Governance plays an important role in a stable and cooperative democracy in the same way that distrust in politicians and institutions is a fundamental part of democratic progress. Based on six focus group interviews in three age groups, 11/12-, 14/5- and 17/18-year-olds, and drawing on the theoretical concept of citizenship, we examine what happens to children and young people’s trust in governance when politicians and institutional representatives are forced to take immediate action in a crisis that intervenes in the lives of all children and young people.