Posi%ve  ac%ons  on  Youth  Employment:  YMCA´s  Experiences    Inés  van  de  Kerchove  

Panel  discussion  of  the  50th  Commission  sessions  emerging  issue,  “Youth:  poverty  and  unemployment”  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

01    About  half  of  the  world  populaIon  is  under  24  years  old.  The  percentage  of  young  people  between  10  and  24  years  old  has  begun  to  decline  in  many  regions,  not  only  in  developed  and  developing  countries  but  also  in  the  middle  income  countrie.    

02    The  increasing  importance  of  the  youth  employment  issue  lies  in  the  fact  that  youth  is  a  vital  period  where  it  gets  strongly  involved  the  social  integraIon.  For  this  reason,  if  the  States  want  to  ensure  social  cohesion  and  economic  sustainability  should  be  responsible  through  its  policies  for  ensuring  the  integraIon  of  young  people.  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

03  Youth:  Complex  step  characterized  by  high  density  and  intensity  of  events  defining  future  projects.  

Period  where  transcendental  decisions  are  taken  which  affect  constraints  and  opportuniIes  in  the  medium  and  long  term.  

Four  major  events:  exit  from  the  educaIonal  system,  access  to  the  labor  market,  migraIon  from  the  household  of  origin  and  beginning  of  the  reproducIve  life  cycle.  

Rindfuss,  1991  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

Rindfuss,  1991  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

Young  included:  work  is  an  opIon  of  life  as  part  of  a  long-­‐term  occupaIonal  project,  having  the  possibility  to  choose  among  mulIple  opIons  and  training  for  it.  

Young  people  in  vulnerable  situa7on:  working  as  a  necessary  condiIon  to  achive  short-­‐term  goals.  

Excluded  young  people:  the  work  is  subsistence.  Lack  of  an  occupaIonal  project.  The  present  is  an  imperaIve.    

04  Heterogeneity  of  the  situa7on  of  youth  groups:  The  transiIon  to  adulthood  is  determined  by  material  condiIons  and  the  starIng  posiIon  of  the  household  of  origin  in  the  social  structure.  Socioeconomic  segmentaIon  and  high  levels  of  inequality  determines  the  job  performance  of  young  people  and  their  expectaIons  about  the  labor  market.  (Weller,  2007)  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

01    Being  youth  in  adultcentrism  socie7es:  Contrast  between  the  density  of  events  that  cause  transiIon  and  and  the  scarcity  of  resources  and  power.    

02    Scarce  adequacy  between  the  educa%onal  system  and  labor  market  demands.  

03    GeneraIon  of  an  increasing  group  of  "discouraged"  young  people  who  are  not  included  in  a  space  of  belonging  in  the  labor  market  nor  educaIonal  system.  

04    Successive  economic  crises  and  increase  in  unemployment  generate  distrust  in  the  laboral  system  and  employment  rela7ons.  Work  loses  its  symbolic  value  of  providing  idenIty  and  meaning  to  life.  

Barriers    To  Youth  Employment  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

01    Stage  in  which  skills  and  competencies  are  developed,  such  as:  iniIaIve,  creaIvity  and  openness  to  change.  Take  decisions  means  stay  informed  and  be  proacIve,  being  the  protagonist  of  his  own  desIny.    

02    Development  of  jobs  related  to  the  ICTs.  New  labour  organizaIon  models  designed  "for  young  people"  and  "from  the  young  people."  Vitality  and  openness  to  the  challenges  open  opportuniIes  for  youth  entrepreneurship  

03    In  the  inexperience  lies  an  opportunity  due  to  the  willingness  and  ability  to  rapidly  incorporate  learnings  showing  greater  adaptability.  

Opportuni%es  For  Youth  Employment  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

01  Historical  antecedents  of  the  region:  first  programs  to  support  the  employment  of  young  people  through  the  iniIaIve  and  technical  cooperaIon  of  the  IDB.  

