10.12. The Covid-19 pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on young people’s well-being. In a formative period of life that is normally marked by large amounts of activity and when daily interaction with a wide variety of people is very important, young people suddenly had to make a radical change: contact and group activities were not an option during the lockdown. There was also major uncertainty regarding the economic situation, education, and other areas of life. Young people developed various coping strategies to handle these pressures. Once again, in many cases they were protagonists who (helped to) shape their own lives and environment. This active attitude must be further promoted and strengthened among young people so that they are able to handle other crises similarly well in the future.