Whether they are under lockdown and out of school, in refugee camps or in crowded villages, detained, or living on the streets, institutionalised or on the move, children and young people have the right to be heard. But their views are hardly ever sought out by decision-makers and their ideas are rarely listened to. The #CovidUnder19 initiative aims to change that.

The logo of the #CovidUnder19 initiative was created and chosen by children and young people.

From the outset of the Covid pandemic, child-focused organisations were confronted with the challenge of how to adapt child participation in the context of a global health emergency. In April 2020, Terre des hommes launched the #CovidUnder19 initiative by mobilising a group of young people, child rights activists, civil society organisations and UN stakeholders. The initiative set out to understand children’s views and experiences about life under Coronavirus, and amplify their voices to inform policymakers, professionals working with children, and governments.

#CovidUnder19 is creating spaces for children across the globe to be meaningfully involved in the discussions about responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and to contribute towards shaping the post-Covid-19 world.

On 28 May 2020, the initiative launched a global consultation survey to understand children’s experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic and their views on how they wish to get involved. The survey is available under these links:

It has been designed by child rights experts and 270 children from 26 countries.

Children and young people aged between 8 and 17 years old are invited to participate in the survey until 31 July 2020. Child protection practitioners as well as parents and caregivers are encouraged to facilitate the participation of children. A facilitator's pack has been developed to guide practitioners in supporting children to complete the survey. It's available in English, Spanish, French and Dutch.

The survey is also accessible on U-Report, through Facebook Messenger, Viber and Whatsapp.

Based on the results of the consultations with children, the initiative will accelerate the design of responses to the pandemic in the short and long term, while increasing opportunities for children to interact with each other to collectively create and innovate.

To stay up to date with the initiative’s news, you can follow its profiles on social media:

• www.facebook.com/CovidUnder19
• www.twitter.com/CovidUnder19
• www.instagram.com/covidunder19

#CovidUnder19 is a broad-based coalition of organisations, academics, youth-led organisations and children.