The Pandemic & Outbreak Response toolkit supports youth professionals in helping children and young people understand and navigate the impact of pandemics and health outbreaks on daily life. Originally developed in response to COVID-19, it remains relevant for situations where public health measures affect education, safety, social life and well-being.
The toolkit
A toolkit on supporting children and young people during pandemics and health outbreaks
The Pandemic & Outbreak Response toolkit helps children and young people explore the impact of pandemics and health outbreaks. It supports reflection, discussion and learning, helping children understand change, express emotions, make sense of public health measures and build resilience in times of uncertainty. Choose your preferred language below each poster and download them for free on StreetSmart Play. The materials cover topics such as emotions, education, safety, basic needs, play, culture and daily routines, and are available for free on StreetSmart Play.
Outbreak Overview
Explore how pandemics and health outbreaks can impact children’s and young people’s daily lives through real-life situations.
Emotions
Reflect on how the uncertainty, isolation and disruption can affect emotional well-being during health crises.
Life & Work
Discuss how outbreaks can influence work, local economies and daily routines in society.
Personal Safety – Risky Situations
Identify situations linked to health outbreaks and reflect on personal and community safety measures.
The Educational Maze
Explore how children and young people continue learning during school disruption, remote learning or adapted education systems.
Basic Needs
Reflect on how access to basic needs such as food, care, education and support can be affected during health outbreaks.
Play, Sports & Culture
Explore how play, sports and cultural activities adapt during periods of restrictions or health measures.
Hygiene & Prevention
Discuss hygiene, prevention and healthy habits to reduce the spread of infectious diseases in everyday life.
Game Manual
Manual on Trauma-Informed Support
The complete manual with all 60+ games and activities.
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Content
- The first section includes activities that complement our 10 educational posters. - The second section features standalone activities organised around the four dimensions of our self-care compass: physical, emotional, social, and psychological well-being. - Each game is accompanied by clear instructions to help you run meaningful and engaging sessions with children and youth. - Additionally, all activities can be accessed via StreetSmart Play using the QR code, ensuring they are easy to integrate into your daily work.
Game Manual - Pandemic & Outbreak Response
A manual that helps youth professionals discuss health outbreaks and their impact with children and young people.
Content
- Activities that complement the educational posters on emotions, education, safety, basic needs and daily life during outbreaks. - Standalone games organised around themes such as resilience, emotional well-being, adaptation and social connection. - Each activity includes clear, step-by-step instructions to support meaningful and engaging group sessions. - All activities are accessible via StreetSmart Play through QR codes, making them easy to integrate into daily youth work practice. - Choose your preferred language below to access or download the manual for free.
Online training
Strengthen your understanding of how pandemics, epidemics and other health outbreaks affect children and young people rights through this training programme, available for free on StreetSmart Learn in multiple languages.
Working on Children’s Rights During and After a Pandemic
Understand the impact of COVID-19 on children’s rights and explore practical ways to address them in future pandemics.
More about the toolkit
Supporting children during health outbreaks and disruption
Pandemics and health outbreaks can significantly disrupt children’s lives, affecting their education, social connections, routines and emotional well-being. Youth professionals play a key role in helping children make sense of these changes, offering stability, dialogue and support during uncertain times.
Originally developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, this toolkit has been adapted to remain relevant for future health outbreaks and public health emergencies.
It provides practical ways to explore the impact of such situations, supporting reflection, emotional expression and meaningful conversations about topics such as emotions, health, education, daily routines and business-related changes, while helping children and young people build resilience in times of disruption.
Our partners
This toolkit was developed in collaboration with Uit De Marge.
