One year later, how is the life of young people during the pandemic? A collaborative analysis by ENS – PSL's students and "Le 1" newspaper

PSL : For more than a year, the pandemic has been widely reported in newspapers. How did you come up with the idea of an issue on the theme of young people and the pandemic?

It was an opportunity for young people not only to be "objects" of reflection, but also to act as "subjects" in these debates.

Bastien Saïsse: This collaboration was born from the idea of the anniversary of France's first lockdown. We wanted to question the medium and long term consequences of these policies for our society, as well as the more long-term effects of the health crisis: economic, social and politicalimpacts. However, after collegial reflection, it seemed to us that young people -- the members of our society who are in a pivotal period of their lives, which will determine their relational, educational, cultural, professional, political, economic development, etc.-- were significantly impacted by the crisis, both in the present and in the future. This "object" of the young people seemed to us very relevant to reflect on the consequences of the pandemic in our society. As students, we felt that our articles would be more interesting if we focused on young people rather than on any other subject. We also felt that it was an opportunity to seize so that young people would not only be "objects" of reflection but also act as "subjects" in these debates.

Claire Vauxion: Indeed, although there were fewer hospitalizations and deaths due to Covid-19 for young people, they were nonetheless greatly affected by the pandemic: an entire way of life was called into question. The seminar "Pandemic: facts and policies" that we are following as part of the Medicine&Humanities program of the ENS - PSL, has enabled us, through the richness of the lessons and the debates with the invited researchers, to consider the stakes of the pandemic from different disciplinary angles. For example, during the speech of Marie Gaille, philosopher and director of research at the CNRS, we particularly discussed the themes of isolation and encounter, as well as the way young people think about their future.

Elsa Touretz: After a year filled with intense emotions, we wanted to take stock of a specific dimension of the pandemic. The theme of young people had not been widely addressed (although studies on the mental health of young people had just been published) or it had been addressed from an unpleasant angle (think of the excessive media coverage of the New Year's rave party). Thus, the idea emerged: we - the students - were very interested and we also felt legitimate to participate in the issue by choosing the speakers, and also to write by ourselves, moreover the editorial staff of the newspaper was enthusiastic because the topic wasn't covered until now.

PSL: To develop this issue of Le 1, the editorial conference was extended. How were the articles and scientists interviewed chosen?

Claire Vauxion: We wanted to investigate the effects of the pandemic on the young generation by crossing perspectives and relying on discussions. These discussions took place between us, students, and also with the teams of the newspaper Le 1 and those of the ENS - PSL associated with the project. This idea of debate has been extended in the content of the issue because it includes articles with several points of views: interviews (with a doctor and a sociologist) and articles written collectively (with a doctoral student in philosophy and between students of the Medicine&Humanities program).

PSL: For this issue, you co-wrote an open-access article entitled "Young people at the Covid Meeting". If you had to remember only one event for post-pandemic young people, what would it be? And why?

Bastien Saïsse: In my opinion, the meeting of young people after the pandemic is the moment of social and political debate. We, the young people, are designated by the phrase "jeunesse" which separates us from childhood, but distinguishes us from adulthood; we are not considered as full citizens, while, paradoxically, we sometimes find it challenging to act as full citizens. However, the evolution of our society must be done with an eye to the future and we are all totally legitimate to contribute, in all the ways that we think are useful. We must participate and the discussion must include us, in order to make progress on the critical subjects for the present and the future of our society. This requires debating with others, and also a representation that shows to the diversity of our lives.

Elsa Touretz: For me, the hot topic, undoubtedly, is sustainable development. Although the social problems are essential and urgent, the ecological emergency must be all the more highlighted in my opinion, as it is often underevaluated from a political point of view. During the last European elections, young people showed that they cared about this issue. This is partly due to the fact that the consequences of global warming are accelerating and it is becoming impossible for us, the young people, to turn a blind eye on the planet that we will offer to the next generations. Finally, I think that the health crisis was the opportunity to think and, more importantly, to change our way of life, notably by limiting our air travel or by promoting local consumption to help small businesses in the pandemic. The sustainable commitment took a new impetus before the crisis, which increased during the crisis, and it offers promising perspectives that we must stand for.