Young Tasmanians struggle with being the COVID generation

Cancelled job placements, lack of motivation and the dread of looking for jobs in a recession are some of the challenges young Tasmanians are facing as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

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WELFARE groups and youth advocates are warning that young Tasmanians must be at the heart of the state’s social and economic recovery.

Cancelled job placements, lack of motivation and the dread of looking for jobs in a recession are some of the challenges young Tasmanians are facing as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

“The COVID-19 crisis and response has shone a spotlight on Tasmania’s pre-existing high levels of entrenched disadvantage,” TasCOSS chief executive Adrienne Picone said.

“We know Tasmania’s young people have been disproportionately affected. Our state’s recovery in the months and years to come depends on the needs of our young people being placed at the heart of our social and economic recovery.”

For year 12 students Jasper Lennaen, Samantha Stevenson and Jackson Yung, 2020 has been a year of stress and uncertainty, of cancelled gap-year plans, dropped subjects and a forced reassessment of what they might like to do with the rest of their lives.

Jackson Yung, 17, of Hobart, Samantha Stevenson, 18, of Huonville, and Jasper Lennaen, 18, of Hobart. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

“It’s just the unknown that’s really hard, not knowing what direction I can go in,” Ms Stevenson, 18, said.

“I’m not doing the subjects I thought I would, and I intended on having a gap year next year and working overseas, but clearly that’s not happening.”

Like Ms Stevenson, Mr Yung, 17, has been forced to drop a subject because of the craziness of the year, which will impact on his overall year 12 score.

“I was leaving my options open but now I’m feeling pretty lost in my situation. A lot of people are,” Mr Yung said.

Youth Network of Tasmania chief executive Tania Hunt said the loss of casual jobs, disruption to education and training, social isolation, financial stress, housing insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty about the future were some of the problems young people were facing.

Tania Hunt. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

“For young people already experiencing systemic inequality and exclusion, the impact of COVID-19 has been felt more acutely,” Ms Hunt said.

“Some young people in Years 11 and 12 have dropped out of subjects altogether as they had fallen behind and some have completely changed their career pathways as a result of the pandemic.”

Jak Tolver-Banks, 17, is one of more than 1600 year 12 students to receive an early offer to study at uni next year under a University of Tasmania teacher recommendation scheme aimed at reducing stress relating to the disrupted year.

Jak Tolver-Banks has received an early offer to study at UTAS next year. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

He said the offer to study architecture was a huge relief, although it had put an end to his plan to do a year of military training interstate in 2021.

“I was going to do a military gap year and then maybe take a gap year after that before uni. But if the worst thing that has happened is I have to do uni straight away I don’t really have much to complain about,” Mr Tolver-Banks said.

Ms Hunt said governments needed to raise awareness of the initiatives, employment pathways, digital support and educational opportunities that had been made available during the pandemic.

Ms Picone said COVID had shown Tasmania to be too reliant on a hospitality and tourism sector made up of young casual workers and now was the time to invest in more diverse industries with more secure jobs.