A study on the experiences of young adults during the COVID-19 epidemic begins
The ongoing epidemic is intertwined with, among other things, climate change, technological change, and changes in working life. This has a wide range of effects on the daily lives, life trajectories and prospects of young adults and of especially those who have weaker starting points.
The funding in the ALL-YOUTH project will enable the researchers to re-interview the young adults who have visited the Finnish Red Cross Youth Shelters and participated in the original study approximately a year ago. The young people or their families have sought support for various difficulties in starting an independent life, such as issues related to making a living and housing, coping, and problems in social relations. At the time of the first interviews, the young adults were aged from 18 to 24 years.
“The young people participating in the study do not only need support because they, too, are active members of society. In the study, they are involved with us in producing an in-depth understanding of what it is like to transition into adulthood in challenging times,” emphasises the Director of ALL-YOUTH, professor Päivi Honkatukia.
“It is important that the young people in the shelters have a chance to tell their story and participate in the collection of experiences during the COVID-19 epidemic in this study,” says Leena Suurpää, Director of Youth Shelter Operations at the Finnish Red Cross.
ALL-YOUTH is a research project funded by the Academy of Finland’s Strategic Research Council exploring the opportunities and barriers to the social participation of young people. At the Red Cross Youth Shelters, young people and their immediate communities are supported in various dilemmas and complex situations from everyday worries to bigger crises. The shelters are staffed by professional youth workers and trained volunteers.
ALL-YOUTH: http://www.allyouthstn.fi/
Inquiries:
Päivi Honkatukia, paivi.honkatukia [at] tuni.fi
MEDIA RELEASE BY TAMPERE UNIVERSITY 2 June 2020
