Vol. 32 No. 1 (2022)

Inside this first of two special issues on COVID-19, you will find an array of research article, field reports, a media review and a position paper that span across the globe. These articles, field reports and position paper present both sides of the outcomes of the pandemic on the lives of children and youth. They present the challenges ahead regarding learning, mental health and overall wellbeing for the young, as well as the opportunities for finding new ways to address the same, as many have done by coping in these most difficult circumstances. DiGiacomo and coauthors present the findings from a youth participatory action research (YPAR) study that focused on the students’ learning-from-home experiences in the wake of COVID-19 state-wide school closures in Kentucky, US. Next, reporting on a rapid assessment conducted by UNICEF, Chatterjee, Jobin, and Dutta present the global impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable children in urban areas in Brazil, India and Spain, where UNICEF is actively engaged in urban programming. On the positive side, Moore, Morrissey and Jeavons, reporting the use of outdoor spaces in Melbourne, Australia, observe an increased presence of children and play activity in the local natural spaces. Similarly, de Lannoy and coauthors present the findings of a Canada-wide environmental scan of outdoor play-based child and youth projects, programs, activities and services available during the height of the pandemic (2020-2021). The article by Martz, Powell and Wee covers the various spatial restrictions for youth as a result of the lockdowns and explores how youth related with nature during this time. In the final article in this issue, Seixas and co-authors explore the impact of the drastic
reduction in tourism due to the pandemic on children’s play in an urban park in a highly touristic, commercial and increasingly gentrified neighbourhood in Lisbon, Portugal.

The position paper by Bishop and co-authors—members of the Children, Youth and Environments (CYE) Working Group (WG) of the Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Research Hub of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) that includes members from Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand—discusses both the positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 and identifies areas for change with impact on the lives of children and young people and their environmental experience in Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand. The first field report by Stinehart and co-authors showcases the nimbleness and creativity of educators in response to the pandemic. The second field report by Garratt and co-authors presents stories of therapists from the United States and the United Kingdom who provide early intervention services to infants and young children who qualify with a disability or developmental delay. The issue concludes with a media review by Catherine Rita Volpe of This Podcast Will Kill You, COVID-19, Chapter 10: Schools by Erin Welsh and Erin Allman Updyke.