Preventing a ‘lockdown generation’ in Europe and Central Asia

                                                                                         By clicking on the link above you will be redirected to the UNICEF website.

Young people have been among those most socially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the most prepared to cope with the quick shift towards virtual environments that the pandemic triggered. For many young people in Europe and Central Asia, COVID-19 interrupted their schooling and left them jobless, and is still making it more difficult to integrate into the labour market. With school closures and uncertainty about their futures, many feel isolated, facing increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

In the face of this situation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the European Training Foundation (ETF) joined forces to look at the challenges, opportunities and, most importantly, the views, sentiments and opinions of young people concerning their current and future prospects in the era of COVID-19. This regional report builds on wide consultations with more than 15,000 adolescents and young people from Europe and Central Asia covering, among others, their feelings about lockdown restrictions, access and participation in education, learning outcomes and the quality of teaching, as well as their views on mobility, entrepreneurship and participation. When it comes to the future, the report captures young people’s hopes and fears about deep changing societies and economies, as well their recommendations for a more inclusive, equitable, peaceful, sustainable and prosperous future in Europe and Central Asia.

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