Youth Unemployment: The Ties That Bind

"Jobs and opportunity are essential for peace."  Barrack Obama, Waterfront Hall Belfast , 2013

Unemployment is a hallmark of my current generation. When living in a capitalist society, the boom and bust is expected but no less devastating when it happens. It is widely agreed that the people most affected by the current economic depress are young people between the ages of 16 -25, we are the so called "lost generation". Young people have the highest rate of unemployment of any other section of society, not just unskilled and uneducated young people but highly skilled labourers and University graduates too. In Northern Ireland 1 in 4 young people are currently unemployed and looking for work, in Sierra Leone unemployment is aproximately at 55% - 65% (1), these are not figures for youth unemployment, however, keep in mind that the oldest people in Sierra Leone are only in their 40's. This means that this figure would speak for the majority of Sierra Leone's population.

Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland may seem worlds a part but in my opinion both countries have a lot in common. Both have only emerged from civil war 10/15  years ago, both are surprisingly peaceful despite their recent violent history. Sierra Leone's economy is one of the fastests growing in Africa and despite the recession, Northern Ireland has made huge societal leaps and is currently negotiating stronger economic links with America during the G8 summit in Enniskillen. However, there is still a lot to be done in both countries and tackling the serious issue of unemployment is one of them.

Sierra Leone has a truly "Lost Generation" of young people who have been mentally and physically maimed by the brutal cival war which ravage the country and it's people. Images of child soldiers and blood diamonds come to mind. This is a generation that should have been in school, playing, learning and growing; not learning to use a rifle to kill others. These young people have not the skills nore the education to take advantage of Sierra Leone's growing economy, one of the suggested solutions for tackeling this has been to overhaul the education system. Which should promote a good work ethic, and provide educational institutions which equip students with the skills to work in the Sierra Leone's biggest industries such as farmining and mining (2). However, the issue of Sierra Leone's rate of unemployment is not a black and white issue with an easy or straight forward solution. Tackeling youth unemployment is one of the main MDG (Millenium Development Goals) for Sierra Leone and other developing countries around the world. Which is one fundamental reasons why I have been given the ooportunity to work in Sierra Leone on employability skills. Obama was correct when he mentioned the importance of having opportunity and jobs, to have peace is not just about not being at war. It means having enough food to feed your family, access to adequate health care, being provided with a decent education and ultimately through self determination having the job you want.

I had a conversation with a firend recently about the the pros and cons of Android and Apple products, at one point she suggested that there were more important things worry and/or be passionate about. Of course she was right, however, I pointed out the fact that I am free to be passionate about something that is not essential for me to live. I am free to argue and discuss this because I have never needed to think about where my next meal will come from, worry about paying for my health care, or be forced out of education at 13 because I was a female and needed to geet a job or get married. Education and prosperity have provided me with the freedom to argue about the merits of Android and Apple and for that I am grateful. Lack of education and prosperity can cause a deep and persistent sense of hopelessness which in turn breeds bitterness and extremist views among young people. The best example of this is during the Flag Protests in Belfast last year, yes there was a genuinie greivance within the Unionist community about this issue, however, young unemployed people (mainly young men) used this issue as an excuse to commit crimes that they would not have done otherwise. These young people have nothing to lose and any excuse to kick off or spit in the face of the " Establishment" is welcomed and to a certain extent I can't blame them for feeling this way.

This has been a longer blog that usual, but this is an issue close to my heart and home and very to every country and society at the minuet. Next week's blog will be my last before I go to Sierra Leone, while I am there I hope to do a video diary about my experiences and upload a video once a week to my FaceBook & Twitter page.

Thank you so much for reading and my blog and I will see you all next week!

The Story of Logistical Nightmares, New Friends and Honey Badgers!

" I look like a Honey Badger..."  Claire Doherty

Last Friday was my final day working at Regenersis and it was a day of mixed emotions. I was excited that I was finally breaking away from my old life and taking the first tentative steps into the new one, however, it was a sad day. I made a lot of friends there and learned some really important lessons and skills, not just from the customers but from my fellow staff members as well. I did not have much time to think as I made my way to Birmingham (my mother's birth place) for a training weekend with Restless Development.

It was a fantastic weekend which was expertly run by the lovely Rachael and the awesome Frank (See picture 1), their energy was infectious and really set the tone for the rest of the weekend. I have to commend them for their work because it takes a lot of energy to do what they do and still keep smiling, listening and laughing. While I was there I was staying with 2 other Sierra Leonean volunteers, Claire and Laura, we gelled immediately and spent most of the weekend talking about Honey Badgers and how we wake up most mornings looking and feeling like them! (See picture 2)  Meeting new people is always scary and you never really know if you will mix well, however, from my experience when you are afraid you judge people before you know them. It is natural to judge people when you first meet them based on your previous experiences, however, what I have learned is that people can surprise you. I think that was a lesson that we all learned during the weekend and will stand us in good sted for when we find ourselves in a different country, surrounded by a different culture and society.

On a more practical note, we found out that we will be teaching employability skills to the young people in Sierra Leone! I am so excited about this, it really plays to my strengths and skill set. We will be working in schools and youth centres, running employability workshops and support with CV writing as well as career fairs. We will be there for 11 weeks and be staying two to a room, with a western toilet and probably an outside shower. We will have a further 10 days of in country training when we get there and then be split off into 3 groups between Mikeni, Freetown and Bo. We will be carrying on the work of previous volunteers, helping to make this whole project sustainable and transferable through the local community and hopefully the following generations. For me that is what development means, it is sustainable, transferable and goal orientated. Most importantly it is not dictated by some leader in a far off "developed" western country. You can build as many schools as you like but unless you have people to fill them there really isn't much point.

However, I won't be going anywhere without being fully vaccinated! A word of advice to anyone doing something similar, get your vaccinations sorted ASAP because some need to be administered over a month and there will always be that one vaccine that is a pain in the backside to organise. For me that has been the Rabies vaccine, it has been the bane of my life for the last 3 days. Luckily I got it organised just in time and by the skin of my teeth, do not let that be the case for you as you  may not be so lucky.

I have a lot more that I would love to talk about but I like to keep these blogs as short and sweet as possible. To make up for this I have numbered some of the important things to keep in mind if you get choosen to be an ICS volunteer. If you want any more information on number 2 and how I set mine up get in touch and I will more than happy to help.

1. Sort out vaccines before anything else
2. Set up a social media web ASAP
3. Keep in regular contact with your organiser, do not always wait for them to contact you
4. Read up on your country - especially about the customs and societal expectations
5. Keep in regular contact with other volunteers, share ideas, resources and information

Have a good weekend everyone and my blog and I will see you in a weeks time!