Professor behind global Covid study warns against 'youth blaming'
Prof Pat Dolan, actor Cillian Murphy, and researchers Jack Gaffey and Ella Anderson at the launch of Empathy Education Initiative back in January 2020. Picture Jason Clarke
An NUIG professor leading a global UNESCO study on the impact of Covid-19 has warned that young people have been unfairly vilified during the pandemic.
More than 104 countries have signed up to take part in the study, examining the impact of Covid-19 on younger generations, and up to 6,000 people, aged 18-35, have applied to be researchers on the project.
The study is being led by Professor Pat Dolan, UNESCO Chair and Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at NUI Galway.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Prof Dolan says young people have been vilified throughout the pandemic, and unfairly so.
"They have been getting a lot of blame around Covid-19, very unfairly I think.... many young people have been heroes and have not been acknowledged.
"That's not to say there aren't young people who have done stupid things. We've seen that in Galway, but we've seen politicians do it and people in RTÉ do it, so let's not start casting stones."
He cautioned against 'youth blaming', adding: "Many are stuck in their rooms, not seeing each other. People assume because young people are into social media that's enough for them, but it's not, they want to see people, not just on a screen."
Prof Dolan said young people are doing many positive things, such as supporting the elderly and engaging with their community.
The wellbeing of younger people has also been impacted by the pandemic, he said.
"A lot of young people are very afraid.
The research will focus on five themes, which were developed by young people: wellbeing, use of technology, human rights, education and learning, and youth-led action and civic engagement.
The research is also youth-led, and young researchers will be designing the study and gathering the data.
"All of the young people involved will be trained in bias, sampling, quantitative and qualitative data," says Prof Dolan.
He says so far, the response has been huge from young people.
"270 are in training currently, who will go on to complete the research across the UN regions."
Actor Cillian Murphy, patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, is supporting the project and will take part in the online Facebook launch on Friday, December 4.
Prof Dolan adds that a global study is needed because the virus has affected countries in different ways. "Covid has impacted young people in every country differently.
"We want to see the impact on their wellbeing, their education, their relationships, but also in terms of their human rights. Some young people in different regions of the world are living in very disadvantaged contexts.
"For example, you take Rohingya youths, many of whom are now living in Bangladesh, they are no longer living at home. How has Covid lockdown impacted on them?
"There can be massive issues of poverty, it's impossible to even compare it to Ireland. South Africa in Cape Town, you're talking about young people living in a township.
"Can you imagine trying to social distance in a township, where you already had huge issues like HIV and AIDS. Youth poverty needs to talk about."
Professor Mark Brennan, fellow UNESCO Chair at Pennsylvania State University, is the co-principal investigator along with Prof Dolan.
Once the results are compiled, they will be illustrated using Youtube videos with narration from Cillian Murphy, so young people can engage with it.
- For more information about the study or to get involved, click here.
