Talkin' jobs in Mexico
A Global Youth Employment Summit (YES) will be held in Veracruz, Mexico in October 4-7 - registrations are open now!
| The Institute
of Youth, Mexico's government agency responsible for youth, will work in
partnership with the US-based YES Campaign to invite 1,000 youth development
practitioners, government officials, business leaders, youth leaders and
NGOs to Veracruz. Major issues on the agenda are slated to include entrepreneurship,
renewable energy, HIV / AIDS and youth participation in civic affairs. |
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Mr.
Cristian CastaƱo, Director of the Institute of Youth, says Mexico welcomes
the opportunity to play a leadership role in examining world's best practices
in youth development issues relating to employment.
"The YES Campaign
has vigorously put youth employment on the agenda, and the Mexican Government
supports the campaign's efforts. YES 2004 will be a tremendously exciting
opportunity for senior leaders to meet the next generation of dynamic youth,
the people who will lead our grandchildren into the future. The people who
will gather in Mexico next year represent an opportunity for the various
strands of thinking in development economics to come together in a rare inter-generational
atmosphere of exchange and learning."
The YES Campaign, launched in
Egypt in 2002, works with government, business and civil groups in many countries
to alert leaders to the global crisis in youth employment. It is estimated
by the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) that one billion youth
will enter the labour market by 2012. The YES Campaign contends that conventional
policies for education and investment are dangerously insufficient to prepare
for the arrival of a generation of young people the International Labour
Organization calls a "demographic bonus".
Poonam Ahluwalia, the naturalized
US citizen from India who leads the YESvCampaign, puts the case for a fresh
approach to youth livelihood creation.
"Rural youth are moving to
the cities where there are few and poorly paid informal sector jobs for urban
migrants. We need to try and reverse this by investing in rural communities.
Likewise, graduates of schools and universities are languishing without decent
work for years after graduation. We can ease the transition to work with
targeted mentoring and entrepreneurship programs."
A partnership between
youth and senior leaders is central to the YES Campaign. According to Esteban
Gonzalez, YES Campaign co-chair, the organizers will promote YES 2004 to
Ministries of Youth, Labor and Social Affairs, seeking their participation.
"We
invite all interested parties to join us in Mexico. Opportunities exist for
employment in sectors such as renewable energy and health, where civil society,
business and governmental institutions can find fertile ground for partnership.
The YES Campaign seeks to expand our thinking on these issues."
To
carry the goals of the YES Campaign into the offices of leaders in every
country, YES encouraged the formation of national networks in 2001-2. YES
Country Networks now operate in more than 60 countries, chalking up impressive
achievements in public policy reform and project implementation. Members
of YES Networks will be among country delegations in 2004.
The event
is billed as "a unique meeting of generations to shine a light on a largely
ignored global crisis", according to YES youth coordinator, Dumisani Nyoni.
"Creating a space where young leaders can make a case for reform and personal
initiative before a global audience doesn't happen every day. YES Mexico
is going to be special and we're energized to make it work."
YES Mexico 2004 website, www.yesweb.org/mexico
Online Registration: http://www.yesweb.org/mexico/register.html
Dates: October 4-7, 2004
info@yesweb.org
http://www.youthgas.com
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