At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth were facing unprecedented
challenges caused by quarantine measures and school closure policies in nearly every country
in the world. At the same time these challenges emerged, child-focused organizations found
it harder than ever to communicate with children, needing to adapt their methods of hearing
children’s voices and ensuring children’s participation to virtual and physically distanced
realities. These adaptations are seemingly harder for adults and their organizations than for
children, who are creative, innovative, and tech-savvy. Despite the COVID-19 challenges,
children around the world have found meaningful ways to s upport and protect
their peers, families, and communities. Children are on the frontlines of
innovative responses and are working closely with their adult allies. The leadership
demonstrated through these child-adult partnerships is the underlying inspiration for this guide.
