ITALY. June 2021. Fara Gerda d'Aadda (BERGAMO). Anna, 14, practices Taekwondo in her village in the province of Bergamo, ITALY.

"I've practiced Taekwondo for 7 years. Next year I will pass the grade to black," she says. "I'm not an impulsive person, I block things inside me. Taekwondo is a way for me to bring things out and I really love it, every move. During the lockdown and for a longtime I had to stop. I now think that COVID-19 has left a very profound change in the way I live. It did not help me to find a way to express emotions. I fear now the physical contact, and I'm conscious that my reactions to the world have very much changed. I lost trust, but this is maybe not because of COVID-19. It is now difficult for me to open my self to the world, before I was different."
COVID-19 halted Anna’s teenage passions. She loved Taekwondo, but she stopped practicing during lockdown. Anna was also taking guitar and music lessons, but when the strings of her guitar broke, she couldn't replace them, as the local music shop was closed. She only started playing again once her 2021 school exams were finished.

“I now think that COVID-19 has left a very profound change in the way I live,” Anna says. “It did not help me to find a way to express emotions. I now fear physical contact, and I'm conscious that my reactions to the world have very much changed. I lost trust…but maybe this is not because of COVID-19. It is now difficult for me to open myself to the world. Before, I was different.”