COVID-19 has disproportionately affected millions of children and young people worldwide, with public health restrictions and socio-economic disruptions having a devastating impact on their education, mental health, career prospects, safety and personal development. For many, uncertainty and fear for the future is the ‘new normal’.

During these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever that governments, policymakers, academics, business leaders and civil society come together to find innovative ways of supporting communities and providing hope to younger generations. The pandemic has further highlighted and exacerbated the existing inequalities in our societies, with respect to access to resources, information and power dynamics. Children and young people are among the hardest hit; girls and young women in particular have been disproportionately impacted.

Due to lockdowns, millions are missing out on education, and those without digital access and a suitable home learning environment are particularly disadvantaged. Many young people are in temporary or informal jobs, and in sectors worst affected by the pandemic, resulting in high levels of unemployment and job insecurity. This, along with the disruption to their education, has left many facing an uncertain future. The mental health of many children and young people has been adversely affected by isolation, disruption to their normal routines, and worries about the future.

Lockdowns have seen an increase in gender-based and interpersonal violence and more children are living in unsafe homes with reduced access to support. More time spent online means that many are at increased risk of cyberbullying and abuse. With work, education and other activities shifting online, the digital divide has become ever more apparent. Millions of children and young people do not have access to digital technology or adequate internet connectivity at home, severely affecting their life chances and participation. Despite all these challenges, young people all over the world are and have been working towards providing support to one another and their communities in need.

It is now, more than ever that we are able to see the power and agency young people have despite the challenges they face. In response to these unique challenges, The Youth Cafe and its member Youth Organisations has come together to issue a joint call to action on behalf of the children and young people that make up our movements.

This paper focuses on the key challenges facing them as a consequence of the pandemic and the policy solutions that we recommend are implemented to overcome them. We are aware that the current pandemic will have a lasting impact on the youth of the world, which is why this is the time to take action to ensure young people are driving change rather than being impacted by it negatively.

We believe that policymakers must listen to children and young people and put them, their views, needs and experiences at the heart of the solutions. A healthy, vibrant and further strengthened youth sector is vital to ensure that young people thrive and overcome the challenges of the future with the support of those around them.

Key Calls To Action For Policy Makers

1. Ensure that children and young people from diverse backgrounds play a direct, active and powerful role in making decisions and developing policies that affect them and their future.

2. Ensure equal access to healthcare for children and young people, regardless of background or employment status, with mental health as a key priority. If suitable approved vaccines will be made available, ensure free or low-cost vaccination schemes for vulnerable children and youth.

3. Invest in more user-friendly, low-cost/high-efficiency systems to ensure children and young people have inclusive access to education, as well as in promoting digital inclusion and online safety.

4. Promote digital safety and privacy as a fundamental human right, ensuring and maintaining a safe space for everyone irrespective of race, region, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic background and any other attributes.

5. Prioritise upskilling and reskilling educational paths which promote skill development and vocational learning that will help future-proof careers. This includes competences around financial education, digital skills and civic skills.

6. Promote active investment in building strong and resilient communities as a core element of public policies and programmes, with meaningful engagement of young people in this process.

7. Ensure that children and young people are at the forefront of COVID-19 recovery programmes and policies, and that they are not disproportionately affected by budget cuts. Support youth serving organisations at all levels (including grassroots organisations) during and after the COVID-19 crisis with increased funding or alternative funding schemes (including potential institutional support), ensuring the survival of the youth work sector.

8. Adapt national and local youth policy to the new realities of digital and blended youth work.

Youth Employment

The job prospects of young people have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a disadvantaged ‘lockdown generation’. Global figures from the International Labour Organization (ILO) [1] show that more than 1 in 6 young people have become unemployed since the beginning of the crisis, with over 40% of young workers employed in sectors that have been hit hardest. Adding to this, 267 million young people worldwide are estimated to not be in employment, education or training.

Many young people working in seasonal or temporary jobs, or the gig economy, are particularly vulnerable to having their hours or jobs cut, risking long-term underemployment or unemployment.

