Tuesday, January 21, 2020 marked the date of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S., and by mid-March confirmed cases were reported in all 50 states, the nation’s capital, and four U.S. territories. Despite examples of how rapid spread of the virus adversely impacted other countries worldwide, the U.S. unfortunately adopted a “wait and see” approach, which left many businesses, schools, communities, and families throughout the nation ill-prepared to make rapid shifts to comply with eventual shelter-in-place orders. Coupled with fears of contracting or transmitting the virus, adjusting to social distancing guidelines and the ‘new normal’ of working and/or learning from home with limited interactions with the outside world has been exceedingly challenging and emotionally taxing for most; everything has changed. Here in New Orleans, which thrives on the social interactions of its citizens and tourism, the eerie quiet of the streets and persistent news reports of the ways in which COVID-19 has ravaged communities and claimed the lives of thousands of residents have shrouded the city in despair. As an organization dedicated to meeting unmet needs and improving quality of life for children and families, IWES set out to hear from the communities we serve about how COVID-19 is impacting their lives and ability to thrive.

As a sub-study of IWES’ greater Catapult Study, our local implementation of the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) conducted in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and collaborating research teams around the world, the IWES Research and Evaluation division engaged adolescents ages 11-16 in a special series of conversations about their experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Four virtual focus group discussions were held with middle and high school students to better understand the specific challenges brought on by the pandemic as well as the implications for their emotional well-being and academic success. Questions were posed regarding their awareness of COVID-19 and how the virus is transmitted, experiences with social distancing; needs, fears, and coping mechanisms; needs for support; and how they perceive their future endeavors might be impacted.

FINDINGS

Young people are well aware of the COVID-19 virus, how it is transmitted, and the importance of social distancing— “You can’t live in the world right now and not hear that term and know what it means." Participants noted key media sources such as news, social media, and the internet as the top sources they use to seek information about the virus as well as the supportive persons they trust for factual information about the virus. While parents were reported as the top sources of trusted information about COVID-19, young people understand that their parents may not have all of the answers. In reference to speaking with her mother about COVID-19, one respondent remarked, “I ask her, like, a question about the virus and why people don't wear they mask and take it seriously...she really don't know. Like, she just tells me to just pray.” The young people also report feeling not only responsible for themselves when aiming to prevent the spread of the virus, but also a social responsibility to protect their loved ones and others as they quarantine, practice frequent hand washing and disinfection of surfaces, and wear masks in public spaces. Frustration with others not doing their part was also expressed, “Um, some people like when you're in the store like in the line, they have like little “X”es…that some people don't always stand on...Like they come a little too close and like I don't really be wanting to be rude so...I just kind of scoot up a little bit but then I don't want to be so close to a person that’s in front of me.”

Shelter-in-place orders in March 2020 came with drastic changes to the way young people would receive their education. Some students were given paper packets of assignments to complete at home, while others attending schools with more resources were offered computers and were instructed to complete school virtually. Despite the medium, learning and completing schoolwork from home was reportedly more comfortable for young people, but after some time, young people began realizing that this comfort was at the expense of academic success. Participants report a lack of motivation to complete assignments and log into virtual classes—“It's just a struggle even wanting to do work…”—but also cite they are not receiving the hands-on support they need to learn effectively and be successful. “Virtual is like you kind of teaching yourself. If you don't know the material, and you're used to having a teacher that helps you, then it's harder when you're doing virtual.” Participants also expressed worries about not learning as much as they were when attending school in-person as well as about potentially not being ready for the future—“I don't feel like I'm really learning, um, effectively. I don't think I'm learning too much at all, as much as I was learning in school.” Another participant reported, “I feel like I’m not gonna be ready, like, for the next grade, because it's like…they're teaching, but a lot of people aren't really learning. So I don't really think a lot of people are gonna be ready for like, what's gonna happen in the real world, like, when you graduate. I don't think people are gonna be ready.” Furthermore, they report that they have been “robbed” of their “normal” high school and middle school extracurricular activities and social experiences, especially as New Orleans approaches the Mardi Gras season. “Some days that [make] social distancing hard is like, you might see somebody that you haven't seen in a very long time, and they want to come hug you…”

When asked about their feelings on what has changed the most, feelings of isolation were resounding. One participant responded by saying,“…Everything has changed. To summarize everything, I mean, like, my relationships have changed. And routines, everything.” Sheltering in place has not been easy for young people, especially as their friendships, familial relationships, school and social experiences have significantly been impacted as the pandemic rages on. Several report missing the vibrancy of the social climate here in New Orleans, where it is normal to march closely with neighbors and friends in parades and second lines. Feeling isolated has weighed heavily on young people as their social wellbeing has been superseded by personal responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus, and this adjustment has been unsettling—“I feel like I’m incarcerated, because, like, I've been separated from my friends for like, all these months, and missing out on activities, and school is not the same, it’s different for me, like, this is all new. It’s something that I'm getting used to, but I don't like it.” While some participants express hope for an eventual end to the COVID-19 pandemic, many report feeling like an end is nowhere in sight.

Participants noted that the close proximity to family members under stay-at-home conditions had led to an increase in conflict and challenging dynamics at home, but some noted that conditions have “brought a lot of families closer together.” Regarding her family’s dynamics, one participant reported, “Like we, we talk about [COVID-19] a lot...And sometimes people have different opinions, but we try to understand where they're coming from. At the end of the day, like, we always, like...ask each other, like, how was your day on a scale from one to ten?” Participants offered perspectives on how young people can be best supported during this time, as well as what young people need the most. In light of concerns related to isolation, loneliness, and missing out, respondents across groups lifted up that both communication about COVID-19 as well as familial and non-familial support are especially important to them. “Just because you don't talk about it doesn't mean like it's not happening.” Youth also noted “teen virtual groups” and having “one person in particular you could trust to tell stuff to” as critical for youth wellness through the present challenging conditions.

IWES learned so much from our youth participants during these focus group conversations, and, more importantly, we were able to see just how resilient and adaptable they have been. Those of us in New Orleans have been weathering the impacts of COVID-19 for nearly a year now, and in a time of such great adversity, it is particularly important to lift up the voices of those among us, like young people, whose experiences speak volume to the large-scale work that needs to be done to ensure health, well-being, and resilience. As we continue to conduct research on how young people and their respective communities are being impacted, we are reminded of the importance of not just gathering information but devising plans for response and support. We plan to delve deeper into our findings in publications to come and will work closely with Johns Hopkins and GEAS collaborators to share narratives comparing what young people shared in New Orleans with what has been shared by other young people globally.

For an extensive list of resources available to our greater New Orleans community, please visit our COVID Resource page.