In the summer of 2020, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, working with the Department of Health and the youth sector, collaborated with SpunOut.ie to undertake an online survey of young people’s experiences of COVID-19. A Youth Advisory Group worked with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to guide the development and analysis of the consultation. The consultation sought to better understand how young people are experiencing COVID-19. The consultation asked them about what has been working well for them and the challenges in maintaining their wellbeing. The consultation gave young people a chance to provide feedback on what could be useful to them in improving their mental health and wellbeing over the coming months. 

They were asked four open-ended questions to ascertain how they felt about specific aspects of their lives at this time. The questions were:

• What have you been finding hard during COVID-19?
• What are the changes in your life during COVID-19 that you would like to keep?
• In general, how do you feel about the future?
• Specifically, what would help you to be healthy and happy in the future?