Post by nickd on Feb 2, 2011 0:25:21 GMT 1
I was moved by this article which appeared in the Oakhampton Times - a small town in Devon. It was written by the Regional Director of the Prince's Trust.
Young lives with little or no hope
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
THE end of 2010 brought with it worrying reports that the number of unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds had increased by 28,000 in three short months – bringing the total number to 943,000.
This figure shines a glaring torch into the faces of hundreds of thousands of wasted young lives, many of whom are facing 2011 with little or no hope for the future as the country faces new cuts and further job losses.
Our hard-hitting new report, The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index, shows that almost half of unemployed young people claim that joblessness has caused mental health problems such as self-harm, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and insomnia.
Our findings show that unemployment can go hand in hand with significant emotional stress. We know that the longer young people are jobless, the greater the risk to their mental health.
Failing to step in and help these young people now at a time when they need us more than ever will only store up big problems for the South West’s future.
More than three-quarters of the 3,300 young people supported by The Prince’s Trust in the South West last year moved into work, education or training.
The efforts of charitable organisations like The Prince’s Trust, working with the local authorities, the business community and individual fundraisers will play a key role in offering hope in 2011 to a generation of young people who think the new year has nothing to offer.
Rick Libbey
Regional director
The Prince’s Trust
9 Marsh Street, Bristol BS1 4AA
Television coverage today gives details of further bad news:
Today much of the regional news was dominated by the news of the closure of the Polestar Foods factory in Oakhampton - leading to the loss of 230 jobs
Worker's spoke of their devastation, many having been employed for 20 years or more at the factory. They looked downbeat, even tearful, some were angry, some were sad, they talked of losing their homes and paying the bills.
This is only a small town in rural Devon, these two items of news paint a picture of what's upon us. These people, be they young or old are people - in times like this they need constructive and dedicated help - some of them will need legal help in dealing with mortgage/rent arrears, some will never have claimed benefits before and won't know how to deal with the maze of complexity which exists within the benefits system.
We need to be worried when the Regional Director of the Princes Trust speaks of no hope for the young. We need also to be worried that the parents of the young are facing situations such as the loss of their jobs - jobs they've maintained - to keep their children. The people we help are people like these - not those portrayed in the headline grabbing media who like to label everyone 'scrounger and cheat'.
These people don't want their only access to advice to be at the mercy of an oversubscribed telephone service - these people don't want endless choices over option buttons as to what enquiry they wish to choose from - these are people who want to be helped by people who know what they are talking about and can give constructive active - with access to proper face to face when ever necessary.
These are the people we stand up for - they are part and parcel of social welfare - they deserve access to advice and justice.
Links:
www.okehampton-today.co.uk/Letters.cfm?id=931&headline=Young%20lives%20with%20little%20or%20no%20hope
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-12332457
Young lives with little or no hope
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
THE end of 2010 brought with it worrying reports that the number of unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds had increased by 28,000 in three short months – bringing the total number to 943,000.
This figure shines a glaring torch into the faces of hundreds of thousands of wasted young lives, many of whom are facing 2011 with little or no hope for the future as the country faces new cuts and further job losses.
Our hard-hitting new report, The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index, shows that almost half of unemployed young people claim that joblessness has caused mental health problems such as self-harm, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and insomnia.
Our findings show that unemployment can go hand in hand with significant emotional stress. We know that the longer young people are jobless, the greater the risk to their mental health.
Failing to step in and help these young people now at a time when they need us more than ever will only store up big problems for the South West’s future.
More than three-quarters of the 3,300 young people supported by The Prince’s Trust in the South West last year moved into work, education or training.
The efforts of charitable organisations like The Prince’s Trust, working with the local authorities, the business community and individual fundraisers will play a key role in offering hope in 2011 to a generation of young people who think the new year has nothing to offer.
Rick Libbey
Regional director
The Prince’s Trust
9 Marsh Street, Bristol BS1 4AA
Television coverage today gives details of further bad news:
Today much of the regional news was dominated by the news of the closure of the Polestar Foods factory in Oakhampton - leading to the loss of 230 jobs
Worker's spoke of their devastation, many having been employed for 20 years or more at the factory. They looked downbeat, even tearful, some were angry, some were sad, they talked of losing their homes and paying the bills.
This is only a small town in rural Devon, these two items of news paint a picture of what's upon us. These people, be they young or old are people - in times like this they need constructive and dedicated help - some of them will need legal help in dealing with mortgage/rent arrears, some will never have claimed benefits before and won't know how to deal with the maze of complexity which exists within the benefits system.
We need to be worried when the Regional Director of the Princes Trust speaks of no hope for the young. We need also to be worried that the parents of the young are facing situations such as the loss of their jobs - jobs they've maintained - to keep their children. The people we help are people like these - not those portrayed in the headline grabbing media who like to label everyone 'scrounger and cheat'.
These people don't want their only access to advice to be at the mercy of an oversubscribed telephone service - these people don't want endless choices over option buttons as to what enquiry they wish to choose from - these are people who want to be helped by people who know what they are talking about and can give constructive active - with access to proper face to face when ever necessary.
These are the people we stand up for - they are part and parcel of social welfare - they deserve access to advice and justice.
Links:
www.okehampton-today.co.uk/Letters.cfm?id=931&headline=Young%20lives%20with%20little%20or%20no%20hope
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-12332457