Those working in the “gig economy” are especially vulnerable in many countries due to the lack of healthcare protections as they are not considered employees and therefore do not have all the associated legal protections and healthcare provisions. According to the ILO, 77% of young people were in informal jobs when the pandemic began.

Young migrants, refugees and young women are even more severely affected. Migrants and refugees are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of social protection and their reliance on informal employment, and many young women are employed as care workers, making them more exposed to the virus. What’s more, experts believe the downturn threatens to worsen racial inequalities which will in turn worsen inequalities for children and young people, as has happened in previous recessions.

For many young people, this is the second major economic crisis that has occurred in their lifetime, and they have seen how it impacts careers, financial stability, and family life, reducing their trust in governments to support them when they are in need. This can lead to increased social unrest, rise of populist or extremist political forces, reduced civic participation all of which risk resulting in even lower economic growth.

Policy Recommendations

• Introduce ‘flexicurity’-focused policies that generally tend to benefit young people. These might include simplified legislation for remote and flexible work, a ‘Kurzarbeit’ -style furlough approach where work is encouraged rather than discouraged, fiscal stimulus for re-hiring of young people who have been laid off or are facing unemployment or reduced hours.

• Develop sustainable and youth-centred approaches to recovery, spearheaded by governments and civil organisations, while also ensuring that young people can directly benefit from recovery funds.

• Encourage intergenerational and diverse work environments, offering both financial sustainability for all and a better on-the-job learning system, with special attention given to the inclusion of vulnerable young people. Special attention should also be given to young refugees and migrants, who in some cases are not allowed to work as they are waiting for their documents to be processed, which can take a long time.

• Ensure equal access to healthcare for young people of all backgrounds, including the unemployed or underemployed, As we for eventual COVID-19 treatments and vaccines

Mental Health and Safety

Loneliness, physical isolation and uncertainty about the future are leading to an unprecedented wave of mental health issues among young people, reflecting serious threats to the lives and wellbeing of young people. A report by the UK charity Young Minds has revealed that 83% of young people polled said their mental health has been affected or severely affected as a result of the pandemic. Additionally, a U-Report poll by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts showed that 86% of young people are worried about their future. Disruption of routines, rapid changes in lifestyles, and physical isolation are among the causes for increased depression and anxiety. The pandemic’s long-term mental health consequences could easily exceed its immediate physical health and economic impact, putting young people’s right to live fulfilled and safe lives at risk for years to come.

During national lockdowns, gender-based violence and domestic violence have been increasingly visible. Forced to self-isolate with their abusers, women, young women and girls, as well as people from non-binary and LGBTQI+ communities are disproportionately affected, resulting in trauma and depression as well as physical harm. COVID-19 has highlighted the risks and vulnerabilities that girls and young women face because of deep-rooted inequalities and traditional gender roles. It has made it harder, and in some cases impossible, for women to access essential services to protect them from genderbased violence and to support their sexual and reproductive health.

Additionally, girls and young women have less autonomy and decision-making power than boys and young men. During a time of economic uncertainty, girls are less likely to have their own needs meet. They are also more likely to be forced into early marriages, deprived of the opporuntity to return to school and burdened with additional chores.

With increased time spent online due to remote education services and lack of physical interaction with peers, young people are now more exposed to violence in digital spaces than ever. The long term effects of cyberbullying and online harassment are linked to severe mental health issues. Additionally, this has put young people further at risk of cyber crime and other human right violations, like grooming and gaslighting.

Policy Recommendations

• Increase funding for life-saving, youth-driven mental health services, investing in local solutions, adaptive programming, and encouraging collaboration between non-governmental, public and private sector providers. There must also be greater acknowledgement of intersectionality, or the interplay between race, class and gender, when designing support services.

• Increase access to online mental health and wellbeing services and find new ways of promoting services so they can be accessed by all sections of society. These approaches should be designed with young people in mind, including the most vulnerable and those with less access to the internet and digital devices.

• Invest in violence-reporting and monitoring services, and strengthen cyber laws and online harassment reporting schemes, with a particular focus on prevention of gender-based and sexual orientation-based violence, as well as violence towards children.