02  Experience  in  Uruguay:  ConInuity  and  development  of  youth  employment  programs.  

New  plan  for  intervenIon  based  on  triparIte  parIcipaIon  model  (INEFOP).  

Our  Experience  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

03  Highlights  of  the    tripar7te  model:  Organism  with  triparIte  composiIon  in  which  employers,  workers  and  government  integrate  a  ��dialogue  area  about  different  social  issues  related  to  employment,  educaIon  and  training.  Uruguay  has  a  differenIal  over  other  countries  in  the  region  and  the  world.  

Convergence  of  diverse  social  actors:  space  for  dialogue  and  negoIaIon  of  conflicIng  interests  and  opposing  forces.  

Shared  funding:  OccupaIonal  Retraining  Fund  (ORF)  and  contribuIon  from  the  state.  

Involvement  of  the  business  sector:  non-­‐tradiIonal  view  about  social  issues.  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

04  Interven7on  Strategies:  Since  1995,  the  YMCA  Uruguay  as  NGOs,  plays  a  leading  role  in  supporIng  the  design,  management  and  implementaIon  of  programs  that  arIculate  EducaIon,  Labor  and  Social  Policy.  

With  young  people:  specific  and  transversal  training  in  skills  for  the  world  of  work.  Groupal  and  individual  accompaniment.  

With  INEFOP:  generaIng  spaces  for  dialogue  and  reflecIon  that  contribute  to  the  design  of  acIve  policies.  

With  companies:  awareness  and  commitment  to  youth  employment  problems,  from  the  perspecIve  of  Corporate  Social  Responsibility.  Assembling  arIculated  curricula  with  labor  market  requirements.  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

Take  the  issue  of  youth  employment  from  its  complexity,  from  the  enIrety  of  factors  inherent  in  the  transiIon.  Involves  arIculaIng  the  specific  social  policies.  The  central  role  is  in  young  people  and  not  in  the  variable  being  served.  

Necessary  tension  between  social  policy  universality  and  the  parIcularity  of  the  populaIons  to  which  are  intended.  

Faced  with  the  dynamic  development  of  ICT,  the  States  together  with  civil  society  should  democraIze  and  ensure  universal  access  to  them  (Ceibal  Plan)  

Increased  and  improved  parIcipaIon  of  young  people:  shiging  of  "youth  as  an  object"  to  ensure  young  people  as  subjects  of  rights.  

The  key  to  progress  is  that  the  current  young  generaIon  can  be  beher  integrated  than  past  generaIons.  

February  2012  I  UN  NYC  

What  is  leg  to  be  tried  by  the  young  in  this  world  of  paIence  and  loathing?  Just  graffiI?  Rock?  SkepIcism?  It  is  leg  for  them  not  saying  ‘amen’,  not  lenng  them  to  kill  their  love,  regaining  speech  and  utopia,  being  young  without  haste  and  with  memory,  placed  in  a  story  which  is  theirs  own,  not  becoming  prematurely  old.  

What  is  leg  to  be  tried  by  the  young  in  this  world  of  rouIne  and  ruin?  Cocaine?  Beer?  Hooligans?  It  is  leg  for  them  breathing,  opening  their  eyes,  discovering  the  roots  of  horror  invenIng  peace,  even  on  a  hard  way,  get  along  with  nature  and  rain  and  lightning  and  feeling  and  death,  this  crazy  to  strap  and  unstrap.    

What  is  leg  to  be  tried  by  the  young  in  this  world  of  consume  and  smoke?  VerIgo?  Assaults?  Night  Clubs?  It  is  also  leg  for  them  arguing  with  God,  whether  it  exists  or  not.  Extending  helping  hands,  opening  doors  between  the  own  heart  itself  and  the  alien  one,  above  all  they  have  leg  making  future  despite  the  despicable  people  of  the  past  and  the  wise  rogues  of  the  present.  

Mario  BenedeF                    

February  2012  I  UN  NYC