Part of 3. Questions to the Senedd Commission – in the Senedd at 3:09 pm on 25 November 2020.
Thank you for that question. The pandemic has made it challenging to engage with children and young people, particularly through schools and youth groups. Regulations make it impossible for us to host schools in the Senedd or to visit those schools. So, for part of the year, the team focused on creating resources that education professionals can use themselves. However, since October, we have seen an increasing demand for virtual schools sessions, and we will be providing more of those over the coming weeks. We have supported the Welsh Youth Parliament in moving its activities online. They published reports on litter and plastic waste, and emotional and mental health support, and I chaired their latest Plenary Zoom meeting on 14 November. As part of our GWLAD series of events, we've held a virtual meeting looking at the future for young people in Wales and their experiences of the pandemic. Commission staff have worked with young people and education professionals to co-produce a range of materials to promote votes at 16 ahead of the Senedd elections in May.