A lockdown is difficult for many people and perhaps even more so for young people. While a lot of attention was paid to lonely elderly people during the pandemic, many young people also had to deal with loneliness and psychological problems. A possible new lockdown in the fall would therefore come as a big blow.
The Haarlem youth worker Mohamed El Mesbahe notices this in conversations with pupils and students from Schalkwijk. One of those youngsters is his namesake Mohamed. He shares his experiences with the previous lockdowns: “You go to school five days a week and when that suddenly expires and you also have to take online classes.”
Living with lockdown measures is difficult enough, but it is also not easy to suddenly go back to the ‘old normal’. “What I especially noticed is that it was very difficult to get ahead after the lockdowns. You noticed that immediately in the numbers and the absence. It was very difficult to go to school every day from half past eight to three o’clock.” .”
Advice to the municipality
El Mesbahe, from his youth organization ‘Hattrick’, located on the Terschellingpad, is therefore entering into a conversation with the municipality to draw attention to the needs of young people during lockdowns. “For example, exercising in the open air, it would be nice if that could continue. Precisely because everything was closed, those squares had become very attractive, because that was the only place where you could still do something.”
According to El Meshabe, the chance of infection with the corona virus is less during outdoor sports. He also thinks that when young people discover their talents through fun activities, school often goes better. “In addition to all the measures, it is so important if young people can continue to exercise outside. Otherwise they will sit inside with their Playstation.”
El Meshabe was elected Haarlemmer of the year in 2021. Watch an interview of Haarlem105 below.