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ePaper created 2015-12-01, 11:30:18 | version 1.43.00
akzente 1/1518 IN FOCUS More than 6,000 kilometres separate Muzhda and Héctor. But while their countries are very different, their situations are similar. They are young and full of hope, and gaining an education has required a high level of commitment from both of them. Héctor left his home country because he knew it could not offer him a future in his chosen career. One of Muzhda’s colleagues comes from Herat, at the other end of the country, more than a day’s drive away. To attend each of the training weeks in Kabul, she had to be accompanied by her father, her grandfather or one of her brothers, for women are not allowed to travel on their own in Afghanistan. Neither Héctor nor Muzhda belongs to a generation of ‘gilded youth’ who can spend their time pleasure-seeking at their wealthy parents’ expense. These two young people have no option but to be self-motivated and create the conditions for their future financial security. And despite the difficult economic circumstances, they are determined to have a good life, earn a decent wage and live in dignity. Years of dependence on parents or relatives Youth as a carefree existence, long on pleasure and short on commitments and responsibility, is a familiar scenario, but mainly in Western industrial societies, and only for the educated elite. The reality is that even in the midst of prosperity, it is difficult for many young people to gain a foothold in the highly specialised adult world of work. As a result, most young people spend their teenage years pre- paring for working life, gaining qualifications and ‘entry tickets’ to adult life. They have hopes and dreams, but they are often beset by doubts as well. Economic dependence is lasting longer and longer for young adults, even in many Western countries. At the same time, they yearn for inde- pendence. This dichotomy can cause problems for parents and young people, for there is a high rate of youth unem- ployment, especially in southern Europe. But in Germany too, the ‘internship generation’ is all too familiar with the uncertainty caused by precarious employment. Yet it is often the young who are drivers of change. In Germany, the student movement broke open the intellec- tual and moral constraints of the post-war era. In Egypt and Tunisia, many of the protesters who forced autocrats Mubarak and Ben Ali to resign were the young unem- ployed, women and men alike. Student demonstrators lined the streets and waved their diplomas, venting their frustration at the fact that despite their qualifications, they were unable to find work. In Egypt, the mass protests were not only an expression of fury at the state’s security appa PARTICIPATION ProjeCt: Strengthening local democracy – youth participation at municipal level Commissioned by: German Federal Foreign Office, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Lead executing agency: Tunisian Ministry of THE Interior, Direction générale des collectivités publiques locales du Ministère de l’Intérieur, municipalities Overall term: 2012 to 2017 TUNISIA GIZ is promoting dialogue between municipalities and civil society in order to strengthen civil engagement and to increase involvement of young people. www.giz.de/tunisia 1 EXAMPLES OF WORK AT VOCATIONAL TRAINING ProjeCt: Technical assistance and support services in establishing vocational training centres for the tribal youths of Gujarat State Commissioned by: Government of Gujarat Overall term: 2010 TO 2015 INDIA GIZ International Services has established five skills development centres in the Indian state of Gujarat. The training provided by the centres is im- proving the social and economic status of the tribal youths of Gujarat. The first cohorts of graduates have already found work and are earning signi- ficantly higher wages than they could have expected to achieve without the training. www.giz.de/international-services/en/html/1748.html PHoto:gettyimages/CarstenGÖrling(PAGE19)