U proljeće 2020. godine COVID-19 počeo se širiti Italijom. Ubrzo se proširio po cijeloj Europi, izazivajući paniku i iracionalne osjećaje koje nitko nije očekivao u mirno vrijeme. Takozvani SARS-CoV-2 koji se nekoliko mjeseci prije pojavio u Wuhanu, u Kini, izazvao je svjetsku pandemiju takvih razmjera kao nijedna druga već jako dugo vremena. Kako bi ugušile pandemiju, vlade su poduzimale mjere koje su dovele do ograničenja sloboda, poput lockdowna odnosno prisilnog zatvaranja javnih mjesta.

Većina provedenih istraživanja pokazuje da su pandemija i mjere koje su države poduzimale kako bi je zaustavile štetno utječu na mnoge aspekte života mladih. Obrazovanje je vjerojatno najpogođenije područje od svih. Po cijelom svijetu vlade su odlučile zatvoriti škole i sveučilišta jer se smatralo da je to potencijalni izvor širenja pandemije COVID-19. Umjesto toga, mladi ljudi i njihovi učitelji trebali su koristiti alternativne načine učenja, poput nastave na daljinu. Unatoč efikasnosti takvih metoda učenja u sprječavanju širenja virusa, njihova učinkovitost u pogledu stjecanja novih znanja ostaje upitna. Prema istraživanju koje je širom svijeta provela Međunarodna organizacija rada (ILO), koje je objavljeno u kolovozu 2020. godine, više od 70% anketiranih mladih ljudi (u dobi od 18 do 29 godina) smatra da je zatvaranje srednjih škola ili sveučilišta negativno utjecalo na njihovo obrazovanje. 65% ispitanika odgovorilo je da su od početka pandemije naučili manje. Situacija je posebno teška za djecu s invaliditetom koja više nemaju odgovarajuće podrške. Učenje kod kuće također šteti učenicima iz društveno ranjivih skupina, što se odnosi na većinu Roma. Romska djeca obično imaju lošiji pristup nastavnim materijalima za “online nastavu“, a roditelji im često ne mogu pomoći oko domaćih zadaća.

Drugi problem je osiguranje neometnog prelaska sa studentskog u poslovni život. Međutim, uzimajući u obzir tešku situaciju na tržištu rada i dodjeljivanje diploma u neobičnim uvjetima, mnogi mladi ljudi se naprosto boje izaći na tržište rada. Prema istraživanju ILO-a jedan od 6 mladih ljudi koji su radili prije nego što je pandemija izbila, prestali su raditi. Za one koji su nastavili raditi, broj radnih sati se u prosjeku smanjio za 23%. Smanjenje broja radnih mjesta nije ostalo bez posljedica, jer je 42% ispitanika odgovorilo da su se njihovi prihodi smanjili. Za one ranjive skupine koje su i prije početka pandemije često imale niske prihode, kao što su na primjer Romi, COVID-19 imao je katastrofalne posljedice. Mladi ljudi često nisu mogli osigurati osnovne potrebe  poput hrane, smještaja i pristupa zdravstvenim uslugama. Sva ova pitanja će imati dugoročne posljedice, dok je sposobnost našeg gospodarstva absorbirati radnu snagu i dalje upitna.

Konačno, pitanje koje izaziva najveću zabrinutost je nagli porast problema mentalnog zdravlja među mladima. U Francuskoj su pozivni centri za rad s mladima jedva svladavali ogroman broj poziva. Depresija, poremećaji spavanja, anksioznost, PTSP ili čak pokušaji samoubojstva – samo su neki od problema. Postoji nekoliko razloga zašto toliki broj mladih ljudi ima mentalne probleme. Problemi povezani s radom i učenjem, koji su spomenuti ranije, često je razlog stresa i anksioznosti. Mentalni problemi smanjuju šanse za pronalazak posla, a strah od budućnosti i dalje raste, stvarajući začarani krug koji je teško prekinuti. Anksioznost je također posljedica globalnog okruženja kojim vlada panika, jer svakodnevne vijesti izazivaju strah među stanovništvom, uključujući i mlade. Konačno, glavni problem s kojim se mladi ljudi suočavaju tokom pandemije je usamljenost. U situaciji kada su sveučilišta i škole zatvorene, uveden je lockdown i druge mjere društvenog distanciranja, pa je biti sam bio i ostaje najveći izazov za mlade ljude.

