, 2020. The sample included a number of 1010 people in the age segment 15-24 years. Restrictions imposed by the crisis situation during the pandemic led to lower participation of young people. Approximately 60% of the young people characterized mainly by a high participation, continued to be actively involved in the life of the locality during April-June of this year: they participated in the working meetings of NGOs and Youth Centers (54.5% ), but also at decision-making meetings for the locality, association or Youth Center (58.6%). This category of young people, during the pandemic crisis, manifested itself especially in actions to raise community awareness by signing petitions (65.5%) and helping the elderly.
Guidance for Local Authorities on Providing Youth Services (UK)
National Youth Agency - NYA (UK)
Youth workers play an important role in supporting young people and youth services provide an essential service. The report summarises recommendations for local authorities on providing these services. This guidance is published by National Youth Agency (NYA), as the professional, statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) for youth work and youth services in England, to provide greater clarity and consistency for the understanding of local authorities’ statutory duty to secure and support access to quality local youth services.
Impact of Covid-19 on the voluntary youth work sector in Wales (UK - Wales)
CWVYS
The voluntary youth sector in Wales has responded and risen to the challenge of Covid-19 swiftly and admirably, less than 8% of Members surveyed reported no operational change. While it is clear the sector has serious concerns about the future post lockdown, many have quickly adapted their services, repurposed resources and continued to support the communities they work within. The respot is based on a survey of CWVYS members. CWVYS is the representative body for the voluntary youth sector in Wales.
Take the Temperature: A national youth trends report understanding the impact of coronavirus on young people in the UK (UK - England)
Beatfreeks
Take the Temperature is a report about the broad impact of coronavirus and its aftershocks on young people across the UK. It is based on a survey with 1535 young people respondents, 11 young ‘Isolation Diaries', and several industry professionals interviews.
L’impact du Covid-19 Sur l'emploi des femmes (France)
Fondation des Femmes
One year after the first confinement, the "Fondation des Femmes" analyses the significant economic consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak on women’s employment. The report analyses three different periods of the previous year: the period of “first containment” of March 2020 first; the economic and social crisis that has set in and finally the impact of the recovery plan announced by the government in September 2020. The report thus highlights: three distinct phenomena which have reinforced the situation of inequality women in the labour market.
Young Spaniards 2021. Being young in times of pandemic (Spain and Latin America)
Fundación SM
This report is a complete research that captures the reality of young boys and girls between 15 and 29 years, in a context marked by the Covid-19 sanitary and socioeconomic consequences. The report compares the current result with the last 30 years and the impact of Covid-19 in a generation that had faced two economic crisis in les than 10 years.
Spanish Youth Report 2020 (Spain)
Spanish Youth Institute
Report about how COVID-19 has changed the Spanish Youth in terms but also regardings employment, gender equality, and climate change. Acoording to the Informe Juventud en España 2020, the pandemic has also changed the labour market, the emancipation age and even has favored education inequality.
Good practices database, Sharing examples of good practice of youth policy and youth work responses
Council of Europe
A list of Council of Europe examples of good practice from the member states and partners offer guidance and serve as an inspiration for youth workers, trainers, youth organisations and young people themselves to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictive measures.
Countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Luxembourg, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia
Vulnerable Young People: covid-19 Response
National Youth Agency (UK)
Study analysing the condition of vulnerable youth with emerging needs triggered or caused by COVID-19, including an assessment of the role of youth work in the United Kingdom and policy recommendation for an exit strategy.
Country: United Kingdom
Social isolation, mental health, and use of difital interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationally representative survey
German Research Foundations; Federal Ministry of Science, Education and Culture of the state of Baden-Württemberg
Paper based on survey data investigating the associations between social isolation, cognitive preoccupation, worries, and anxiety, objective social risk indicators, psychological distress as well as use of, and attitude towards, mobile health (mHealth) interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Country: Germany
A Review of the Youth Work Sector Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic
National Youth Council of Ireland
This research conducted by the Nationl Youth Council of Ireland found thousands of young people missed out on the supports they would normally receive from local youth services as a result of Covid-19. If also shows that young people who were already deemed ‘most at risk’ became the most disconnected from youth services and supports as a result of Covid-19.
Country: Ireland
Digital Youth Work: Youth Work in an Online Setting during Covid-19
National Youth Council of Ireland
A compilation of helpful hints and considerations when exploring moving youth work online, doing digital youth work and applying work ethics, principles and values to online settings.
