Including Youth in an Aging Society Laura Ryser, Don Manson and Greg Halseth

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Including Youth in an Aging SocietyLaura
Ryser, Don Manson and Greg Halseth
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Overview

• Rural and Small Town Restructuring
• Demographic Changes
• Methodology
• Results
• Human capital
• Social cohesion and social capital
• Discussion

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Rural Restructuring Post 1980

• Industrial consolidation
• Labor shedding technology
• Fewer jobs for youth
• Less seniority / experience
• First to be laid off
• Low levels of education
• Prolonged unemployment
• Services reduced, regionalized, or closed

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Youth and Community Renewal

• Youth inclusion can
• Lead to life-long participation
• Sense of ownership in CED initiatives
• Greater sense of belonging
• Youth assets support renewal
• Aging population
• Fewer professionals / volunteers

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Human Capital

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Training
• Work experience
• Life experience
• Volunteering

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Social Cohesion and Social Capital

• Social cohesion
• Collective response to stress
• Relationships and social interaction
• Social capital
• Networks and trust
• Links to expertise, resources, and support
• Impacts ability of youth to respond to change

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Human Capital Gaps I

• Education
• Youth not completing high school
• Lack of homework clubs, tutoring, and literacy
  programs
• Lack of high school courses
• Need investments in technology

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• Every other year they do Physics 12 because they
  just dont have enough kids to do it. (ID2
  Mackenzie)
• To have a successful kid, you need to have a well
  educated kid. There are gaps where courses are
  not available because there arent enough
  students, but even with the opportunities for
  improved technology, the services could be
  available. They are available in other
  communities, but I have not seen them here in
  Burns Lake. (ID75 Burns Lake)

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Human Capital Gaps I

• Education
• Youth not completing high school
• Lack of homework clubs, tutoring, and literacy
  programs
• Lack of high school courses
• Need investments in technology
• Lack of cultural / linguistic skills
• Need ESL programs / cultural programs

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Human Capital Gaps II

• Work Experience
• Lack of employment opportunities
• Lack of work experience programs
• Need to synthesize employment programs with
  employer practices
• Need broader range of work experiences

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Human Capital Gaps III

• Personal Development
• The school gets you prepared for some things. It
  doesnt get you prepared for the real world.
  There are programs that are supposed to help
  teach employment skills and things, but theyre
  really theory based and not reality based. Kids
  need to know how to go out and get auto
  insurance, how to comparison shop, how to get a
  bank account, how to go grocery shopping. They
  need real life skills (ID31 Quesnel).

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Human Capital Gaps IV

• Volunteer Experience
• Youth are underutilized
• i.e. delivering senior programs
• No community engagement strategy
• Need to adopt volunteer recognition / reward
  programs

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Social Cohesion / Social Capital Gaps I

• Developing Social Skills
• Difficulty interacting with peers
• Short-term funding for social skills /
  relationship programs
• Social etiquette will help youth to build
  relationships / networks
• To participate in community building, governance
  structures

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Social Cohesion / Social Capital Gaps II

• Opportunities for Social Interaction
• Lack of social / recreational programs
• After school / summer programs
• Affordable / free activities
• Need broader range of programs to reflect
  diversity of youth interests
• Need networking opportunities for vulnerable
  youth groups

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Social Cohesion / Social Capital Gaps III

• Social Infrastructure
• Lack spaces where youth can interact
• Youth centre / recreation facilities
• Inconsistent hours of operation
• Lack of human / financial resources
• Leasing arrangements
• Repairs needed
• Lack of transportation

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• Effective public transit is needed because kids
  hitchhike everywhere around here. To swimming
  pools and summer camps. (ID197 Hazelton)
• Note Hazelton lies along BCs Highway of Tears
  for missing children.

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Discussion I

• Neoliberal policies have undermined ability to
  nurture youth assets
• Youth assets are critical to support community
  renewal
• Next generation of community builders

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Discussion II

• Need to support student learning
• Need investments in technology
• Need a comprehensive approach to develop human
  capital
• Investments in life skills to support transition
  into adulthood
• Experiential learning opportunities for work
• Invest in many venues for learning (i.e.
  volunteering, recreation, community engagement
  strategy)

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Discussion III

• Need consistent, frequent, and affordable venues
  for interaction
• Invest in a diverse range of youth infrastructure
• Provides a foundation for life-long participation

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Discussion IV

• Successful youth requires successful programs
• Policy decisions to withdrawal limited resources
  need to be reconsidered
• Need long-term stable resources to acquire
  adequate human resources
• Pay attention to renewing capacity of voluntary
  sector
• Incentive programs, training, financial
  resources, and in-kind support

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Community Development Institute
3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada
V2N 4Z9 http//www.unbc.ca/cdi Dr. Greg
Halseth, Acting Director Phone (250) 960 -
5826 Fax (250) 960 - 6533 Email
halseth_at_unbc.ca