30 April 2010: Change a Young Person’s Life, Give Them A Job

The current recession has changed the work lifestyles of many people, and for some, there is more opportunity for a better work/life balance due to redundancy or working less hours than previously. But our high school students leaving school to work are increasingly finding themselves competing with experienced adults for jobs: 15-19 year olds now represent 30% of our country’s unemployed. Based on this statistic, our government needs to consider radical strategies such as some form of compulsory training for students leaving school without a plan to work or study. Voluntary work is one way of developing a skill set, whilst strengthening the community we live in. There are numerous organisations crying out for volunteers, whether it be helping out at your local school with reading or in the library, driving people to hospital, visiting elderly people in their homes or in hospice, playing an instrument for a charity concert, phoning people for donations to a needy cause, or joining a local organisation on the committee. These are just some of hundreds of ways out there that you can contribute to our community. If everyone was to offer a little time in some way, our communities would be closer, stronger and our physical environments brighter. Our personal self esteem is raised by doing voluntary work, making us  happier, healthier individuals. Potentially for those new to the workforce, voluntary work is a way of finding out what you enjoy doing, and can assist in gaining a paid job.  For retired people, voluntary work can provide a new satisfying interest in your life, and enable you to give back to your community.