Country Ireland
How's Your Head? Young Voices During Covid-19: A national consultation with young people on mental health and well-being
Department of Children and Youth Affairs (Ireland)
This national consultion report details the finding a representative survey of 2,173 young peope aged 15-24 in Ireland on the impact of Covid-19 on their mental health and well-being. It explores the difficulties experienced by young people during Covid-19 as well as the positives from the Covid-19 crisis that young people wish to carry forward into the future.
Country: Ireland
LGBTI+ Lives in Lockdown Survey
BeLonG To Youth Services (Ireland)
This national study was completed by 294 young LGBTI+ young people aged 14-23 years in Ireland. The survey found that Covid-19 has had serious implications for the mental health of LGBTI+ young people in Ireland. For example, 93% of LGBTI+ young people are struggling with anxiety, stress or depression during COVID-19.
Country: Ireland
Life in Lockdown 2020: Consultation with Young People (12-17 years) in Dublin City on the Impact of Covid-19
Dublin City North and South Children and Young People's Services Committees (CYPSCs)
This research details the findings of a consultation with young people (12-17 years) in Dublin City on the impact of Covid-19 on their lives. It explores how Covid-19 has impacted on young people's participation in extra-curricular activies such as youth work and highlights the benefits of continued participation in youth work activites for young people.
Country: Ireland
The Co-SPACE Study
Emerging Minds Network
The Co-SPACE project is tracking children and young people aged 4-16 years and their families to see how they are coping with the challenges of COVID-19. The data collected covers the UK, Ireland, Iran, Denmark and the US and looks at what kinds of information and supports young people need.
Country: United Kingdom
The Gender Gap in Mental Well-Being During the Covid-19 Outbreak: Evidence from the UK
University of Essex
This academic article explores early evidence on how the disruption of Covid-19 has negatively and substantially affected mental well-being and how the effects on well-being have been felt unequally by women.
Country: United Kingdom
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health for Children and Adolescents
JAMA Pediatrics
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to adolescents’ mental health, by worsening existing problems and curtailing access to school-based mental health services. In this academic article, the authors advocate for timely action to improve access to mental health services for young people, now and in the long-term.
Country: USA
How to find meaning in it: Practical tips for young people during confinement
Catalan Youth Agency (Spain)
This youth-friendly guide collects thoughts and tips about how young people may feel during this period and how to deal with it. Also, it gives some ideas on how to make the confinement easier and how to keep good mental health.
Country: Spain
Initiatives during the COVID-19 outbreak by EYCA member organisations
European Youth Card Association EYCA
The European Youth Card Association presents some of the dozens of great initiatives implemented by the different EYCA member organisations to support young people during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Countries: Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, UK
Meet 10 young people leading the COVID-19 response in their communities
United Nations Africa Renewal
Most people alive know that the coronavirus disease has infected nearly every continent, forced countries into states of emergency, sent individuals into varying levels of quarantine and isolation, and shuttered businesses and schools. But there’s a lesser-known story that also deserves attention: of youth rising up to meet the challenge of this pandemic.
Countries: South Sudan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Kenya, Syria, Peru, Italy, South Africa, China, Haiti
#Solidaction Campaign
Intercultural dialogue - North-South Centre - Council of Europe
The campaign promotes a global vision engaging countries from all over the world with a particular interest in the topic of international solidarity against Covid-19. The aim is to foster an open dialogue at global level, in which representatives from all countries in the world, as well as citizens worldwide, will be able to engage. Good practices in solidarity to tackle Covid-19 are identified around the world to inspire and raise awareness.
Country: All the World
In distance but not apart: COVID-19 crisis management in youth field in Estonia
European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA)
The ERYICA systematises in this publication all the work done by Estonian youth organisations to support young people during the pandemic. It would clearly be a mission impossible to try to compile a complete list of all the support activities undertaken by diverse community of youth field partners in Estonia on local and national levels. Nevertheless, this publication highlights some of the most importante approaches.
Country: Estonia
YOUTH AT RISK: Analysis of the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 on Spain’s young population
Spanish Youth Institute
This study evaluates the impact of the crisis on the economic and youth labour market for young people. It compares the situation of youth against that of the rest of the population in Spain during lockdown in the areas of employment, economic activity and other indicators, and evaluates the results obtained.
