In line with the IYCS COVID-19 response plan, the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS), together with other Child Rights Activists and people who work to promote children’s rights, launched on Thursday, May 28, 2020 #CovidUnder19 global survey developed by Queen’s University Belfast with and for children, the initiative aimed at bringing together children, child human rights activists, experts, and other key stakeholders, including the private sector, to work together in understanding what children are experiencing due to Covid-19 and to involve children in responding to these issues.

The main goal of #CovidUnder19 was to create spaces for children across the globe to be meaningfully involved in the discussions about responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and contribute towards shaping the post-COVID-19 world. The specific objectives included;

1. Collect and amplify children’s views and voices: with their input, gather children’s experience of COVID-19 by developing a questionnaire to be disseminated globally and then analyzed to help inform different stakeholders to create informed prevention and response interventions, policies, etc.
2. Promote children’s awareness of their rights and ability to claim their rights: Through the questionnaire, guide children’s reflection on their role as actors of positive change and as peer-to-peer resources.
3. Empower children: Create meaningful spaces for children to interact with other stakeholders to enable meaningful child participation in the creation of the post-COVID world.