A webinar with community leaders discussing the well-being of Pacific children during Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of communicating effectively with our youth and being honest about the realities of the pandemic.
The online discussion was held last night and organised by Moana Research and chaired by the vice president of the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), Dr Teuila Percival QSO FRACP.
The special guest speakers included Essendon Tuitupou, Epenesa Olo, Jeanne Teisina and Ana Aitcheson. All the speakers work with Pacific children and their families in the health, education and community sectors.
One of the main topics of discussion amongst the group was the way parents and other elders communicate to our youth about how to deal with their physical and emotional well-being during the Covid-19 crisis.
“We are all impacted by what is happening in the world and as adults we are trying to navigate this new world of Covid-19. We also need to do that for our children,” says Epenesa Olo, a Samoan clinical psychiatrist.
“Clearly there has to be a focus on the children. There are bound to be problems in the household and the children bear the brunt and they don’t understand why. Our young people take their cues from the adults around them. Messaging is important. It’s important to acknowledge that things are going to be tough and there will be a lot of unknowns, but we can get through this.”
Community leader Essendon Tuitupou says Pacific parents are often too shy to have frank conversations with their children but says honesty is important.
“Parents need to have some proper conversations with their children, we don’t need to live in a fantasy world and ignore the realities.”
The next webinar in the series is “Voting for our Children” on 22 September and features political figures sharing their views on various party policies.
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Date: Friday 18 September 2020