• Increase regulation and add greater pressure on social media and technology companies to ensure digital spaces are safe for all young people, including on aspects connected to cyberbullying and online harassment. Additionally, encourage social media and technology companies to adopt “humane algorithms” which reduce addiction, anxiety and other damaging behaviours.

• Provide safe and supportive spaces that help children and young people thrive and feel confident about the future. Invest in youth spaces, organisations and communities that can be scaled up after the pandemic.

• Ensure that youth-centred communities foster peer-to-peer support, develop skills relevant for future employment, and build safe and trusted networks, so that all children and young people can reach their full potential.

Inclusion and Inequality

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shrinking of physical engagements and opportunities, thereby enhancing the use of digital spaces. Young people have resorted to digital spaces to share, speak, engage and mobilise. Their ideas are playing critical roles in not just managing the pandemic right now, but also planning for an egalitarian and just response to the pandemic for a better post-pandemic world. However, digital engagement leaves out huge swaths of society who are not digitally connected.

Those without access to digital tools or the internet are completely left out of regional and national responses as all other avenues for engagement have closed. With around 1.2 billion learners affected by school closures , the digital divide has directly impacted the personal and academic development of children and young people by rendering digital schooling impossible for those without access to the technological tools and equipment to continue their education.

The exacerbated digital divide has also had a direct impact on mental and physical health with many not able to access digital services to cope with their mental health challenges. Meanwhile, enhanced usage of digital spaces has highlighted the abuse and trolling that exists for young people and children.

This abuse is worse for youth of colour, for young women and girls and LGBTQI+ and non-binary youth and youth from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The current pandemic and the response across the world is under-utilising the power of youth to full its capacity, thereby missing on the opportunities to engage in innovative solutions that could possibly disrupt traditional thinking and ways of addressing global crises.

Digital spaces can be instrumental in reaching young voices and ideas like never before-without the need to travel or have budget available, digital engagements can be a great equalizer, but only for those with access.

Policy Recommendations

Schools, colleges and training spaces need to develop a creative approach to ensure all young people are included. It is imperative that institutions and education leaders come together to co-create an inclusive policy for moving into the digital world of education. Consultation with young people based on a human rights-based approach is core to this process.

• Prioritise investment aimed towards reducing the financial burden of digitising schooling through low cost solutions that ensure inclusive engagement. This must ensure all solutions are community driven and built on community realities and experiences, thereby creating bottom-up models of access and inclusion in the digital world.

• Actively engage young people to harness their experience and expertise in development of low cost solutions to the problems around digital inclusion.

• Ensure technology accelerates the process of community-generated evidence reaching policy-makers and decision-makers quickly and on a long term basis.

• Ensure that the voices and daily realities of young people and children all over the world are actively taken into account by involving young people in decisionmaking. It is imperative to ensure accountability around this so that tokenism is avoided.

• Ensure a range of communication methods are available to help children and young people access the services they need, overcoming barriers such as language, literacy levels and digital access.

• Promote digital safety and privacy as fundamental human rights, ensuring and maintaining a safe space for everyone irrespective of race, region, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic background and any other attributes

Education

The crisis in global education that governments, educators, policy makers and communities are grappling with is unparalleled in history. UNESCO estimates that 87% of the global student population has been affected by school closures. The associated closure or reduced opening of youth development organisations and other support institutions has further restricted access to quality non-formal education and learning opportunities so vital in developing young people beyond the classroom. In total, approximately 1.2 billion students and youth have been impacted to varying degrees across the globe .

Educational disruption has a disproportionately negative impact on the health, wellbeing and life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in society. When schools and other education organisations are closed, millions of young people receive little to no support at home. This is due to the wide disparity between online provisions provided by private and state schools, a lack of access to one-to-one tutoring, different conditions for home learning and parents and guardians lacking the confidence, time due to work pressure or educational experience to feel confident in providing sufficient support.

In many countries, millions of children will face long-term setbacks as a consequence of public health restrictions and have regressed significantly in their learning during the pandemic. The Sutton Trust, a UK social mobility think tank, estimates school closures will significantly widen the attainment gap and impact the poorest in all societies the most. In many cases, it is girls and young women that are most affected, thereby causing systemic societal issues for the future. Whilst school closures are the key factor, the disruption has been exacerbated by: a lack of access to suitable internet and technology; hunger caused by the removal of vital food provisions from schools, local authorities or government agencies; lack of care and protection from potential domestic abuse; and lack of sufficient support or guidance from parents and/or guardians.

