Gabby Lipka, 17, was running errands for her family at the grocery store when she noticed an elderly couple at the checkout counter who might be in a high-risk category for COVID-19. After a call with some of her friends who thought she needed a service to help the elderly and immunocompromised, she created a delivery service with branches in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Connecticut. We launched “Teen Community Against COVID-19”.
“We all actively participate in our school clubs, team sports, or after-school jobs, so when the pandemic hit our county, all schools and athletics were canceled and our neighbors The shops were closed. We had so much time that we didn’t know what to do,” says Gabby. teen vogue.
Gabby is one of thousands of young people trying to figure out what summer 2020 will be like as internships and summer jobs disappear and unemployment rates continue to rise. Many people, overwhelmed by the weight of this unprecedented moment, are stepping up to serve in any way they can.
Not all young people can afford not to have a full-time job, and volunteer work and community engagement may not replace the loss of income that allows young people to support themselves and their families, depending on their circumstances. not. A recent report by Data for Progress found that Millennials and Gen Z have been hardest hit by pandemic-related job losses, with workers aged 16 to 24 in the service industry. This is similar to data from the Pew Research Center, which shows that 24% of jobs are at risk of closure due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It is definitely a precarious time to forge the gateway to full-fledged adulthood. But young people are finding unique opportunities to serve others, from arranging grocery deliveries to participating in “virtual volunteering,” internship opportunities, and starting their own initiatives to fill gaps in their local communities. We are pursuing a method.
Gabby said that although her parents’ fitness studio closed and her family temporarily lost a source of sustenance, “we both realized how lucky we are to have such a strong support system in each other.” And that’s how I stay optimistic.” Others in her Westchester, New York, community earn even worse. Teen Community Against COVID-19 started a GoFundMe for her local food pantry, and she raised nearly $3,000 (or the equivalent of 120 meal kits) for families facing food insecurity. I collected it. Gabby said the group assembled kits, organized volunteers from various branches through a website, and finished school in the morning in preparation for delivering essential supplies throughout the day.
Ensuring access to essential supplies is a key focus for young volunteers. Martine Dosa, 16, is helping collect menstrual products for members of the refugee and immigrant community in her hometown of Syracuse, New York. Her Martine chapter of Girl Up is hosting a virtual menstrual products drive to benefit Syracuse Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE). “Without access to products, young menstruators can lose confidence, miss school, and turn to unsafe hygienic options,” she says. teen vogue. “Especially during COVID-19, when our nation’s unemployment rate is at record highs and so many people are furloughed, people are finding new ways to buy these products. It’s very important that we don’t worry about it as an expense.” The idea was born on a Zoom call with four Girl Up club leaders and family planning community allies. They started the project and found the resources to organize the activities. “Then we went back to watching each other do TikTok dances.”
