ABSTRACT
Aims: During the pandemic, youth were particularly vulnerable to experiencing financial hardship, education and employment disruption, and mental health impacts. Ensuring governments and services are prepared to support youth during future outbreaks or novel pandemics should be a key priority. This work aimed to explore youth experiences during COVID-19 and gather youth opinions on government responses to inform planning, policy, and decision-making for future pandemics. Method(s): Youth (ages 15-25) from Ireland and two provinces in Canada (British Columbia and Ontario) were interviewed at three time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. A thematic analysis was conducted using an inductive approach. This research was primarily youth-led and developed. Result(s): Across all three time points, youth experienced mental health and service uptake challenges, with mixed views on pandemic response. Opportunities for personal and societal growth were identified, with desire for incorporating youth voices into governmental decision making processes. Youth offered recommendations for effectively communicating accurate information, prevention of misinformation, and expressed needs regarding service accessibility throughout the pandemic and beyond. Conclusion(s): This work provides insights into the opinions of young people on government and information sharing during the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations were developed to ensure youth are consulted and represented in future pandemics.