The Covid-19 pandemic and the social determinants of young people's mental health

From mass job and income losses, to being trapped in abusive households, and paying rent for university accommodation they can’t use, each new day seems to bring another news story of the blight of Coronavirus on the lives of the young. These varied and disproportionate social and economic effects of the pandemic on young people's lives are having a significant effect on their mental health.

As services that look at young people as more than just a mental health diagnosis, understanding these social determinants of young people's mental health is vital for the youth advice and counselling sector. To support this understanding, Youth Access is organising a webinar for members to look at the social and economic issues impacting young people's mental health in the wake of the pandemic and develop collaborative solutions to these common challenges.

Who is the webinar for?

The webinar is for managers and practitioners at youth information, advice and counselling servcies (YIACS) in the UK who are interested in the social and economic issues impacting on young people's mental health in the wake of the pandemic, and how the youth advice and counselling sector can work to address them. The webinar is exclusive to managers and practitioners at Youth Access member organisations (find out how your organisation can become a member here.) Please note that, in order to ensure a diversity of voices in the webinar, places are limited to one per Youth Access member organisation.

What will the webinar cover?

In the webinar we will look at questions like:

• How has the pandemic exacerbated the social and economic issues that young people face on the journey to adulthood?
• What impact are these issues having on young people's mental health?
• What has the effect been on existing inequalities and the needs of young people who were already facing particular issues and challenges?
• How can the youth counselling and advice sector respond to these emerging issues?
• How can Youth Access support members to develop collaborative solutions to these common challenges?

The webinar will be a participatory space where each participant will have the opportunity to share their experiences, challenges and solutions.

The webinar will be facilitated by Ruby Waterworth, Policy & Campaigns Officer at Youth Access, who will give an overview of the key findings of the latest Youth Access briefing 'Generation COVID'? Socio-economic factors impacting young people's mental health in the wake of the pandemic. The webinar will also serve as the launching pad for a new task and finish group to support the development of further briefings in the series looking at how the youth advice and counselling sector can respond.

How do I attend?

If you would like to attend, simply click "Get Tickets" below and complete the steps to register. Note that places are limited, so book soon to avoid disappointment. Once your attendance is confirmed, we will send details for how to access the online meeting room.