U zadnjih nekoliko mjeseci mladi ljudi diljem svijeta, uključujući i mlade Rome, suočili su se s  izazovima i ograničenjima kao nikada do sada. Prilikom obilježavanja Dana mladih, treba posvjetiti više pažnje perspektivama za mlade ljude nakon završetka pandemije. Iako je pandemija zahtijevala poduzimanje izvanrednih mjera, važno je razumijeti da će kriza COVID-19 imati dugoročne posljedice. Ovi problemi zahtijevaju posebnu pozornost. Potrebna nam je energija mladih za stvaranje razvijene ekonomije i solidarnog društva.

 

 

To be locked inside a flat or house is difficult for anyone. However, it might be even worse for the youth than for others. Youth is the time for personal development and for establishing the foundations of adult life. However, for many, the Covid crisis halted this process. For young people, what may be the most beautiful period of life was at best postponed, at worse wasted. As we celebrate International Youth Day, we can see that these last few months have been particularly challenging for young people.

 

Spring 2020. The Covid-19 started spreading in Italy. Soon, it was everywhere in Europe, creating general panic and irrational scenes that no one expects in peaceful times. Discovered a few months before in Wuhan, in China, the so-called SARS-CoV-2 caused a worldwide pandemic like no other in a long time. To smother the outbreak, governments were taking measures limiting freedoms, such as lockdowns and forced closures of many places commonly used by everyone.

Most studies conducted prove that the pandemic and the measures taken to stop it are detrimental to many aspects of young people’s life. Education might be the most affected field of all. Indeed, all around the world, governments decided to close schools and universities as they were seen as potential clusters of Covid-19. Instead, young people and their teachers had to use alternatives, like online courses. Despite the advantages of such practice to contain the spreading of the virus, its efficiency regarding learning remains questionable. According to a survey conducted worldwide by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and published in August 2020, more than 70% of surveyed young people (aged 18 to 29) consider that the closure of their high school or university had a negative impact on them. 65% say that they learnt less than since the beginning of the pandemic. The situation is particularly challenging for children with disabilities who cannot benefit from adequate support anymore. Learning from home is also detrimental to pupils from socially disadvantaged groups, which is the case for most Roma. Indeed, they usually have less access to decent material for online classes, and their parents are often unable to help them with their homework.

Another problem is to ensure a smooth transition from education to work. However, with the lack of jobs and diplomas given in unusual conditions, many fear a difficult start on the market. Indeed, according to the ILO survey, one out of 6 young people who worked before the pandemic started stopped working. For the ones who continued to work, the number of working hours decreased by 23% on average. This decline in available jobs is not without consequences, as 42% of respondents declared that their income decreased. For those already dealing with a limited income, like many Roma, it can have disastrous consequences. Young people have been facing difficulties to ensure their economic autonomy, sometimes struggling to have access to everyday life needs like food, accommodation and medical expenses. All these issues will have consequences in the long term, while the ability of our economy to absorb this workforce remains under question.

Finally, the most concerning issue is probably the sharp increase of mental health issues among the youth. In France, for example, call centers dedicated to young people were overwhelmed by the surge of requests. Depression, sleep disorders, anxiety, PTSD or even suicide attempts; the issues are numerous. Several reasons are explaining these mental troubles. Problems linked to work and studies, exposed earlier, often come with stress and anxiety. It decreases chances to find a job, and fear about the future continues to grow, creating a vicious circle that can be difficult to break. Anxiety is also the result of a global panic environment, as everyday news inspires global fear among the population, including the youth. Finally, the main issue affecting young people during a pandemic is loneliness. With closed universities and schools, quarantine, lockdown and other social distancing measures, being alone has been – and sometimes still is – the most widespread challenge for young people.

During these past few months, young people all around the globe, including young Roma, experienced challenges and constraints as rarely before. As the world celebrates the youth, the perspective of a bright future after the pandemic should emerge. While the Covid crisis required exceptional measures, it is important to understand that it will have consequences in the long run. These problems require particular attention. We need the energy of the youth to create a flourishing economy and a solidary society.