Reflection: Updating Youth Work in a COVID World

By Dr John Tan, Youth Work Association Singapore

CAYWA hosted its first-ever Zoom webinars on 21st October 2020 on the theme “Updating Youth Work in a COVID World.”

To accommodate participants from different time zones across the Commonwealth, two separate sessions were run on the same day.

The first session saw nine delegates from Australia, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, New Zealand and Singapore. The second session, conducted 8 hours later, was attended by 23 delegates from Australia, Grenada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda and the UK.

Delegates in both sessions, after introductions, shared updates on the youth work situation in their respective countries, particularly on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was evident from the sharing that while the unprecedented global crisis wrought a varying range of implications, the critical role of youth work has become even more pronounced.

CAYWA while presenting its mission and objectives also promoted participation for the upcoming Commonwealth Youth Work Week 2020 activities scheduled from 2nd to 6th November 2020. The stage is set for exciting initiatives like a youth work lab and the launch of a digital youth work course.

Judging from the good response to the Zoom webinars, CAYWA’s committee is considering hosting similar sessions in the near future.

Session 1 Delegates

Session 2 Delegates