On 2–4 September 2026, the Covid Generation project took part in the Swiss Sociological Association Congress 2026, held in Fribourg under the theme “Communities & Societies in Movement.”
On 2 September 2026, Teuta Mehmeti and Núria Sánchez-Mira presented findings from the Covid Generation project at the Swiss Sociological Association Congress 2026 in Fribourg. Their presentation, entitled “Youth mental health policy during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learnt from the Swiss multi-level governance,” explored how the policy response to youth mental health evolved during the pandemic and the role played by the crisis in bringing youth mental health to the forefront of the policy agenda. The presentation addressed processes of agenda-setting and policy development, highlighting the challenges, resources, and lessons learnt from the Swiss response, particularly in the context of Switzerland’s multi-governance, multi-level, and intersectoral approach to mental health policy.
The presentation was part of the workshop “COVID-19 and Its Long-Term Impact on Communities, Societies and Social Policy: A Critical Perspective,” organized by Emilie Rosenstein (Haute école de travail social Lausanne, HES-SO), Oliver Hümbelin (Bern University of Applied Sciences), and Matthias Drilling (Zurich University of Applied Sciences).
The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to share common reflections and questions on the longer-term social and policy implications of the pandemic, while also opening up discussions about potential collaborations and future joint publications.