Hello and welcome to london for this edition of global questions with me, zeinab badawi. Young people may be less likely to become seriously ill with coronavirus or to die from it, yet their futures may be ravaged by the disease. With a global recession predicted to last for years, economies are heavily in debt. Jobs are becoming more scarce. Education has been interrupted, and social life disrupted. Thats Coronavirus Crisis a lost generation . Well, im now inside the bbcs headquarters here in Central London and we are bringing you our two panellists and our questioners via video link. Theyjoin us from all over the world. Let me tell you who is in the hot seat this week, giving the answers. Emma theofelus, she is deputy minister of information in namibia and, get this she was only 23 years of age when she was given that post and, as part of her role, she gives daily briefings to the nation about how to prevent the spread of coronavirus. But emma has apparently just turned 24. And billiejd porter is a british film maker and journalist and is involved in an initiative to engage young people in politics called use your voice. She has recently been travelling around the world making documentaries including in china. Welcome to you both. Remember, you too canjoin in the conversation. Its bbcglobalquestions. Lets go to our first question and it is coming from nagpur, india. It has been three months since i saw my parents and i am sad not to see them and missing my daily routines as well. It is hard for everyone, but it is a big sacrifice and really hard for young people in particular. Hard for young people in particular. Are they really getting it worse in this coronavirus pandemic . Minister, deputy minister, Emma Theofelus in namibia. Thank you very much and thank you for the question. I do not think that the well being of young people necessarily has been sacrificed in this particular pandemic. In response to this pandemic. I think, at this point, everyone is feeling the same, young and old, and i do think that, as young people, we might have it harder because it is the prime of our lives. It is an opportunity for us to really be energetic and go out and do things. However, with this pandemic, of course, these expected feelings of sadness and isolation. However, we do need to keep a positive, you know, outlook on issues, see what we can do to assist with fighting the pandemic. Because more and more across the world, young people do make the majority of the population. And even though the virus does not affect young people as much as Older People Health wise, it does affect a lot of us socially. We need to become more optimistic so we assist those that are most vulnerable to this virus. Billie jd porter, do you agree with that . That young people arent really getting it worse than anyone else . I mean, i think that the well being of people from all generations has been affected. I think that the ways that the elderly and people in care homes have been hit by this is one of the most dark things weve seen since the virus took hold. I miss my friends as well. I think this has had a devastating effect on many peoples mental health. My anxiety is through the roof. And i think that we all kind of collectively are going through something so unprecedented. But beyond this, i do feel that there is far too much pressure being placed on the individual, we are guilt tripping ourselves and one another for feeling this way. Or if there is any flouting of the rules. In my mind, that is a very convenient distraction from the ways that politicians have failed us and what has actually placed us here. Billie, i am just going to ask you, we have had questions on social media, or points, rather. Rohina has asked, how will children adapt to life after they have just spent so much time with their parents . David said, family bonding has grown immensely during this lockdown period. So, i mean, that is a fairly positive point from david. But, actually, a lot of young people, teenagers in particular, are having to live in abusive households all over the world, arent they . Absolutely. I think that this is going to affect so many different people in such different ways. For me to sit here and say that i have collective or generalised advice would be irresponsible. I think that if you can reach out to communities of support online, then do that and know we are all reacting in a normal way to an abnormal situation. Deputy minister, do you want to pick up that point about a lot of young people having to live in abusive or violent households, which is a big concern . Yes. In namibia, the reports do suggest that after we had been locked down for over 35 days, there has been a spike in gender based violence cases. There has been a lot of Domestic Violence in homes. But also, the predatory nature of offenders online against children. So that has raised some concerns, and there has been some responses with social workers becoming more involved in the community to root out some of this issue. It has increased in a time where everyone is confined to their homes. Some people are trapped with their abusers. Thank you very much indeed for that response. We are going to go to an overseas student currently studying in london, and we have had a lot of questions along the lines that you have been asking from the very great number of worried students. So, fire away. What do you want to ask . I am an International Student with the financial burden of a big student loan. I feel alone with no chance to get experience abroad or repay the loan making them more vulnerable. Do you think will host countries and universities come to our rescue . Right, billie, a lot of students worrid about loans all over the world and the question there is how do they repay their loans . It is a big headache. First of all, i want to say thank you for your question and i cant imagine what a difficult situation this is for you and im very sorry that you have found yourself stranded away from home at a time like this. My advice to you would be to contact your Universitys Student Union and see if they can offer any guidance or support regarding your situation specifically. There are several funds and emergency