PCF Appoints Leading Academics to Research the Impact of the Pandemic on Pacific Youth
Associated Professor Patrick Vakaoti
The Pacific Cooperation Foundation has appointed two leading Pacific academics to conduct a study on the impact of the Covid pandemic on youth in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The two consultants Associate Professor Patrick Vakaoti and Distinguished Professor Dr Steven Ratuva, are experts on Pacific politics, culture, economy and wellbeing.
Associate Professor Patrick Vakaoti (Fijian) academic is based at the University of Otago. He is a youth sociologist with an additional background in social and community work. He is the leading expert on youth in the Pacific. He has carried out research and published on the experiences of young people in various countries in the region.
Distinguished Professor Dr Steven Ratuva (Fijian) is a renowned regional expert on social change, politics, environment, development and wellbeing. He currently leads a number of projects including one on COVID-19 and the Pacific communities.
Participants of this study will include youth from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Tokelau. Fieldwork will be conducted with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture and Internal Affairs, Republic of Marshall Islands; Government of Tokelau; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Tuvalu; Vanuatu National Youth Authority, Vanuatu.
The only Pacific countries and territories with COVID-19 community transmission cases until recently, were Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. The impact of COVID-19 on young people in these countries was immediate; learning was disrupted, jobs were unavailable, stress and anxiety increased considerably. Apart from the border closures and its immediate challenges and responses, little is known about the impact of COVID-19 in countries and territories without widespread community transmission.
This study will address this limitation, by discussing with young people their experiences of COVID-19 and its impact on their lives and that of their families and communities. The study is framed from an ecological perspective, which considers the relationship between young people and their family, community and structural realities.
These perspectives include but are not limited to; education, health, social support and protection, employment, human rights and justice and indigenous knowledge and livelihoods. These will be linked to the issues of equity, empowerment, indigenous knowledge, inclusion, wellbeing, and resilience.