With youth unemployment figures soaring worldwide, the Mustard Seed Mission in 2017 joined hands with Citibank for the “Yes, I Can Youth Employment and Empowerment” initiative. To date, this initiative has assisted nearly 300 young people overcome their difficulties finding a job, helping them find their potential, set their goals and secure employment.
Over the past year, 64 percent of the students participating in the initiative have come from economically disadvantaged families, and 72 percent of these have seen their household situation improve as a result of the empowerment initiative.
Yesterday, singer Rachel Liang (梁文音) made an appearance at a news conference in Taipei, offering her encouragement to young people and saying they must have the courage to face up to challenges and confront their frustrations.
Photo courtesy of Citi Taiwan
According to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development figures, unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 in Taiwan is as high as 11.54 percent, 3.11 times the overall unemployment rate in the nation, and higher than in South Korea and Japan.
To address the youth employment issue, the Ministry of Labor earlier this year proposed the Youth Employment Investment Program, which is expected to reduce the youth unemployment rate to only twice the national unemployment rate by 2022.
“Not only is the government focusing on tackling youth unemployment, the Citi Foundation in 2015 also decided to address the issue of worldwide high youth unemployment and implemented the Pathways to Progress initiative, hoping to, through a range of youth empowerment schemes, help young people discover their potential, cultivate their skills, increase their competitiveness and enter the job market, so that together we can further social progress and development,” said April Pan (潘玲嬌), director and spokesperson for Citibank Taiwan’s department of government affairs and country corporate affairs.
In 2017, the Citi Foundation collaborated with the Mustard Seed Mission to promote the Yes, I Can Youth Employment and Empowerment initiative, which sought to replicate the success of the Mustard Seed Mission Hualien’s learning and arts center in the four major urban areas of Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. The initiative focused on vocational courses for young people aged 16 to 24, with a core program including studying social interactions, team-building and exploring one’s strengths, as well as crisis and stress management strategies. The course is aimed at developing the skills and psychological preparedness to make that first step to finding a job and successfully integrating into the job market.
Liang has always been concerned with the problem of youth unemployment, and she yesterday generously gave her time to attend the news conference, hoping to use her influence to help raise awareness on this important issue to a wider audience.
She recalled how she had to work hard and participate in singing contests before she got started, and how the pressure over the past 11 years frequently brought her to tears.
She encouraged young people to never look down on themselves, and to cultivate their strengths and the courage to confront their frustrations.
She also stressed the importance of social interaction in the workplace, saying that, in the past, she often spoke without giving much thought to what she said, but that she has slowly learned to correct that.
“It is not only about talking, it is also about understanding when to stop talking,” Liang said.
Mustard Seed Mission Community Development Division director Lee Shih-ching (李士青) said that the initiative uses teaching aids and hands-on activities to quickly guide young people toward self-exploration and finding a clear career path.
Together with the support of community social workers and caring employers, it helps young people gain a deep understanding of different professions through practical on-the-job experiences, Lee said.
It also helps them explore what their preferences are and find a job fitting of their talents and personality, Lee added.
Last year, the Initiative was in contact with 1,830 young people. Of those, 152 participated in guidance activities (57 percent men, 43 percent women), and 64 percent of them came from economically disadvantaged families.
After a year of training, 95 percent had improved their self-knowledge and 84 percent had improved their interpersonal relationship skills, which would make finding a stable job easier.
Eighty-eight percent entered the workplace as interns and earn wages; of those, 72 percent have completed their internships and joined the regular staff.
In addition, four people went on to study or are preparing to take their school entrance exam upon completion of their internships.
Of those who found employment, the majority, 68 percent, are working in the food and beverage industry.
Apart from the training program, a special pet training class in Taichung helps those who want to enter a popular industry gain a better understanding of what life is about through animal psychology and volunteer work, as preliminary exploration of a profession can provide a more realistic workplace experience.
The Mustard Seed Mission has also developed a “youth friendship base,” inviting entrepreneurs leading small youth start-ups to share their experiences. At the base, young entrepreneurs can share work-related problems and continue to support each other after having found employment.
Hsiao Wei (小維), 19, who used to work with lathe ducts, had to leave his job after sustaining an arm injury in a work accident. At first, he was unable to move on after the injury, but with the assistance of a social worker, he managed to overcome the psychological block.
He has now had steady employment since late last year.
A shy person, Hsiao Wei said that he really likes his job.
His mother said that, “despite trying to go through several different channels, Hsiao Wei was unable to find employment.”
She expressed her thanks for the Mustard Seed Mission social worker’s assistance, saying that they helped Hsiao Wei find the courage to move on.
Hsiao Wei is now helping out with product packaging, and his employer is optimistic that he would be able to return to the production line and operate a machine.
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