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Leaders from Pasefika Youth United (PYU) have organised four vaccination drives over the last six months, with aims to increase the rate of booster shots and vaccinations in youth and children 5-11 years old.
The group of Pacific young people aim to empower their communities with information and resources to be able to be informed and respond to Covid-19.
PYU leader, Matalaoa Lafaele-Barlow says young people have to be included in decisions around Covid-19 that will affect their communities from the very beginning.
“What could have been done better was inviting Pacific youth in these spaces from the start. We were kind of brought in right at the end to push our data vaccinations up,” she says.
“If we were given the chance to be informed and mobilised a lot earlier during those beginning stages we could’ve reached high vaccinations earlier.”
Supporting Pasifika youth to take the lead is Youth Innovator, Chillion Sanerivi who works with over 200 young people in South Auckland. Many of them from Do Good Feel Good, a youth-led movement helping young people to lead social change.
Sanerivi says Pacific youth have also said information around Covid-19 and vaccinations has been confusing and has meant hesitancy around getting vaccinated and boosted.
“Data is telling us that youth and kids in the five to 11-years-old rate in getting their vaccinations is still quite low,” he says.
“Young people we have spoken to say information hasn’t been translated in a way that would resonate and stick with them, there is a real gap in youthifying the clinical information.
“The other thing is also they’re not seeing young people at the forefront. If they’re just seeing adults doing the work, doing the mahi that’s awesome but, they won’t engage, they want to see more young people that look like them and talk like them to be informed.”
Sanerivi says for a long time, young people have been saying they don’t have a voice and that they are not included at the decision-making table.
“We forget that young people hold expertise, knowledge and insights that are really important for a lot of stakeholders and decision makers to know,” he says.
Members of Do Good Feel Good say that, as well as supporting their community, they are also having to take on new responsibilities and challenges due to Covid-19.
“I’ve heard some of our young people have had to stay or isolate in their cars just to keep their grandparents, parents and even baby’s safe,” says DGFG member Jenna Fruean.
“They’re not sure if there are places provided for them or what resources they can get.”
DGFG member Christyanna Saufoi says Pacific young people have also had to become the main provider for their families, leaving school to work or pick up extra jobs.
“One young person I spoke to was working two jobs. They expressed to me they didn’t know what tax codes were but their employer just told them to fill the form out.
“Stuff like financial literacy is really important for us to know, especially now due to Covid. We need those spaces for Pacific young people to learn and know how to support and look after our families.”
