On December 31, 2019 a novel coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, China, and by March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic. Many people did not realize the world would take steps to shut down, mitigate, and attempt to control the virus. More importantly, no one realized that our world would be permanently changed by copious amounts of infections, isolation, and loss.
During times of hardship and triumph, it is important to recognize how people are continuing to establish connections (especially during the lockdown situation). Although COVID-19 has forced friends, family, colleagues, and companions to be apart, the continual reach for knowledge is only becoming greater while young people have taken the pledge to stay home.
In a recent #WalkTheGlobalWalk article from France, a few books and films selected by the Institute for Human Rights and Peace were selected to intellectually stimulate the youth population working towards the UN Sustainability Goals. The downtime during lockdown has definitely provided a new thirst for self-care but also self-education, as the work towards sustainable development does not stop in the tracks of global pandemic-- it actually truly increases.
In fact, what are students and young people doing to contribute to the crisis stemming from this global healthcare and economic hardship? They are brainstorming ways in which we can reshape our world going forward. One of the most inspiring movements that has populated in the face of this global pandemic would be the “post COVID-19” response plan drawn out by Amplify - Youth Voices., amplifying and igniting the voices of the youth in the transatlantic regions of Europe and Canada.
Through their #YouthWant campaign, student activists have induced a conversation and open understanding on the issues of gender inequality, violent extremism, and climate change while taking an active stance in shaping the upcoming “post COVID-19 world.”
With the launch of the #YouthWant campaign in April 2020, student activists from EU countries and Canada have drawn awareness to the number of ways in which these issues are directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By visiting the Amplify - Youth Voices Instagram page, young people around the world can become educated about the steps needed in the process of reshaping the vision of our post COVID world. Recent posts include brief explanations regarding gender inequality in labor during the pandemic, along with implications of certain government responses regarding global climate change.
For more information on Amplify - Youth Voices, you can review the campaign’s public references and briefs here.
