On Monday morning, the director of the National Youth Service (SNJ) sat down for an interview with RTL Radio.
Metz addressed the pandemic response and behaviour of Luxembourg's younger generation. While they are often subject to online criticism, the SNJ director emphasised that the majority of adolescents displayed great respect toward the government measures and restrictions. He especially praised them for their creative initiatives over the summer to organise events that respected the new safety standards. He concluded: "Every generation has to face its own challenges."
Metz therefore appealed to adults to show respect for younger people by also adhering to the rules, and more importantly not to project their own anxieties onto them. He emphasised the importance of understanding the difference of circumstances: "Lockdown light for working people still means full lockdown for the young."
The SNJ director noted that the pandemic has only increased the troubles that younger people were already facing beforehand. Living in close proximity of parents for extended periods often creates tension over time, and starting university life online is understandably frustrating.
The National Youth Service employs around 180 people and encages on average with 400 to 500 adolescents on a monthly basis.
