As Australia moves into our ‘new normal’, APM’s Health & Wellbeing team will provide regular insights and advice to help you address some of the most pertinent issues arising.
Our aim is to help you and your organisation respond to and evolve with the situation.
What does this mean?
The consequences of isolation are hitting young Australians hard.
Youth Insight, the Research & Insights arm of Student Edge, has released results of a COVID-19 survey, measuring understanding and sentiment among young people aged 14 to 25.
The survey shows the main concerns relate to the health of young people’s families, and the effect of lockdown on their own studies. However, we also see concern about their mental health is an increasing worry for young Australians.
One in four young Australians are already living with a mental health disorder, the highest prevalence of any age group. In an economic downturn, youth are often the hardest hit -young people are more likely to be unemployed, underemployed and in casual work (particularly in industries enduring lockdown restrictions) and facing housing stress.
How you can make a difference
While it’s a tough time for all of us, there are some great resources available to support young Australians through the current downturn. We have included links to a few below.
If you have a young person in your life or in your professional team, it is important that you check in with them regularly and encourage them to engage with their support network. Be there to listen and to help, taking care to understand the issues that are important to them.
Where to go for help and information:
- headspace run a great Work and Study program
- Reachout have some excellent study resources
- The Black Dog Institute have created a collection of information suitable for all ages
- Lifeline, 13 11 14