grants for those experiencing Financial Hardship during this time, which could also be worth looking into. My overriding feeling is that we need to put pressures on the paris at the two freeze Student Loans at this time. It is immoral to force people to be locked indoors and for their interests to be going up. I am sorry that you are in this situation andl sorry that you are in this situation and i hope that you can find support through your student union. Universities are in dire financial straits themselves, arent they . Some of them nearing collapse. Very quickly on that point. That is the other side. There needs to be some kind of government bailout. I do not think that universities should expect students who are extremely vulnerable in this situation to be shouldering the same debts that they are. Deputy minister, while you are answering that question on universities, let me give you some questions from social media because this affects School Pupils as well. Somebody says i cannot go to school and we are writing all of our exams from home. When will it be over and when will i go back to school . I and in yearten and when will i go back to school . I and in year ten and it is very hard for us. In year ten and it is very hard for us. Education has really disrupted on top of the student loan . Education has become a bit more difficult with the learning and Online Learning becoming a new norm with this pandemic and not many countries being able to change to that new mode of learning. And to quickly adapt to it during covid i9, that has made it a bit more difficult. With the resilience of learners and students all over the world and having the determination to continue their schooling, i think we can get through this. Lets go now to the capital of latvia. What is your question . My question is what skills should young people develop to successfully overcome this crisis, both financially and mentally . A lot in that question there. Deputy minister Emma Theofelus. Skills to overcome the crisis financially and mentally. Theofelus. Skills to overcome the crisis financially and mentallylj think crisis financially and mentally. think skills around communication and technology will come in handy in times such as this. But from a mentalfront, i would times such as this. But from a mental front, i would say the skill of being able to connect with human beings better. I think because of the rapid change in how technology now rules our lives, we have become disconnected to other human beings and understanding the surroundings that we live in and being more connected to theirs. Perhaps for mental well being, let us go back to basics and appreciate the people around us and the things, the simple things, in nature that we can be more connected, be more prepared for such a pandemic in future. Let me just inject one statistically before i come to you billie, the United Nations says one in five people have stopped working jangly coronavirus pandemic. Even those who had remained in work have seen their hours greatly reduced big concern for young people who are disproportionately concentrated in sectors like hospitality. During the. What is your response to what skills young people need . the. What is your response to what skills young people need . I agree that this pandemic has shown us that learning to connects digitally. One upshot if you can call it that of this entire crisis is that the workforce has been globalised somewhat. You have companies who said they are never going back to their office and it means that the Playing Field has been widened. If there is a candidate who is in another continent who seems like they are a better fit for a role, that could mean that opportunities are opening up. In terms of us using this as an opportunity to learn skills, though, it is difficult to put pressure on yourself during this time. Ithink put pressure on yourself during this time. I think lots of people have used this as an opportunity to learn new skills, learn a new language, get to work on personal projects they have been neglecting. For other people, that isjust not realistic. When we talk about financial skills, like you say, similar people do not have the luxury of being able to think about how they are going to manage their money better or how they are going to safeguard their future financially when they dont have those earnings coming in. But i do hope that this whole thing might teach us where best to spend our money and to do it any more mindful way. I think if there is one good thing that might come out of the crisis is that we are more mindful of where we spend our money. We do not need to be spending it on fast fashion, fancy restaurants or on all of this waste. From coventry in the uk, what you want to ask . Why have race and class inequalities been reproduced yet again in the fight against coronavirus . Billie, what is your answer to catherine . Against coronavirus . Billie, what is your answer to catherine . against coronavirus . Billie, what is your answer to catherine . I dont think that race and class inequalities have been reproduced. They have always been there and they have never gone away. I read a statistic that members of the bame community are four times more likely to die from the virus. They have also been subject to many more fines and penalised far more intensely by Law Enforcement if they have been seen to be breaking the rules about social distancing. There has been a hugely disproportionate impact on people of colour. These are socioeconomic disparities have been sad realities long before this virus took hold and i think it is devastating that it has taken this for people to realise that. It is notjust for people to realise that. It is not just about the risk of the virus itself. It is about the uncertainty of our future and, in a landscape where unemployment is going to be rife and incredibly competitive, how much more likely is a white person going to be to land a job than a person of colour . These issues predates covid 19 and they will out of date this unless the system changes. Put simply, our Political Class as a whole is to white. It has served its own interest for too long and the only things that will change truly