MADCOVID-CSIC: Research and design of scientific dissemination activities on COVID-19 aimed at the Spanish youth

Abstract

MADCOVID-CSIC is an outreach project aimed at young people concentrating on the most interesting aspects about the pandemic. These ranged from contagion to emotional impact. It is financed by the Recovery Fund and belongs to the Social Forum of the PTI+ Global Health.Objectives: • Disseminate, inform and promote knowledge about the pandemic among young people. • Promote greater awareness of young people about the risks of COVID-19. • Encourage young people to be the link of information and dissemination with their immediate family and friends. • Help young people emotionally manage the pandemic.Methods: First we sent a questionnaire to the teacher in order to determine the topics that interest the most: disease,contagion, vaccine, duration of the pandemic, misinformation, fake news and emotional management. The content of the talks is adapted to priorities. Then, an assessment of the experience is made between speakers and teachers to detect changes in behavior and perception of the pandemic among the students.Results and conclusions: To date, more than 25 talks have been given in educational centers, 11 of them in collaboration with secondary schools associated with the CSIC’s Science dissemination Project “Ciencia en el Barrio”, orientated to socially and vulnerable neighborhood in Madrid and the surrounded metropolitan area. In the talks, emotional management is treated preferentially, through collaboration with a cabinet of psychologists that is receiving great interest from teachers and students. They learn to recognize and name emotions, normalizing them and discarding emotional garbage, favoring more emotionally proactive, tolerant and healthy attitudes.Peer reviewe