How can we engage with ‘Generation C’?

We asked Limitless Pioneers team leader Jamie Price for his views.

The pandemic had a devastating effect on young people. In its aftermath, how can the church respond?

They’ve been labelled ‘Generation C’ (Generation Covid), because, although everyone faced battles and challenges during the pandemic, young people are potentially the generation that will be most marked by it.

I’ve been working with young people for 15 years now and I have never known a time where it has been so tough to connect with them, when they arguably needed it most.

Even now, as life is getting back to reasonably normal, youth workers are feeling the impact of the pandemic on young people.

Although there are many, here are three challenges they have faced and how the church can respond. Hopefully some of these practical steps will help you and your church engage with young people again.

Increase in mental health issues

This isn’t exclusive to young people, but the mental health of teenagers has been adversely affected by lockdown.

A study conducted by Barnardo’s in the UK found 41 per cent of young people feel lonelier than before lockdown, 38 per cent feel more worried, 37 per cent feel sadder and 34 per cent feel more stressed.

Again, these facts aren’t exclusive to young people, but with still-forming bodies and emotions they may well be felt more than in a fully mature adult.

So, how can the church help?

Take mental health seriously

As a church, we haven’t always taken mental health as seriously as we should.

If a young person comes to you struggling with mental health issues, firstly, acknowledge what they are going through and reassure them you will support them as much as possible.

Refer them to a professional

If someone came to you with cancer, you would pray for them, of course, but also make sure they were getting the medical care necessary.

Likewise, with a young person suffering with mental health issues, refer them to a professional. Whether that be a counsellor, therapist or initially a GP, make sure they get the care they need.

There are also some great support groups like Kooth, Young Minds or CAMHS.

Care for them pastorally

What the church CAN do is pastoral care?

Pray for these young people, check in on them, encourage them to get outdoors (go with them) and be a listening ear – while we may not have all the answers, we can certainly care.

Impact on education

The impact on young people’s education could be one of the most significant markers to affect this generation for some time, with young people missing exams and homeschooling being a harrowing experience for many students and teachers.

The poverty divide has been highlighted in education and access to online schooling.

A quarter of pupils – 2.5 million children – had NO schooling or tutoring during lockdown; and 74 per cent of private school pupils had full days of teaching compared to 38 per cent of state school pupils.

The poorer you are, the more it will have affected you.

So, again, how can the church respond?

Serve your local school

I am a huge advocate for schools work – how can you, as a local church, serve schools in your area?

Mentoring young people, offering to run a lunchtime club, offering to help with the RE curriculum, helping provide sports or well-being clubs – there is a whole array of ways to serve a school, but start by asking them, “How could we as a church serve the needs of the pupils at this school?”

Revision sessions

One practical way you could serve young people in your community is to help run revision sessions during exam seasons.

I have seen this done well recently, where members of a church put in a few hours after school, did test papers, helped coach in exam techniques and so on.

How to recover after a pandemic

Youth ministry during the pandemic was hard – really hard.

Many ministries struggled to connect with young people they previously had regular contact with.

Even since lockdowns and restrictions have been lifted, research shows that 24 per cent of churches which offered youth ministry before the pandemic are now not doing so.

How can the church respond?

Re-pioneer
Did you have a youth ministry before the pandemic that isn’t running now? Why not try something new?

Why not re-pioneer it? If you need support with this, please get in touch with us at Limitless Pioneers.

Proximity over programmes
We saw that what people missed most during lockdown was the relationships they couldn’t engage in as easily.

Organise a trip, host a pizza night, take a picnic and games to a local park and invite the young people you know – reconnect with them on a relational level.  

This article first appeared in the August 2022 edition of Direction magazine. For more details please click here.

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