The coronavirus pandemic has turned our lives - and our world - upside down. 

In a short space of time, we’ve all had to adapt to a new normal, change our way of life and overcome challenges we didn’t know existed.

For young people, the impact has been significant. The confusion and uncertainty that we all felt when the crisis started were amplified for young people already managing the anxieties and uncertainties associated with adolescence.

They had to quickly adapt to remote learning, requiring a large amount of self-motivation and discipline, whilst adjusting to always being around parents, carers and siblings in their households.

Creative responses

Despite these difficulties, young people have shone. A recent survey of nearly 10,000 young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award showed that many have used this opportunity to create positive change, develop their ‘soft’ skills and contribute to society.

Of the 14- to 25-year-old DofE participants we surveyed, almost half (48 per cent) are spending more time than usual being active, 47 per cent are using the time to learn a new skill or rediscover an old one, and 44 per cent have become closer to friends and family.

In addition, a quarter have felt inspired during lockdown, with many spending time sharing positive wishes with friends, family and their community.

A further 43 per cent of respondents have sent an encouraging message to someone, almost a quarter have made a video to make someone smile and a further 25 per cent are more open to speaking with their neighbours.

It’s heart-warming to see how young people have responded to the crisis, broadening their skills beyond the academic and technical and building connections with their wider communities.

But, of course, it’s not all rosy and we cannot ignore the increased stress and anxiety young people are experiencing or fail to recognise the impact of lockdown and financial uncertainty on those young people who are already vulnerable and at risk.

Nonetheless, during tough times, it is important to highlight the positives, too.

Maintaining enthusiasm   

When the crisis started, we at the DofE wanted to be there for young people as they transitioned to coping with life in lockdown.

Our charity has a role to play in helping to provide much-needed structure, positive focus and a sense of achievement for young people at a time when much of this has been stripped away.

More than ever, young people need support to learn to be adaptable and build the resilience and confidence to navigate the current situation and thrive in the post-Covid-19 world.

We launched DofE With A Difference and encouraged participants to keep working towards their DofE programmes from home.

Through their DofE, we’ve seen countless examples of young people continuing to shine, from contributing to the coronavirus relief efforts and mentoring younger siblings at home, to supporting their peers in isolation and encouraging others to stay safe and keep healthy.

The positive efforts of young people are phenomenal.

Building for the future

It’s clear that we must continue to enable young people to develop these skills as they transition back to the classroom this summer or early autumn.

We understand the exceptional pressure teaching staff are under and the challenges associated with planning a safe return to school and support for focusing on educational goals will take precedence.

But we should make sure that, when the time is right, we build in support for young people to help them maintain the new creative, giving and sharing people they have become.

We must balance their academic attainment with extra-curricular activities that help them grow into well-rounded, confident and adaptable young adults with the resilience to navigate the new world, post-pandemic.