Kiko expert discussion on young people’s demands regarding the review of the COVID-19 pandemic

During the discussion, DBJR Chair Haag highlighted four key demands: the inclusion of non-school educational settings in times of crisis; the institutional embedding of young people’s participation in exceptional circumstances; the strengthening of mental health support in the wake of the pandemic; and ensuring digital participation for young people.

“During the coronavirus pandemic, the focus on young people has centred too heavily on their roles as school pupils, students and apprentices, and not enough on them as individuals with their own needs. Their lives outside the formal education system – and thus their regular extracurricular activities – have had to take a back seat,” said Haag in his opening analysis. He then placed the importance of individual freedom for young people at the heart of his calls to maintain the services provided by youth organisations during times of crisis and to give the interests of young people at least as much consideration as those of other generations. This means that scope must be maintained for those working locally with children and young people, as professionals in youth organisations and child and youth welfare services are well placed to assess young people’s needs during crises through their ongoing interaction with them.

Haag also emphasised the need for ‘structural and crisis-resilient’ participation by children and young people in political processes. In this regard, specialist bodies with comprehensive expertise, such as the Specialist and Coordination Unit for Youth Participation at the German Federal Youth Council (Deutscher Bundesjugendring), should be specifically involved in order to establish high-quality participation structures that remain functional even under exceptional circumstances. Only in this way can young people be directly heard and involved, which is essential, particularly in times of crisis.

Against the backdrop of the psychological strain experienced during and after the pandemic, Haag called for closer coordination of work within the ministries and committees primarily responsible for health and youth policy, and for “youth policy to be understood as a cross-cutting task”. Furthermore, psychological support for young people must be sustainably improved and existing youth organisation structures strengthened, as these, as places of community, make a significant contribution to fostering young people’s resilience.

In conclusion, Haag highlighted the importance of digital spaces for young people’s social networking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricting young people’s digital participation fails to do justice to the potential of these spaces. Rather, the importance of digital participation in times of crisis must be taken into account, whilst ensuring the principle of ‘safety by design’ is upheld.

“What we can do together is to ensure that youth participation is crisis-proof, that there are sufficient places available for psychotherapy, that youth education centres, youth centres and other places where young people spend their time continue to exist, and that spaces for freedom are strengthened. Youth organisations are established structures in young people’s everyday lives. This has a very tangible impact on the daily lives of children and young people,” concluded Haag.

The German Federal Youth Council (DBJR) would like to thank Kiko Chair Michael Hose (CDU) and the other MPs from the democratic parliamentary groups for the two constructive, expert and highly relevant meetings of the Children’s Commission this year. In the interests of young people, the DBJR regards it as a positive sign that the Enqueute Commission’s focus is primarily on children and young people, and, with an eye to current political debates, funding policy issues and the implementation of the coalition agreement, it also calls for the interests of young people to be prioritised.