It should come of no surprise that the National Youth Values
and Attitudes Survey, which was conducted in April last year by UWI's Centre
for Leadership and Governance (CLG), found that 43.2 per cent of respondents
below age 18 would be willing to relinquish their Jamaican citizenship while
nearly half the number of young adults, 49.3 per cent, indicated that they
would. This indicates the sad state of our country to properly reach the younger
generation and integrate them in a society that is conducive for growth and
development.
I really hope that this survey will not fall on deaf ears
and that it will be taken seriously by all stakeholders to implement policies
and give hope to our generation. The researchers noted that “young people were
proud to be Jamaicans but were willing to give up their citizenship for better
opportunities. They also do not believe that the current economy can provide
effectively for their development. Further, they believe that greater
investment is needed to create jobs and the structures necessary to facilitate
development at the national and community levels.”
The young people are voicing their concerns, so how will our
current politicians address this? As a college student, and a young person
myself, I also share the burden and pain of my fellow counterparts. There are
many times in which, I would seriously think about my fate after leaving
college. Would I get a job? Would I be able to pay back my loans? I have been
hearing that young people should turn to the internet for jobs or be
entrepreneurs, but can the internet provide jobs for 40,000 youth who graduate
from high school and an addition 60,000 who would graduate from a tertiary
institution each year? Will all of us be so inclined that we can turn our ‘creative
ideas’ into multimillionaire businesses when our socioeconomic condition is not
conducive to such?
Most persons who are now top entrepreneurs were once workers
who have gained experience and competence in their respective fields. How can
we be entrepreneurs when we cannot get jobs in the first place, where we have
no experience, nothing to guide us? To tell us such is simply mendacious, the
heights of hypocrisy. We are running out of patients, we need hope; we need to
see how the youth will be integrated into society to make meaningful
contributions. Furthermore, the growing trend in Jamaica is that many
businesses are closing down, laying off workers, and leaving the country. What
message is that telling us who are expected to be entrepreneurs?
The survey also revealed that “Further yet, 60 per cent
believe that the country is not being managed effectively and 62 per cent noted
that the current leaders do not have the capacity to manage the country's
affairs.” How will our leaders respond to this? Do we need another research to
tell us why voter apathy is increasing among young people? We deserve better
and I am appealing to the relevant stakeholders to respond swiftly and
effectively. We are at the end of a precipice about to fall, who will save us?
