Webinar: COVID-19 and Young People: Impact and Solutions

Date 02-May-2020 to 02-May-2020

Location Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Format Online

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is having a severe impact around the world, leaving no one behind. Interestingly, unlike other countries, in India the majority of the population (41%) infected by COVID-19 is in the age group of 21-40 years . Moreover, recent literature from around the world sheds light on the economic, political, and psychological impact of COVID-19 on young people. This becomes extremely significant for India, as it has the largest youth population in the world today, with half of its population below 25 years of age. This is the largest group of youth in any country, at any time in history!

With an inescapable lockdown in the country and an immediate stop to everyday activities, the youth population in India is trying to adjust with various challenges and concerns, related to their participation in society, education, and employment, among other things. An extremely crucial aspect that needs immediate consideration is the impact of the lockdown and social distancing on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Moreover, while there is an emphasis on advancing educational activities online, there is a large chunk of young people being left out due to limited or no access to the internet and digital resources . In India over 32 crores students have been affected due the various restrictions and nationwide lockdown . Besides, there is confusion and stress emerging among young people regarding the future state of the economy, including employment opportunities. The recent report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy estimates a rise in unemployment from 8.4% in mid-March to 23% in early April and the urban unemployment rate to 30.9%.

Indian society, in general, does not give adequate recognition and space for self-expression by youth, to voice their opinions and participate in decision-making - in families, in educational institutions, in governance institutions, and in public spaces. With the world venturing into uncharted territory due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, will the youth voices in India be recognized, addressed, and acknowledged during and after this crisis?

PRIA Youth convened a Webinar on “COVID-19 and Young People: Impact and Solutions" on Saturday, 2nd May 2020 between 11:00 am - 12:30 p.m. (IST). This webinar addressed key topics including how young people across India are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, how their issues and concerns are being addressed by the government, policy implementers, education institutions, and civil society organizations, what role young people play in the current situation, and how young people can take up leadership roles.

The key learnings from the webinar were as follows: 



The panellists of the webinar included Mr. Sourya Reddy (co-founder and CEO, Bastion Media), Ms. Sweta Pal (Communications Professional, Sangath), Mr. Bhavishya Sharma, (Hindi Honours student at Jamia  Milia  Islamia and a Youth-N-Democracy Fellow), Ms. Gargi (Journalism student at Delhi University and a Youth-N-Democracy  Fellow), Mr. Akash Banjare (Computer Science student from Chattisgarh, and a Program Coordinator, People’s Organization), and Ms. Nasreen Ansari (B.Com student from Mumbai and an  active  member  of  the  NGO Apnalaya).

Read the full report here.

Watch the webinar here.