The changing environment exposes the children of this generation to new tragedies and epidemics, such as the fresh wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in the present day. In this situation, children require to stay and study at home. At the same time, it gives children more time to study and research various knowledge independently. In addition, society often criticizes teenagers for non-compliance with preventive measures, which causes disease outbreaks in the community and among their families.
The National Institute for Child and Family Development, Mahidol University and Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Center (CSIP), the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital organized the activities that would enable children, youth, and teenagers to learn about COVID-19 and apply their knowledge in caring for the elderly in their homes or volunteering in their communities.
4.1 “The Project of Thai Youth Fight Against COVID-19 at the beginner and intermediate levels, the Year 2020” is a collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to provide knowledge about the outbreak, impact of COVID-19, and the way to conduct their behaviour. Children aged six and up can learn the introductory course “Thai Youth Fight Against COVID-19” via an online system, which has four lessons. After they finish this course, they will receive a certificate. However, for adolescents aged ten years and up, after receiving a certificate from the introductory course, they must perform the ultimate protection for a grandparent at home and fill out the information in the Google Form. Then they will receive a certificate of “Thai Youth Volunteer Fight Against COVID-19” at the beginner level. After that, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security will send the list of youth who passed this course to various communities to recognize that this group of volunteers can work in the area when the community is locked down. Volunteer work would consist of duties such as delivering food to the elderly or taking the elderly to the hospital.
After completing the beginner level of this course, the student can take the intermediate course to increase and exchange their knowledge. This course has a total of 2,243 students, divided into 111 people from Thai Youth Fight Against COVID-19 at the intermediate level course.
4.2 The Project Video Clip Contest “The Ultimate Protection of the Elderly by Thai Youth Fight Against COVID-19, the Year 2020”. Children and youth who received the certificate according to item 4.1 produce a short video clip on the topic of “The Ultimate Protection of the Elderly” as a total of 38 videos and produce a short video clip on the topic of “New Normal Teenage Life Designs” as a total of 40 videos. Both video clips were published through social media platforms and on the YouTube of the NICFD Channel.
4.3 “Design Science Project to Prevent COVID-19 in the Family, the Year 2021” for this project, the learner has to apply to join the project. Then they have to learn the lesson through an online system such as “The Thai Youth Fight Against COVID-19 Course”, “The Safety Hunter Course”, and “Design Science Project to Prevent the COVID-19 in the Family Course”.
After that, they have to join the practical competition. The learner has to make a video clip on “Design Science Project to Prevent COVID-19 in the Family”. The total score is 100. The video clip must demonstrate the following scientific processes: observing and identifying the problems (the risk of COVID-19), hypothesizing and designing a solution, trying to do a problem-solving experiment, measuring the results, and finally, summarising the results.
The national competitive contest in an online format for children is divided into three groups. These groups are Primary School, Grades 1-3 and Grades 4-6, and Secondary School, Grades 7-9. This competition has both theoretical and practical components. The theoretical test is on the topic of “Disaster Prevention Science and the COVID-19 Pandemic”, in which children need to spend one month searching for knowledge or learning through various online courses. For the practical tests, children must design preventive measures against COVID-19 under “Design Science Project to Prevent COVID-19 in the Family”. 351 Thai youths joined this project, and 130 people sent video clips on how to prevent COVID-19.
4.4 “Thai Youth Fight Against COVID-19, Phase 3, the Year 2021.”
This project aims to inform the youth about the COVID-19 vaccines, mutant virus, and outbreaks of COVID-19 in phase 3; become a volunteer to share knowledge with the elderly and persuade them elderly to get vaccinated.