Northern Ireland

Young people demand answers from government on coronavirus

The NIYF promotes the voice of young people in Northern Ireland
The NIYF promotes the voice of young people in Northern Ireland The NIYF promotes the voice of young people in Northern Ireland

YOUNG people in Northern Ireland are taking their concerns about coronavirus directly to their political leaders.

Almost 800 young people aged 11-25 gave their views on an online survey carried out by the Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF).

The aim was to capture and establish their understanding and top concerns during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The survey, entitled Our Voices Aren't In Lockdown, revealed that 73 per cent felt that they needed access to more appropriate information.

Almost three-quarters of those polled said they believed there was not enough testing going on.

The NIYF, which promotes the voice of young people in Northern Ireland, has organised a video conference where young people and `political champions' made up of MLAs will come together to discuss and debate the results of the survey. This online platform will take place on Wednesday April 29.

The young people submitted more than 600 questions and their views will be relayed to MLAs and other decision makers. They are calling for more information on issues including mental health, education and testing for Covid-19.

"Young people’s voices are as important as ever right now, they have lots of questions about the current situation and we want to ensure their voices are heard and that they know we are here to support them," said NIYF Participation Development Worker, Natalie Corbett.

"These are very uncertain times and we look forward to getting those questions answered."