Leisure-time centres and youth centres during meeting ban in Iceland spring 2020.

• Main Authors: Pálsdóttir, Kolbrún Þ., Arnarsson, Ársæll Már, Krisjánsdóttir, Steingerður
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2021
• Subjects: Leisure-time centres; Youth centres; Pandemic; the well-being of children and young people; social isolation; frístundaheimili; félagsmiðstöðvar; samkomubann; líðan barna og ungmenna; félagsleg einangrun; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3327

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the schooling and lives of 1.6 billion children and young people in 190 nations on every continent. This article discusses the impact of the COVID-19 meeting ban on the activities and services of leisure-time centers and youth centers in Iceland. The aim of the study was to shed light on the attitudes and experiences of managers about the effects of the ban on daily activities. An electronic survey took place from 27 April to 26 May 2020. The survey was sent to e-mail addresses of managers in leisure activities in the capital area and to the e-mail addresses of all primary school staff in the country. This research explores only the responses from the 117 managers of leisure programs, the managers of leisure-time centers (i. frístundaheimili) (N=69) and the managers of youth centers (i. félagsmiðstöðvar) (N=48). Most participants worked in the capital area. Other articles in this special issue discuss findings relating to teachers in primary school and social pedagogues who work in schools.The results show a significantly different working environment of leisure centers, on the one hand-time centers and youth centers, on the other. The activities of most youth centers came to a significant halt when the management was forced to close due to the lockdown in spring 2020. The attendance of children at leisure-time centers decreased significantly and great emphasis was placed on smaller groups and quarantine compartments. Almost all managers of youth centers, 87%, reported that the centers had been partially or completely closed during the lockdown. The situation was different when it came to leisure-time centers, as about 83% of managers answered that the leisure-time centers had been open during the lockdown. About 71% of youth center managers said they had organized online activities to reach and mobilize young people. The results clearly show that immigrant youth were least involved in electronic leisure activities and also that the participants believed ...