The recent pandemic pandemic may have changed young people's lives for the better, according to a study by sociologist Lori Peek, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The study, published in the Journal of Hazard Literacy, found that while the pandemic was a difficult time for many young people, it was also an awakening that young people could transform themselves into effective leaders in times of crisis. Peek and her colleagues analyzed over 115 pandemic-era news articles to offer a new perspective on the 'COVID generation'. They found eight ways children and young adults behaved altruistically during the crisis, including making or collecting supplies, distributing supplies, money and food, creating art, offering emotional support for peers, or participating in vaccine research. They also highlighted the strengths of these young people who can relate to young people in ways adults can't. The authors suggest that they are becoming more disaster-literate due to the rise in disasters globally, harnessing these capabilities.