Examining the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on Maltese young people

Abstract

As part of A摹enzija 呕ag魔偶ag魔鈥檚 ongoing research programme and cooperation agreement with the Faculty of Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta, this study outlines the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on Maltese young people. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt across Europe and the world. For young people, as well as for everyone, it has resulted in a more restrictive lifestyle, limited access to education, work and services, self-isolation and social distancing. It is also evident from research and surveys worldwide that young people have been disproportionately affected by the social, educational and economic impact of the pandemic. This study, conducted by the Faculty of Wellbeing at the University of Malta, provides further corroborative evidence of the adverse effect of the pandemic on the lives of young people. The pandemic had a negative impact on their participation in education and on their mental and physical health and wellbeing. Young females appear to have been worse affected in terms of personal and social relationships while family life was often tense and stressful. On the positive side, young people appear satisfied with the government鈥檚 handling of both the pandemic and the vaccination programme and the impact on youth employment appears more nuanced, which may reflect the flexibility of working online that resulted from the pandemic. While in Malta we were generally successful in managing and mitigating the effects of the pandemic; nonetheless, we are all too aware of how it has impacted on the lives of our families, friends, and communities: how it caused loss, distress and uncertainty. While regular youth services, programmes and initiatives in Malta, as elsewhere across Europe, were greatly impacted by the pandemic, it also provided us with a unique opportunity for working with and reaching out to young people online and through social media. In Malta, we continued to work and provide support and encouragement to young people during the pandemic while further developing and expanding our capacity for digital youth work. We also continued to digitalize our services and supported youth organisations to re-design and adjust their programmes and projects. I want to thank Professor Andrew Azzopardi, Project Manager of the study, and his colleagues at the Faculty of Social Wellbeing for their work which makes a valuable and informed contribution to our understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on the lives of young people in Malta and how we can work together in seeking to support and encourage them. [Foreword by Miriam Teuma]