Free Online Learning Resources for Young People, Educators & Employers During COVID-19

IYF Team

While the world is staying home, we’re all having to change how we work and learn. It’s obviously not easy, but there’s at least one bright side. The COVID-19 pandemic has been showing us how we can come together, even while physically apart. In that spirit, we’ve compiled the following resources that are either free or offered by a small business or youth-led venture, whom your contribution would benefit.

A person with curly hair uses a laptop, interacting with a survey or quiz displayed on the screen. Their finger is touching the keyboard, and a white piece of paper lies on the desk nearby.

Young People

Life Skills

Passport to Success Traveler, from IYF with partner The PepsiCo Foundation, offers game-based learning to help you level up in skills like problem-solving and managing conflict. From their tablet or smartphone, users build the skills all employers seek while taking a virtual trip around the world.

Entrepreneurship & Social Change

Voices of Social Change, from IYF, Laureate International Universities, and B Lab, is offered through Coursera. Learn from young leaders and create your own plan. “The course was exactly what I need to start acting and stop wishing,” said one participant in his review.
All YouthActionNet® webinars, videos, and case studies feature the advice and experience of young social change experts
Time Management Tips (webinar), from YouthActionNet
Start Small, Pursue Big Goals (video), from YouthActionNet Fellow Michael Long
Managing Remote Teams Effectively (webinar), from YouthActionNet
Good Hustle, from Start Some Good, has associated costs but is offering scholarships and a buy-one-give-one model.
Startup Strategies During Uncertain Times (webinar, sign-up required), Amazon Web Services
COVID-19 Resource Guide, Techstars
11 Tips for Startup Survival During COVID-19, Techstars
Embracing the Unknown: Mental Health for Entrepreneurs in Uncertain Times (recorded AMA), Jerry Colonna of Reboot.io and David Brown of Techstars
COVID-19 Resources for Startups, Pilot
Guide to Resilient Leadership During the COVID-19 Crisis, Stanford Social Innovation Review

Media literacy

Media Literacy Mission, from IREX, is a game that helps you learn how to separate fact from fiction, which can help in identifying reliable health-related news and information.

A person wearing headphones uses a laptop at a wooden table; a water bottle, red pen, and smartphone are nearby. The laptop screen displays a digital character and on-screen text.

Educators

5 Tips for Switching to Online Learning, from Faculty Focus
Overview of extensive existing resources from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), which offers 200 online college degree programs
Basics of teaching online (PDF), from SNHU
Webinars for Educators, from LearningKeepsGoing.org
Strategies for creating a successful online classroom, from Faculty Focus
Coronavirus Has Led to a Rush of Online Teaching. Here’s Some Advice for Newly Remote Instructors (podcast), from EdSurge
How to Accommodate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in an Online Classroom (PDF), from SNHU
How to Serve Special Needs Students from Afar, from EdSurge
When the Tide Goes Out: Identifying and Supporting Struggling Students in Online Courses, from Faculty Focus

A woman in a work uniform sits at a round outdoor table, looking at her phone. The table has a menu, a napkin holder, and a small no smoking sign. Green plants are in the background.

Employers

Workforce consultations, from ACT
Best Practices for Managing Opportunity Youth Talent Remotely (register directly here), from Grads of Life

A man with a short beard and buzz cut smiles while sitting indoors, wearing a black shirt and a microphone on his collar. The background features a colorful mural with abstract shapes in red and pink tones.

All Audiences

Science and Mental Health

COVID-19 informational webinar with Dr. Joel Selanikio of Georgetown University Hospital, from TechChange
Coronavirus and Mental Health: Taking Care of Ourselves During Infectious Disease Outbreaks, from the American Psychiatric Association
3 Keys to Resilience (video), from Mawi Learning and ACT
The Science of Well-Being, from Yale University on Coursera
Crisis Text Line (United States), Give a Shout (UK), Kids Help Phone (Canada), Crisis Text Line (Ireland), or message Crisis Text Line on Facebook
Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure, Chronicle of Philanthropy
That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief, Harvard Business Review
Fighting the Unseen Impacts of COVID-19 (webinar recording), YouthLead

Working, Parenting & Balancing Life in Lockdown

How to Work from Home Alongside Your Partner without Losing It, NYT Parenting
Kanban for Kids (or “How I used agile to become a homeschool parent in 24 hours”), Meghan McInerny on LinkedIn
How Coworkers Are Staying connected While They Work from Home, CNBC
Tips for Tackling 6 Big Challenges of Remote Work, Trello

We will update this list on an ongoing basis. Please contact [email protected] if you have resources we should consider including.