Policy Recommendations

• Invest in a flexible, digital-first and holistic approach to education that combines effective classroom learning and quality, non-formal education and learning solutions. Over the next year, put in place high-impact interventions such as increased summer and holiday provisions, and tutoring and mentoring designed to bridge the gap and reverse the educational setbacks that have resulted from school closures.

• Ensure vulnerable, disadvantaged and digitally-excluded children and young people are supported in their education.

• Provide the required digital infrastructure, including good internet connectivity and access to technology particularly in lowtech and low-resource environments.

• Ensure young refugees and undocumented migrants have free and equal access to education.

• Review national and local guidance and policies to ensure that organisations can more easily and quickly mobilise an effective ‘education-first’ disaster relief response to the next pandemic or humanitarian disaster.

• Encourage the development of a value-based education, with a focus on nonformal education and learning, that's provided by youth organisations with a clear focus on the current impact on young people, including through increased grants.

• Leverage the transformative power and preventive role of non-formal education to address the root causes of current and future infectious diseases, through the development of knowledge, values and skills that empower people.

Youth Empowerment, Leadership, and Volunteering

Young people are volunteering around the clock to prevent transmission of the virus, communicate effectively with the public, help communities already affected by the outbreak to maintain access to basic social and protective services, and reduce the economic, social and psychological impact on people.

Many young people have been supporting their communities during the crisis by taking on key worker roles, volunteering to deliver essential supplies, provide social support to those in isolation, and fundraising.

The socio-economic effects of the pandemic will be felt across all communities, and is likely to become a food security and livelihoods emergency, in particular in countries already in crisis, but also for the most vulnerable everywhere. The further non-economic impacts from the pandemic will affect social protection mechanisms. In the absence of any means to engage meaningfully with young people (including through access to education) this will severely impact youth empowerment. There are millions of volunteers around the world, many of whom have taken on new and more challenging roles in the past months due to the COVID-19 crisis. Volunteers risk their lives when they work in health and other crises, and volunteers themselves need to be protected. Many volunteers do not have access to basic health insurance, nor insurance to support their families should they be injured and unable to work or killed.

During 2020 there has been a surge of youth-led activism and protests across the world. With physical restrictions in place, children and young people have found creative ways to use digital platforms to express their views and mobilise others. It’s essential that structures are put in place to harness their passion and commitment post-pandemic and ensure that all young people are able to participate.

Policy Recommendations

• Identify and invest in youth-led and youth-focused organisations and support them to identify and assist vulnerable and marginalised communities and individuals. Involve young people and young leaders in decision-making and planning at all levels, in both policy-making and adopting youth-led solutions.

• Ensure the needs of children and young people, especially girls, are actively included in recovery programmes. Invest in local capacities for preparedness and response to public health emergencies and other crises, including sustainable institutional capacities.

• Ensure that local actors can access relevant funds for preparedness, risk reduction and response, and are equipped with adequate training and appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in line with WHO recommendations to minimize their risk of being infected or spreading the virus.

• Create suitable policies so that more children and young people can engage in online activism and volunteering. Give young people access to resources, including mentoring, peer-to-peer support, and financial investment, so they are empowered to implement their ideas and test their own solutions.

Established in 2014, The Youth Cafe (TYC) is Africa's largest and most diverse convening community of professionals harnessing youth-led potentials and transforming them into sustainable youth-enabled futures. It engages over 3,500 member organizations, 1,200 subject matter experts, and over 947,000 individuals aged 18 to 35 virtually from every country in Africa. We engage monthly through over 260,000 digital touchpoints. Its broad membership enables TYC to fill the role of incubator and trusted center of excellence for best practices, tools, and standards for youth development. For over a decade, The Youth Cafe has implemented more than 45 projects from service contracts, consultancies, and accountable grants. They represent all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 22 countries in Africa