The impact of COVID-19 on young people & the youth sector
UK YOUTH
This report highlights the impact that COVID-19 is having and will have on youth during and after the crisis in the UK. Based on a national survey, the study stresses the various ways in which young people and youth in the UK are being affected by the pandemic and makes several predictions on these impacts. It also includes some ways in which young people have adapted to the situation and highlights some needs for youth organisations in the UK.
Immediate psychological effects of the COVID-19 quarantine in youth from Italy and Spain
Universidad Miguel Hernández; Università degli Studi di Perugia
The present study aims to examine for the first time the emotional impact of the quarantine on children and adolescents from Italy and Spain, two of the most affected countries by COVID-19. The most frequent symptoms were difficulty concentrating (76.6%), boredom (52%), irritability (39%), restlessness (38.8%), nervousness (38%), feelings of loneliness (31.3%), uneasiness (30.4%), and worries (30.1%). As expected, children of both countries used monitors more frequently, spent less time doing physical activity, and slept more hours during the quarantine.
Youth and Citizens in times of COVID-19 (Europe, Africa and America)
Fe y Alegría International Federation
This report shows the reality that youth are experiencing in times of pandemic throughout the world, especially in the continents of Europe, Africa and America. In turn, this research generates a collaborative work route to understand and face the current situation, from the local with a global perspective. Especially to promote the work of the youth and, together with them, position the appropriation of speeches and practices in favor of the construction of conditions for a culture of peace and a dignified life.
Research report: Teachers' and schools’ interactions with students about their online lives
ECORYS UK and the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
This report presents the findings from a qualitative study exploring the interactions between schools and students in relation to their online lives. The overall aim was to explore teachers’ experiences of how, in what contexts, and for what purpose they engage with students about the internet and social media, and their perceptions of the challenges, opportunities and benefits of the digital world for students’ learning and wellbeing. The report is based on interviews with teachers and other professionals from a sample of mainstream, independent, alternative provision (AP) providers and special schools in England. The findings are based on qualitative interviews conducted with 38 schools (40 professionals) between June and August 2020.
Young People in the Age of Coronavirus (Italy)
Istituto Toniolo - Osservatorio giovani
How did young people in their twenties and thirties experience the lockdown and what prospects do they see? The Youth Observatory carried out the first international survey on the conditions and expectations of the new generations at the peak of the lockdown, conducted between the end of March and the beginning of April 2020, on a sample of 2000 people, representative of residents in Italy between the ages of 20 and 34 (and samples of 1000 Spanish, French, German and British peers).
Diventare adulti durante il Covid: alla ricerca di un significato (Italy)
Semira Tagliabua, Michela Zambelli - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan
In September 2020, 326 young people participated in the second phase of this research, through which monitored changes in their COVID-19 experience, their well-being and perception of meaning in life.
To lockdown and back: Young people's lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic (The UK, Italy, Singapore and Lebanon)
Ecorys& The University of Huddersfield
The research report presents the full set of detailed findings and recommendations from phase 1 of the Growing Up Under COVID-19 project (November 2020), which is a collaboration between 14-18-year olds from the UK, Italy, Singapore and Lebanon, and adult researchers from Ecorys and The University of Huddersfield. Using participatory action research and ethnographic methods, and conducted entirely online during the pandemic, the project aims to give a voice to young people, foregrounding their lived experiences of the COVID-19 crisis, and their views on how politicians and the public have responded. Young people are working alongside adult researchers as collaborators, and experts in their own lives. The project is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and it will generate three published reports, tracking the pandemic in 'real time' and reflecting on the learning from each phase.
COVID-19 and the impact on international student mobility in Germany. Results of a DAAD survey conducted among international offices of German universities
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
The DAAD conducted a survey among the international offices of German universities between the end of April and mid-May 2020, the results of which are presented in this report. The present working paper deals on the one hand with the general effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the teaching activities of German universities in the 2020 summer semester and the presumed effects on the coming winter semester 2020/21, as well as with the associated challenges for university staff. When interpreting the findings, it should be noted that they relate to the specific period of the survey and that the assessments of the universities may have changed again since then with regard to certain questions. The forecasts regarding student mobility in the winter semester are also likely to be different from those at the time of the survey due to the partially changed information situation. The DAAD therefore plans to repeat the survey at the beginning of the winter semester.
