《信使》杂志新刊 "20+的确是最好的年纪吗？" 发布 | 社论

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Editorial

青春是一段精彩欢快的旅程，但也时常布满荆棘。完成学业，落实就业，寻找安身立命之地所，简而言之，就是要迈出今后人生的第一步。COVID-19疫情暴发之前，若要完成这些也绝非易事，但此时此刻则难上加难。除了种种不确定因素外，这场公共卫生危机还影响到了年轻人的社交，妨碍他们拓展朋友圈及发展人际关系网，而这些事关人生的幸福指数。

©️图为联合国教科文《信使》杂志2021年第2期，点击文末“阅读原文”可免费阅读本期数字版。

卡加布里埃拉·拉莫斯 Gabriela Ramos

联合国教科文组织社会科学及人文科学部门助理总干事

这种影响体现在方方面面，其中之一便是青年们学习进程的中断。疫情暴发前正常上学的8至19岁年轻人当中，有将近四分之三经历了学校停课，由于在线远程学习条件方面的差距，其中13%的人无法上课，无法与教师交流，根本没有学习机会。有目共睹的是，由于教育经费的削减，这方面的差距在今后几年还将继续存在。

除教育外，就业也深受影响，有8.7%的青年工人退出了劳动力市场。

这一切对年轻人心理健康的影响也颇为深刻。美国的数据显示，近三分之二的年轻人表现出心理问题的症状，有25%的人称，为缓解疫情带来的压力，他们加大了服药剂量，另有25%的人称曾有过自杀倾向。

尽管形势不容乐观，但我希望青年能够坚韧不屈、高瞻远瞩，摆脱这场危机带来的影响，越挫越勇。当今的青年一如既往，愿意努力改变世界。他们不能坐视收入和机会不平等的状况日益加深，他们是主张环保运动的先锋，他们倡导团结一致，对最弱势群体给予支持，他们甘冒一切风险，勇敢地捍卫民主，他们是无数社会运动背后的驱动力。

在联合国教科文组织，我每天都会亲眼目睹到这里的年轻人正在用自己的热情和智慧协助寻找解决方案，正如他们所做的其他工作一样，不仅是为自己努力，也是为全人类努力。

这场疫情带来累累伤痕，一些政策更是让情况雪上加霜，在恢复工作开展之际，让我们与青年携手并进，着眼于青年，着眼于未来，为全人类建设更美好的世界。

©️ Shutterstock

Editorial

Gabriela Ramos

Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO

Being young can be exciting and fun, but it is always challenging. Completing your studies, finding a job, finding somewhere to live – in short, taking the first steps of the rest of your life. If it was not easy before the Covid-19 pandemic, it is all the more difficult during this time. Besides all the uncertainty, the health crisis has affected young people’s social lives and prevented them from developing a network of friends and support that are vital to their well-being.

The impact has been experienced at many levels. One is the disruption in their learning pathways. Nearly three-quarters of 8- to 19-year-olds who were studying before the pandemic, experienced school closures – with thirteen percent left without any access to courses, teachers or learning at all, because of gaps in online and distance learning. We have seen reductions in the funding of education, and the gaps will remain for years to come. 

Besides education, employment has suffered too, with 8.7 per cent of young workers dropping out of the labour market.

All this has had a deep impact on young people’s mental health as well. Figures for the United States show that almost two-thirds of young adults have symptoms of psychological problems – with twenty-five per cent reporting increased substance use to deal with the stress of the pandemic, and twenty-five per cent saying they'd considered suicide.

In spite of the grim picture, I am hopeful that young people have the resilience and the vision to come out stronger from the crisis. Today, as in the past, young people are willing to fight to change things. They do not accept the increased inequalities of income and opportunities. They are at the vanguard of environmental campaigns. They promote solidarity and support for the most vulnerable. They are willing to risk their all to defend democracy. They are the driving force behind many social movements.

I observe it first-hand every day here at UNESCO, where young people’s enthusiasm and intelligence are helping to find solutions – not just for themselves, but, as in other campaigns, for all of us. 

As we start to repair the damage of the pandemic and the policies that made it worse, let’s engage with youth, and for youth, to build a better world for us all in the years to come.

©️该文章及图片版权归联合国教科文《信使》杂志所有

部分图片来自 Shutterstock

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