Lost or Golden ones? How COVID and the War will affect Ukrainian Generation Z

At any other times, Ukrainian children born in the early 2000s would have experienced the most carefree period of their lives. Usually, at this age, anxiety is about passing school exams and getting into college, however, life has taken a different turn.

Let's count it up.

The beginning of 2020 – a rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which there was no cure in the world at that time. These are endless lockdowns, self-isolation, distance learning, cancellation of exams and proms.

Early 2022 - cures for COVID have already been found and more young people around the world seemed to return to their routine, but February 24 has changed tremendously everything for Ukrainian youth.

Nowadays, young boys and girls are afraid of dying not because of illness, but because of Russian missiles. Some of them have already left Ukraine, and it is unclear how many of them will return. The others who have remained are trying to get their lives together at homes no matter what.

How do fear and chronic stress affect on unformed mental healthy? Can this generation be called lost for civil society? How does the war change young people?

Find out more in the article of Djanes mediaplatform of the public organization ARCA.

"There is a feeling that we are being isolated"

 All along the 12 months of the war, Ukrainian sociologists have been doing a monthly statistics on moods among Ukrainian society. According to surveys of the “Rating” group and “Democratic initiatives” foundation, respondents aged 18-22 feel more exhausted; their anxiety level remains high.

Researchers explain that young people are not always sure what to expect in the future, and the lack of financial security, professional and life experience often make them worry more than other things.

According to representatives of the Z-generation, they have not yet recovered from the Covid-pandemic and lockdowns when the war begins.

“ I have a feeling that we are being isolated all the time. Even some everyday things are perceived as something unusual. And when I read about student’s life in Poland, I find it hard to believe that there is life without missiles, strikes on CHP, and tanks. Although we are already used to it and we can find joy in simple things,” speaks up 20-year-old student from Pereyaslav Denys Podobrii.

"The main thing that we lacked is the quality of education. Remote activities have changed everything. How this education was provided is also a question. It took several months to get used to, everyone’s got lazy, it is difficult to get started with again. Firstly Covid, and then the war made it even worse," Vladyslav Kuriach, a 21-year-old KNEU student, explained to Djanes.

However, youths in today's situation have advantages: they are versatile in their thinking, less picky, and often look ahead with optimism.

“Periods of stress such as war or the pandemic tend to show a true psychological resilience, especially among young people. Sometimes they are up to something that no one would expect from them. If we focus more on average cases, then I wouldn’t say about Lost generation. On the contrary, we will have a generation that passed through the torments of war. Nothing can scare them in the future," explains Maryna Tkach, a volunteer psychologist of Djanes.

"Due to the war, we realized that Ukraine is a truly powerful state"

 Аn obvious thing in any Ukrainian elections is that young people are reluctant to vote - they are simply uninterested in politics yet; and most of the candidates seem old and distant.

Obviously, there are exceptions, as was the case of presidential elections in 2019. This specific burst of interest can be explained by the factor of Zelenskyy whose campaign has become a big hit among youths.

After that the interest has gone away again but that's not an issue. The time for interest usually comes later, however, the war has made a big difference.

When there is a threat of a missile strike, and the neighboring state using tanks to smash you, the question is: "Why so?" many are wondering. As a result, young people began to immerse themselves in history and politics by listening to podcasts from bloggers, watching YouTube movies and videos on Tik Tok.

The victories of Ukraine on the battlefield, the heroism of soldiers and society - do not leave young people indifferent. And it's bound to play a crucial role in the future.

"Regarding the change in attitude towards the state, the war has brought awareness that Ukraine is not just a second-rate country, but a powerful state. Because of this, I have a bad attitude towards those who left, for me it's a betrayal,” says Anna Kovalchuk, a 20-year-old student from Kyiv.

“Until I was 14, I did not like Russian culture and did not consider them as my brothers. Didn't really care about it. Now I'm wondering why this is all happening. I was never interested in politics, but now I'm more interested in history and willing to know. It’s not like I’m being mean, but it's enough to understand that nothing has changed for Russia in the last 50 years," says Vladyslav Kuriach with confidence.

This generation should not become the next Lost one. Only time can reveal.

 The Ukrainian Facebook feed has long since turned into an endless obituary. Dozens and hundreds of posts about heroes who died at the front - many of them are young people.

Bakhmut, Mariupol, Vuhledar and Soledar, Kharkiv and Kherson – the land drenched in blood of young men and women who are giving everything for Ukraine’s sake.

The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports noted that 40% of youth in Ukraine were affected as a result of the Russian full-scale invasion.

“More than 2 million young people have become internally displaced and about 2 million have left the country. The damages caused to the objects of youth infrastructure amount to more than 3.4 million dollars. From February to today, the Russian occupiers captured, destroyed or damaged 98 objects of youth infrastructure," the Deputy Minister shared with journalists at the end of the year.

The real figure is probably much higher - as research reveals and our young officials explain, almost everyone was affected. Although someone may not realize it yet.

Speaking of the Lost generation, we remember the young men who were caught up into the torment of the First World War just after leaving their desks. Many of them never found themselves in post-war life. Can such a thing await Ukrainian youth?

“It is uneasy, but in the last 100 and a half years, the world has changed quite a bit. If we take notice of the structure of the Ukrainian conscription, it becomes clear that the government is trying to mobilize more experienced people; young people are not going to the front as massively as before. They face a difficult road back, but I’m sure, these young people will show their best", explains volunteer psychologist Tkach of Djanes.

In addition, Ukrainian youth experiencing some kind of a self-revolution - their moods and mindsets are changing, they are growing up faster.

There was no certain unity until the war broke out. Only few people could answer the question of what they understand by the term “Ukrainian” or “Ukraine”. Now I’ve noticed that people in my surroundings, who were apolitical, react quite sharply to the Russian language. They are totally disgusted at this. And I feel the same way. Though in 2021 I didn't have any plans or goals at all, but now it’s different. I've figured out what is good and bad for me. The war has strengthened my spirit," says student Denys Podobrii.

The young ones need both faith and willing to learn from making mistakes. Perhaps today's 20-year-olds will not become "golden", but they will definitely not become "lost", because they have a better understanding of life values.