If we put ourselves in the shoes of any teenager, when thinking about their last year or so and comparing it with our own adolescence, I suppose we can all think: "Poor things."
For the millennial generation, the last decade has not been easy, victims of a brutal economic crisis. But at least they had hugs in a world where there was no capacity limitation in meetings. There were also no mobility restrictions and, above all, there was no health uncertainty of the current magnitude.
However, certain things have barely changed for young people. In the islands we still have youth unemployment above 50%. To which is added an excessively late emancipation, difficulties in deciding on a life project that has a lot to do with precariousness and temporary employment, a rental market with inaccessible prices, economic limitations to travel or access culture. And they face a job offer that has not been able to adapt to their training and vice versa, constrained by an economy and a market unable to absorb a large number of trained young people, although without experience.
All this has been accentuated by the pandemic and offers a bleak perspective to the Canary Islands' youth. But perhaps it is also urgent to address the certain political disaffection they feel. The fact that their means of informing themselves are no longer the news or newspapers like this one, or the abuse of 'fake news' on social networks.
Likewise, the increase in mental health problems in young people has become a top priority, but we are exaggeratingly behind in budget and prevention and support policies.
These two years at the head of the General Directorate of Youth have been a reality bath that I wish I could personally explain to each young person. Slow times of a 20th century administration in the fleetingness of the 21st century. My greatest wish is that at all institutional levels, governments and political parties, would really like to know the heterogeneous situation of our young people and act accordingly with the necessary economic item, effective human personnel and transversal and coordinated youth policies.
Continuing to make policies that only reach a limited audience of young people because the requirements to access them are not generalized, frustrates, especially vulnerable young people who have fewer possibilities and opportunities and for whom regional, island and municipal resources and services are minimal.
But on International Youth Day I wouldn't want to be just dramatic. There are plenty of examples in these two years that we have done different things that we are very proud of.
We have promoted a new Youth Policy law, aligned with the sustainable development goals, which bets on sufficient budget for said policies and which finally guarantees a comprehensive plan that has never existed in the Canary Islands. We have also promoted a renovation of the Canary Islands Youth Observatory, which highlights the importance of having data and studies on its reality. There has been a greater investment for vulnerable and formerly protected young people, more has been invested in the hiring of university or FP young people in their first work experience in non-profit entities or more aid has been granted for youth associations or youth sections of entities and NGOs.
We are committed to youth talent, to giving visibility and express recognition to their achievements, both with the Joven Canarias awards and in the daily work collaborating and making their entrepreneurship, solidarity, culture, training projects possible... And a constant involvement so that Youth policies are always crossed by the fight for equality and against sexist violence, awareness in diversity, affective sexual education, anti-racism, the 2030 agenda, participation, sustainable development and awareness about climate change.
But none of this is enough if youth is in speeches (luckily) and not in the recipients of policies. If they are not the objective and the solution. If we do not incorporate them into public life, into political decision-making and into positions of responsibility in public administrations, universities and companies. We need renewal. We need the experience of a lifetime of work before retiring to be transferred to those who are pushing, giving them spaces to develop and not always putting them in the tail car of our society before their flame goes out.
Our planet needs young people involved eco-socially to seek alternatives to the problems and inequalities of the current world. We need more public investment in research and science. More public investment to strengthen the welfare state that has to sustain us all.
We need that illusion in abundance from youth, that fresh ingenuity, those new ways to help us urgently transform and diversify the economic and productive model of the islands. The future of the pandemic generation depends on this. The future of everyone.
Laura Fuentes, General Director of Youth of the Government of the Canary Islands
