This post goes out to those many parents and families or perhaps even young people who are struggling during these pandemic times.

While Singapore is being seen and positioned as the top of many things today, what the world may not see and appreciate is the state of our young people’s today especially during this pandemic.

Just to give you a sense of some real challenges and struggles our young people are already facing. A special Covid-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce (CoMWT) was being formed in October 2020. This committee was keen to look into the mental health of our Singapore population. And surprisingly, they found that 13% of the population were showing signs of depression or anxiety from May 2020 to June 2021. And they specifically highlighted that the youths and seniors were the groups most affected.

The general stresses and concerns that these young people experienced were largely revolving around family stress and financial insecurity as they continue to face a very challenging landscape.

Something very recent and new that just came up for Singapore was the national vaccination exercise. Due to the fairly complex and sensitive issue of this subject, the lines and divide between those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have not only taken a toll on the larger spheres of society but it has also cut deep into the private spheres of all families today.

What I hope to point out is that many families are not prepared to engage on this subject where perhaps even between parents and children have different opinions and perspectives about it. And as a result, such differences can really bring the tensions to a level that just adds on to some of those existing stresses that’s beyond what families can cope with.

And in terms of where they can turn to for support to resolve this is another issue. Many of the agencies today on the ground are taking a very polarized approach where they are basically following the national narratives of supporting vaccination. Therefore, there might be individuals who totally don’t feel safe and supported to bring this very personal and private issue to look for any help.

So today, if you are a parent or you are a young person struggling hard with this subject, here are some resources that you can consider.

  1. National CARE Hotline offers emotional and psychological support over the phone. 1800-202-6868
  2. Belle, Beyond the Label Helpbot provides helpful resources and support through a bot.
  3. Lastly, if you are comfortable and open to work with a professional. Feel free to connect with me and we can arrange for a trial session here where I can help facilitate some useful conversations to see how to move things forward.

Let’s get through this as one and stay strong! Take care!