is if our Political Class diversifies. I do agree that inequalities will be exacerbated. If anything, covid i9 just came to china brighter light on this. If you look, before shine a brighter light. You can only expect an increase in how many young people are unemployed. Before covid i9, a lot of internships were not paying people. Even after, i am sure a lot of white capitalist monopolists would argue that they do not have money to pay interns which are more likely to be young people with no experience and therefore cannot gain experience and therefore cannot gain experience for future employment. Definitely, the covid i9 came to us and these inequalities, they existed before, they will exist afterwards, they will just become before, they will exist afterwards, they willjust become bigger. Catherine, what you want to say to oui catherine, what you want to say to our two panellists . Why did you ask that question and what is your thoughts on the answer . that question and what is your thoughts on the answer . I really like the answer is the analysts gave. I think they are very honest andi gave. I think they are very honest and i think it is important to ask these kind questions that are very difficult to answer. I believe it is crucial for governments and organisations to take an intersectional approach to looking at how working class and people from bame backgrounds have been affected more than other people in the world. Thank you very much indeed, catherine. We are now going to go to the capital nigeria. You will forgive me if i say this, but we can just see by looking at you that you are ourtaken just see by looking at you that you are our taken member of the older generation amongst our questioners. What is your question about the impact of coronavirus on the Younger Generation . It has been said that young people are the most vulnerable. My question is that whatever government is going to tackle the problems that face the future of young people . How is the government going to realise that . At the moment, you will find that young people id be ones that are the centre. They are not dying, but their futures are uncertain because of the disease. So what is the government going to do post covid i9 . Government going to do post covid19 . Deputy minister Emma Theofelus, what do you want to say . Yesterday coincidentally, our budget was tabled as a country. In this budget, it does entail one area that is to securejob budget, it does entail one area that is to secure job security for eve ryo ne is to secure job security for everyone in the country during covid i9. In it are all types of interventions around tax reform, around social sectors getting more funding to ensure that education is not severely disrupted and, especially, this goes to young people, but also, more importantly, entrepreneurship that the government does not take a big hit. Do you target innovation by governments in the way that emma has been describing . I believe that the question shouldnt necessarily be what should the government do rather who should that government be . I live between the United States and the united kingdom, the two countries who have reported the most deaths from the virus and i certainly dont think that people who have got us into this mess are going to get us out of it. I believe that has been one of the most distressing things for young people to watch. It is how this crisis has so to watch. It is how this crisis has so plainly demonstrated, just let down after let down by those in power. Do you want to come back . I agree with the minister that the government needs to do a lot. I dont think that they should just be left out like that because parents at this point are supporting the young, the backbone of this generation, they really dont have support and their futures are bleak. The government has a role to play in the lives of the young. The crime rate across the world is going to soar. The earlier the government ta kes soar. The earlier the government takes decisive action, the better. Thank you very much indeed. Lets go to dubai. Your question, please. Thank you so much for all the a nswe is we thank you so much for all the answers we have been given. I have been concerned about the impact after the coronavirus situation. The impact concerns the physical, economic, social, moral and psychological impact on young people. How are these people going to redefine themselves and is there a need to redefine themselves culturally in the mindset . How is this going to happen . A question about this going to happen . A question a bout lifestyle this going to happen . A question about lifestyle is being redefined and, actually, that is something we had a lot on social media about. Questions about will life ever go back to how it was . Gigs, pubs, cinema, theatre . Young people do like to enjoy an active social life wherever they are. Physical interaction, also something very important for young people. Well be be able to see our partners again. Some of us do not live with them. Lets go to you on that, billiejd porter. I wish i knew the answer to that question. I wish it every single day. In a word, yes, i do think our lifestyles will be redefined by this and, in a sense, i think they will be forever changed. I think that even if a vaccine is developed, how long will it take until people get widespread access to it . I do feel like we need to adapt. I see lots of people across social media talking about what they wa nt social media talking about what they want to do when this is over. What they want to do when life goes back to normal, quotes on quote. I do not know if there will be a normal. I think that the normal will be forever changed by this. I really, really hope we will be going back to festivals and parties and pubs and restaurants soon, but i am not holding out much hope for that reality anytime soon at least. Are you also a bit pessimistic, deputy minister . If i am you also a bit pessimistic, deputy minister . Ifi am being honest, no. Iam minister . Ifi am being honest, no. I am actually positive. Perhaps many of my contacts are different. We have only had 22 cases in namibia. The impact of social distancing, being locked down at home, it