HOW are the youth coping with the pandemic?
The reactions were mixed from the six panellists in the WED WEB CHAT — Youth Disrupted.
Javith Absar, who is studying facilities management at ITE, has to grapple with home-based learning and having to share a computer. Added to that, he also has to work to earn extra money for the family’s expenses.
Jayesh Melvani, a law undergraduate, felt the lack of physical connection made it more difficult when it came to classes. A singer/songwriter who has released his first single Circuit Breaker 2.0 (available on Spotify), aldo found it tough to develop his performing chops due to the social distancing restrictions.
Abdul Thaslim was all set to start his job in the oil and gas industry after National Service, but COVID-19 disrupted that plan and now he hopes to start in November. Meanwhile he has to help earn money for the family’s living expenses.
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Jakarta-born Shabrina Khairunnisa was looking forward to making full use of her degree in Performing Arts in the growing local scene. But the Singapore government bond didn’t guarantee work when there was very little to be had in the hard-hit arts sector.
Local charity Daughters Of Tomorrow saw as many requests for assistance in the first two months of the COVID-19 break as it did in the whole of 2019. About 30% of DOT’s beneficiaries are youths — under 30 years of age — and are struggling to juggle home and work life, says its Executive Director, Fannie Lim.
US-based psychotherapist Shyla Colley used to be a school counsellor in the Singapore education system and says that creative outlets are a good way to find balance. She adds that children in their teens should be given more care and attention. With the recent incidents of school children in trouble this would be an area for greater concern.
Just how is the pandemic messing with the younger generation?
You can watch the full discussion at the end of this article.
Meanwhile, here are some selected highlights.
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Make The School A Safe Place
Psychotherapist Shyla Colley talks about how we should pay more attention to young children who may find it difficult to adapt to the restrictions and carry the issues into later life.
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Coping Without
Trying to study, work and share limited resources is particularly stressful. But the lack of options and help means those who are without means have to make do somehow.
What Could Have Been Done Better?
While the pandemic was sudden, it’s been well over a year that we’ve lived with it. Despite that, there are several issues that could still have been improved upon, say the panellists.
Watch the full discussion, WED WEB CHAT — Youth Disrupted below.
Watch our previous wedwebchats: https://storm-asia.com/category/wed-web-chat/
Got a topic of interest? Know a good panellist with a thought-provoking perspective on a subject? Please email editor@storm-asia.com with your details and a short summary about the person or topic.
