Young People, COVID-19 and Social Protection

Abstract

COVID-19 marks a significant generational moment for young people. The world as they knew it was transformed and perhaps will never be the same again. This transformation has impacted the world and people differently, young people included. In response to the pandemic, countries went into lockdown, economies plummeted, jobs were lost, university’s shifted to online teaching and physical interaction was limited. Globally young people were impacted but some more so then others. These include, young people in precarious work (casual, part-time workers and university students that work), youth made unemployed as a direct result of COVID-19 and students in tertiary institutions whose future now looks bleaker then ever. This chapter draws on secondary resources to explore how young people in primarily New Zealand and the Pacific are being impacted by the pandemic and the associated consequences should they not have access to adequate social and economic protection. In high-income countries young people from deprived and marginal backgrounds are often most at risk. In lower and middle-income countries the lack of social protection measures places the majority of young people at risk. Resilience and the need for young people to adjust to economies in flux are often touted as a response. However, these places the responsibility on young people and undermines the immense contribution they currently make to their families and communities. The rest of the chapter explores some meaningful social protection strategies for young people that will ensure they live meaningful lives and act as a buffer to the potential of increased social problems like crime and civil unrest should societies fail to prioritise their wellbeing and livelihoods.