is still the same. But i do agree with billie to say that we cannot go back toa billie to say that we cannot go back to a normal. Covid i9 was a wake up call and is a wake up call. The way we interact as young people, of course, things we enjoyed like festivals and so on, we can still do those should a vaccine found and become more creative and innovative in how we enjoy those activities. We cannot also will out that Climate Change is still a reality. It has not pounced on us like covid i9 did, but it is still something to be concerned about. Much of our lifestyle d id have concerned about. Much of our lifestyle did have an impact on the environment, and the way we are living, itll have an impact on our future. We do need to get to a new normal, a new way of doing things, because the way we were doing things is not sustainable and we do need to change. But a change for the better that can accommodate our interests and needs but also the interests of the whole world and the planet. There you are in the uk and there you are in namibia. Is there anything, emma, you would like to put to billie . Billie, i wish you would have more faith. This virus has a lot of impact on feelings and oui has a lot of impact on feelings and our view, whether it is governments, social actors, but i did think this isa time social actors, but i did think this is a time where our humanity should give everybody the benefit of the doubt. And be more positive and how we approach issues and, hopefully, all of us together, working together, regardless of how we want together, regardless of how we want to get to the end result or product, that we are able to get through this together. I do have my heart out to you, the us and the uk being worst hit and me having a different context. But i think that as young people, there is hope. If we can get through this particular pandemic as young people, anything that catches us young people, anything that catches us in future, we who are going to be here for the next years, we can get through it together. here for the next years, we can get through it together. I am really grateful for all of that and i think that all of your messages of strength and resilience and confidence in us bouncing back from this are very, very much needed. I realised that my kind of glass half empty attitude is a bit pessimistic, as you say, but i think your people are very lucky to have a politician like you during this time. Let me ask you, questioners, i wanted to put your thumbs up if you agree that the coronavirus pandemic has had the worst impact on the lives of young people, economically, financially, psychologically . Put up your thumb is if you think that it has affected young people disproportionately. So five out of the six. The five young people asking the questions have all said that they feel a little bit pessimistic about the future. Emma theofelus there in namibia and billie jd porter in theofelus there in namibia and billiejd porter in the uk, you had told us, one of you is a bit more optimistic and the other is a bit more down about it. I hope we have turned somewhat like their only made of younger people all over the world. Thank youve very much indeed for watching this edition of our special on coronavirus, looking at what has been described as the lockdown generation, the lost generation. Remember, this is a programme that brings you the trend lines behind the headlines. From me and the rest of the global questions team, thank you to our panellists, our questioners and wherever you are watching this, goodbye. Hello there. We are ending the month of may pretty much how we started, and that is on pretty much how we started, and that isona pretty much how we started, and that is on a dry, sunny and warm note. We will start to see some changes to the weather as we reach the middle pa rt the weather as we reach the middle part of this new week. A fine end to the day and overnight it looks as though skies will be clear for most. We could see a bit of low cloud and see fog rolling in towards Eastern England and eastern scotland. Temperatures ranging from seven to 13 degrees. For a monday morning, dry, sunny and a warm one for many. Low cloud and fog will tend to play away from the north east. Into the afternoon, we could see some fair weather cloud bubbling up in response to the temperatures. Another 11 to come in western scotland, western parts of northern ireland. High temperatures could spark off an isolated had a shower, but most places will be dry. Widespread sunshine in england and wales. An onshore breeze will take this temperatures back. The highest temperatures in central and Western Areas beating the mid 20s and you the levels will be higher across the board. The the levels will be higher across the boa rd. The change the levels will be higher across the board. The change taking place across the north of the country on tuesday, a cold front pushing southwards into northern scotland. It will introduce more cloud and outbreaks of rain, some of which will be heavier into the afternoon. Elsewhere across the country, it is another fine, afternoon. Elsewhere across the country, it is anotherfine, dry, sunny and warm day, highs of 27 or 28. Much cooler across the northern half of scotland than what we have had over the past few days. We will see the change in the midweek. Patchy rain for some of us and we will also see a drop in temperatures as northerly wind begins. Tending to wea ken as northerly wind begins. Tending to weaken as it reaches southern parts of the country, so rainfall totals will be variable. We will notice as we reach the middle or latter part of the week, we have got colder air expected to spread southwards across the uk. We could see patchy rain at times on wednesday and thursday, though not much getting to the areas where we needed across the south east and the temperatures will start to full away by the end of the week. This is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. Us protests spread from minneapolis to at least 30 different cities following the death of george floyd, a black man, in police custody. President trump blames looters, and leftwing
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