Young People Deserve a Chance

Many of us, when we were younger, had a chance to work part-time, during summers, and sometimes at night, just to stay busy, get a little experience, and earn some gas money.

Before graduating from college and landing a “real” job, I had a chance to work at a car wash, movie theater, sporting goods store, limo driver, valet, and tennis shop attendant.  All were somewhat fun, but there was little hope to make a living, even if I had worked full time at any of these places.

Unfortunately, not all young people have the opportunity to work at all: part-time or full time. The number of young unemployed across the world has soared to a record high and is likely to climb further this yea—, a United Nations agency reported on August 2010, amid a U.S. government report that that jobless claims in America jumped to a five-month high.

The International Labor Organization said in its 2010 report that out of 620 million youth ages 15 to 24 in the global work force, 81 million were unemployed at the end of 2009, and warned of a “lost generation” as more youths lose hope of finding work. The report also estimated that 152 million young people, or about 28 percent of all the young workers in the world, worked but remained in extreme poverty in households surviving on less than $1.25 (in U.S. dollars) per person per day in 2008.

These are shocking statistics, particularly if young people are “working” themselves into poverty, with little hope of getting into a successful career path. Particularly in a country like the US where we have access to some of the best colleges and universities in the world.  Unfortunately, books alone cannot guarantee a person’s ability to succeed in the market place.

Inroads is an example of a program which helps minority youth prepare for corporate and community leadership.  There are also Big Brother and Big Sister programs that are very helpful.  Many parishes also have ministries which reach out to the community to help at risk kids.

I believe we can all get involved in programs like these to help young people understand some of the alternatives and choices they must make as they venture into the ‘real world.’  Sometimes giving a little advice and encouraging their self-confidence can help a young person to deal with the hardships of a competitive world.

And as I made my transition into the real world, I was very fortunate to have a great mentor who believed in me, and gave me the confidence to reach my professionals goals.  Without his support, I would have never been able to achieve all the things I have done in the last 15 years.