London, Europe Brief News – The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of millions of people around the globe over the past two years.
We asked young people how the worst global pandemic in a century has impacted their lives. Here are their answers:
Sara-Besme Shabib, 21
Former student in Munich, Germany
Everyone graduating should get a voucher for a burnout clinic
The past year has turned my life upside down. Until recently I went to college, but coronavirus made me lose hope for my Abitur (school-leaving qualification) and I dropped out. It was my dream to study chemistry. But under the current conditions, I just don’t have the head for it. My life sometimes feels bleak, with no prospects.
Alexander Young, 20
Actor working in a pub in Dunfermline, Scotland
My mental health has rollercoastered during this whole ordeal
My job at a pub was a good gig until Covid hit. I’d been working with that pub chain about 20 hours a week while a student. With my student loan and my furlough money, I was doing OK while college continued online. However, my course finished in June 2020, so the student loan stopped coming in.
Andrea Coghe, 17
School student in Carbonia, Sardinia
The biggest challenge for my generation is to find the power to fight for our future and our careers. Before the pandemic, I was a dreamer, usually happy, and I always thought that my future could be amazing – with travel, wonderful experiences, a lot of friends – but now I don’t believe in a good future.
Merel Hol, 21
Master’s student in comparative literary studies at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. My voice as a struggling young person is absolutely not being heard I used to be active in student communities, had many friends and something to do almost every evening. But my life has basically come to a standstill. This means I feel empty and hopeless most of the time.
Mounir, 20
Business student in Venice, from Morocco
My generation is growing more and more connected and educated, and that gives me a lot of hope. It was my first year away from family and home. I was excited to study in Europe, but once the pandemic happened everything crumbled.
Clara González Espelt, 18
High school student in Barcelona, Spain
This has taught us to love what we have. My mental health has been dreadful since the pandemic started. I live in a small flat and my family is quite large, so being locked in there for months wasn’t the best experience. Also, in the beginning none of us had our own computer, so we had to share and lose online lessons sometimes.
Ben Morris, 20
Broadcast journalism student at Winchester University; lives in Swindon, UK
My family were certain that if I caught the virus, that would be the end for me. The pandemic started two-thirds of the way through my first year of university. I was very happy and had loads of friends. Then the lockdown hit and we all had to go home. Due to my disability, which is spinal muscular atrophy type 2, me and my family were certain that if I caught the virus, that would be the end for me.
Ava Ayala Rosenbaum, 23
Teacher of English at an elementary school in Madrid, Spain
At least we don’t have to wait until midlife for our existential crisis
In my pandemic life, I fill time being “productive”, so I can go to bed feeling like I have accomplished something, only to wake in morning asking myself, “And now what?” For all of the journal entries I write and the scarves that I knit, I’m acutely aware that I am just filling time. And I keep asking myself, “Is this all there is?”
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Olivia Grace Smith, 16
School student in south Yorkshire, UK
As young people, we are constantly pushed to the back of the queue
There will be remnants of this pandemic that scar us for ever. Mental health, luckily, is increasing in awareness, but we need effective, preventive measures to help young people, instead of waiting for them to get to breaking point before being able to access help.
