Covid-19, decision making and its impacts

Covid-19 has brought a sense of uncertainty in our lives. As a young person, I have had to think about things twice before any step – not just in academia. Coronavirus has its advantages and disadvantages, for example due to Covid-19 people have come together and started to look after each other.

I think that the covid situation has encouraged the politicians to learn more about their country and people – isn’t that shocking? A lot of politicians have been actively going out into their communities and seeing what real life is like for people. It’s too daunting for regular people in their communities to go into a politician’s office and sit and explain their difficulties during this pandemic. Surely, it makes far more sense for politicians to get out from their offices and be more sociable and take an interest in what is really happening in peoples’ lives right now. It’s shocking to me that it has taken a pandemic for this connection with people, by politicians, to happen.  

Young lives have been so affected by the pandemic. When I was a child, I always dreamt of the golden moment in high school – the Prom. Prom is a celebration at the end of high school where everyone comes together for one last time before they depart to the new journey in their own world. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity to celebrate that this year which is very sad. This might sound like a little thing, but little things go a long way. My school gave all young people a false hope of there being a celebration of our hard work post covid but once the summer holidays were over, we were told to grow up and move on with life. You see – covid has brought a lot of uncertainty in our lives.  

For me and my high school friends, we faced being told (after months of planning and questions) that the celebratory Prom event was cancelled. There was a total lack of empathy from high school staff, and this was so upsetting. At the same time, a lot of big companies and local industries had given employees hope that everything would be OK. After furlough I heard that bosses started offering new contracts with a starter salary on the lowest pay or they had to leave. I spoke to a lady who worked for an airline for 25 years, she’d had stable pay and a mortgage on her home. A new, lower paid salary would have a dire effect on affording her mortgage payments. Now, we come to a realization that we all have so much more in common than we think – sorrow. This sorrow is shared through a sense of inequality and being deceived by those with more power. 

It’s been so hard to make any secure plans for the future. My friends had many plans for their future, such as one of my friend’s wanted to do an apprenticeship in business. It was so shocking that due to Covid-19 they had to close it. I am not just talking about opportunities but also identity. Our generation will be known as the one who missed exams not by our own choice. Due to this exam situation, we will be tested more often at every stage in life, and we will need to prove ourselves capable, even for small things like sitting in a classroom full of people. This has had a negative effect on young people’s mental health and self-esteem. This is yet another example of how decisions have been made by key decision-makers in power, without thinking about the consequences.  

So, in terms of the long-term impacts on young people, “what has been done to benefit our mental health? Nothing, absolutely Nothing!” 

All we want is a nice little chat and a little stability for the future. Is that too much to ask for?  

Every age has had their own challenges and no way am I saying that me as a young person has faced more than others. In these tough times, I have been able to learn new lessons in life which might not have been possible if I hadn’t experienced this. I always used to be a type of person who would think I will work hard till my 40s and then live life but covid has really got me thinking that will I even make it there? Covid has taught me to appreciate the present without worrying about the future and that is a skill. 

What have you learnt?