Young adults are among the hardest hit by the pandemic, with many having lost jobs, missed school, and been unable to meet friends and family during lockdowns. They will also carry the long-term economic burden of COVID-19 for years to come.

This highly informative piece showcases important facts and figures around COVID-19’s impact on young people. It covers:

• The financial impact of the pandemic: OECD data shows people aged 15-24 were most affected by unemployment at the start of the crisis.
• Career and education figures: 73% of 14-to-18-year olds expressed concerns about the pandemic’s impact on their future careers.
• Mental wellbeing: survey data showed 18-24-year-olds experienced the highest proportion of negative feelings during lockdowns.
• Tips and advice to help with the long-term challenges faced by young adults and other useful links.

You can read the full version here

The Health Creation Alliance has published a report which takes a look at how NHS stakeholders can learn from the community response to Covid-19. Read the report here.

With the “roadmap” out of the Coronavirus lockdown looking pretty much on track, and occasional glimpses of Spring around us (despite a few recent days of cold wet weather), we should perhaps now be feeling much more optimistic and excited about the year ahead – but this doesn’t seem to be the case for many.

We all know that the last year has been tough, particularly on people’s mental wellbeing.  Prescribing of anti-depressants and referrals to counselling services have massively increased – but there’s something else lurking – a lack of motivation, an absence of optimism and excitement perhaps?

I came across an interesting article in the Irish Times, exploring the concept of “languishing”:

 “Friends mentioned that they were having trouble concentrating. Colleagues reported that, even with vaccines on the horizon, they weren’t excited about 2021. A family member was staying up late to watch National Treasure again even though she knows the movie by heart. And instead of bouncing out of bed each morning I was lying there for an hour, playing Words with Friends.

 It wasn’t burnout – we still had energy. It wasn’t depression – we didn’t feel hopeless. We just felt somewhat joyless and aimless. It turns out there’s a name for that: languishing.

Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windscreen.”

For the full article, and tips on how to combat that feeling of “languishing”, click here

 

 

I would like to bring to your attention our latest Policy Briefing Paper on ‘COVID-19, Unemployment & The Somali Community’. The policy brief has explored and assessed whether existing government support is reaching the Somali Community at a grassroots level. We also assessed any gaps and unmet support needs that have yet to be received through government support and attention. We recommend urgent action is taken by the UK government to aid the community through this difficult time. This is essential to fulfil the government’s promise to level up and build back better. You can find it by clicking this link.