Unemployed young people are at risk of becoming socially isolated. A report by The Prince’s Trust suggested that 50 per cent of unemployed young people often feel anxious about everyday situations and avoid meeting new people (Macquarie Youth Index, Jan 2015). Furthermore, more than a third of young people reported that unemployment prevented them from eating properly (38 per cent) and looking after their health (36 per cent), while a further 13 per cent felt like ‘prisoners in their own homes’ due to feelings of anxiety.
Employment minister Esther McVey claims that the government hopes to do more ‘as part of a long-term economic plan’, but it is clear that without the right support, these young people will become socially isolated, slipping further and further away from the job market. In addition, these young people are more likely to be battling mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, leading to a far more ‘devastating impact on young people’s lives’. To put this in perspective, one-in-three long-term unemployed people have contemplated suicide.
As those working with vulnerable youth and young adults, whether in a secular or non-secular environment, what are we doing to serve this invisible and lost generation? Where does our work to holistically serve our young people seek to support and empower them into opportunities of employment, education and training? The Spear course, a Resurgo Employment initiative, is a six-week programme, which aims to ignite a ‘vision of the possible’ in unemployed young people. The Guardian Charity Awards winner for 2013, it has eight centres across London and has equipped and empowered more than 2,500 vulnerable young people into employment, education and training, with over 75 per cent of Spear graduates still there a year after completing the course.
Many of the young people we work with simply do not believe in themselves because sadly they have no one else to believe in them. They find themselves isolated, lonely and depressed. Abigail, 18, unemployed and suffering from major depression, said she felt she ‘had no future’ and ‘that was the end of it’. Spear taught her how to overcome obstacles and seize the day, leading her to find parttime employment at Tesco to fund a full-time university degree in film production.
Jesus commissioned us to go out and bring life in all its fullness. The very word of God compels us to reach out and defend the fatherless, to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves and seek justice on their behalf. Two thousand years ago that was society’s widows and orphans. Today that same call includes our unemployed young people.
To find out more about Spear, visit www.spearcourse.org
