COVID-19 Information resources

COVID-19 has left us all with a lot of uncertainty and unanswered questions. It’s hard to know where to turn to for the information we need. We hope this page will be helpful in pointing you towards some great sources of info!

New Zealand resources
The New Zealand government’s Unite Against COVID-19 page has a comprehensive list of resources related to COVID-19, the rules and regulations around the current lockdown level, and the current state of New Zealand’s fight against COVID-19. The Ministry of Health provides updates, information and advice on COVID-19.
Keep in mind that much of the information provided by these sources is quite dense and detailed. We have listed friendlier resources later on in this post. If you do have a specific question and you are keen to find an answer, these government resources should have the information you need.
For students, parents, whānau and teachers, the Ministry of Education has a Learning from Home page that has many resources on coping with the COVID-19 crisis. This includes several tip sheets and modules related to COVID-19, both for adults and youth.
For young people, check out this Wellbeing Support for Young People tip sheet, which provides advice on coping with the stressful time brought on by COVID-19. There’s also the Wellbeing and Learning at Home During School Closures resource, which provides advice specific to coping with remote learning, and also check out our Youthline guidance around studying from home.
Other useful government pages are The Ministry of Education (who provides advice for tertiary students and advice for students, parents and whānau) and Work and Income, who provides work-related advice and guidance for employment rules and financial assistance during this time.
 
Global resources
The World Economic Forum has a few resources on what the global community of youth are doing to fight COVID-19. They recommend that young people:

1. Stay informed and ensure others do too. They list several international resources that provide trustworthy information.
2. Take action to keep your community safe – this includes how we can all play our part to help stop the disease spreading to more vulnerable members of the community.
3. Speak up to ensure your organisation does the right thing. Whether it is school, uni or your workspace, if people are not sticking to the rules of social distancing and cleanliness, you should speak up. Try directly talking to a person in charge first. If that doesn’t work, you can also report the breach online to the New Zealand police.

The World Health Organization has a number of resources for the public, including advice about protection and a section on busting COVID-19 myths. 
UNESCO has launched a platform for youth around the world to share their experiences of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. You can read stories or contribute your own here.
As we’re spending more time online and less time socialising face to face, using digital technology in a way that is healthy and safe can be a challenge. Facebook’s Get Digital Citizenship and Wellbeing programme has a specific section designed for youth that discusses how to make healthy digital decisions, stay safe, build resilience, find a supportive community and use/create technology to promote good in the world.
NetSafe, a New Zealand non-profit for online safety, also has tips and resources for making the most of online time, advice for staying safe online and resources for identifying and shutting down online bullying.
 
COVID-19 science resources
Interested in science and curious about how COVID-19 works? Maybe you also have some younger family members part of your bubble? Nanogirl has some videos for children that explain what COVID-19 actually is and why hand-washing really does work. Other COVID-19 resources for kids, including stories and activities, can be found on the KidsHealth website.
For something a little more challenging, scientist Siouxsie Wiles and cartoonist Toby Morris have teamed up to explain the science behind COVID-19 in more detail. They make articles, cartoons and videos almost every day on lots of different topics related to science and COVID-19.

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