(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The prevailing high cost of living has been cited as one of the top five issues affecting Caribbean youth.
National Research Coordinator, Shelly Carter in divulging preliminary research findings told participants of the Regional Planning Workshop organized by the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD) that high cost of living, crime and violence, limited access to education, increasing rate of unemployment and a lack of Caribbean cultural identity were the top five critical issues identified by Caribbean Youth in a study on Youth Dreams’ and Aspirations.
Ms Carter’s presentation was one of five on research being conducted by the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD) which seeks to fulfill its mandate from the CARICOM Heads of Government to “provide a provide a comprehensive analysis of challenges and opportunities for youth in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); and to make recommendations on how to improve their well-being and empowerment.”
Ms Carter said the research findings had indicated that high food prices and high tuition costs had severely limited the earning and spending power of Caribbean families and youth and had made it increasingly difficult for them to meet basic needs.
Linked to that, she said, were the challenges of unemployment and under-employment as a direct consequence of global economic recession, Caribbean contracting economies and subsequent limited avenues for job creation. As a result, it was noted that a number of highly qualified youth were forced to settle for relatively low paying jobs, within their country.
In addition, she explained that crime and violence which seemingly plague several Caribbean countries had engendered a spirit of fear and despair among youth to the extent where many perceived that “they might not live long enough to realize any dream and aspiration.”
The relevance of education outputs to private sector needs was also brought into critical focus. The findings indicated that youth perceived a dissonance between education provided at secondary and tertiary levels and the demands of the Caribbean job market.
Also of significance were issues related to Caribbean identity. The findings revealed that many Caribbean youth were not knowledgeable of national or Caribbean history, failed to identify with things Caribbean and demonstrated apathy toward the Caribbean Community and its flagship programme, the Single Market and Economy.
Participants agreed that the findings on the Youth Dreams and Aspirations research did not augur very well for the promotion of the ideals of the CSME and recommended that national youth organizations, NGOs and CBOs be trained to sensitize young people in their communities to the practical implications of CSME and to develop concrete knowledge and skills through the implementation of cross-border entrepreneurial development projects.
The Commission’s report is to be presented to a special meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development in April prior to its submission to the 30th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.
