Social enterprises for disengaged young people

It is only a year since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) plunged most wealthy nations into recession. Australia escaped a ‘technical recession’ but unemployment rose by one third. Young people were among the worst affected because employers put new hires on hold, waiting for the economy to improve. This meant that many education leavers could not find work and many young people lost their casual jobs. Many young people who were unable to find a secure job last year are still out of work, because employers are reluctant to hire people who lack recent work experience.

The rise of youth unemployment has affected some regions more than others. In seventeen of the country’s 69 ‘labour market regions’ teenage unemployment rose to more than 30% during 2009-10. Those regions include Wollongong (NSW), Northwest Melbourne (VIC), Far North Queensland, Western Adelaide (SA) and Central Perth (WA).

In the North West of Melbourne – this region, our youth unemployment runs at 52.3% - the highest in the country.

The Government’s main response to higher youth unemployment was its ‘Compact with Young Australians’ announced in April 2009. Under the new ‘learn or earn’ rules, unemployed young people are now required to undertake study or training to raise their qualifications to Year 12 or equivalent vocational credentials. But young people who struggled at school also struggle with vocational training.

Low levels of education are a major barrier to work among young unemployed people.

The consequences of letting young people remain trapped in what eminent Australian researcher Professor Tony Vinson describes as the ‘web of disadvantage’ (2007) are both profound and unacceptable. In Professor Vinson’s words:

Those who start their schooling well behind others, whose participation is spasmodic and who leave at the earliest opportunity, face an uphill battle. Of course, education is not destiny but our findings show an unmistakable pattern associated with inadequate education and training - unemployment, low income, poor health, and ‘making ends meet’ by criminal means resulting in high rates of convictions and imprisonment.

Those young people who are ‘disengaged’ - neither employed fulltime nor engaged in education or training - are at risk of long term exclusion from the labour market. Those disengaged are also more likely to be in the numbers of the homeless, the addicted; the mentally ill and those in juvenile detention.

The Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen has argued that tolerating enormously high levels of unemployment goes against the foundations of a society in which self-help is possible. Sen states that the penalties of unemployment include not only income loss, but also far-reaching effects on self-confidence, work motivation, basic competence, social integration and harmony, and the appreciation and use of individual freedom and responsibility.

A profile of Broadmeadows and Dallas identifies the conditions which, left unchanged, will reduce the life chances and sense of self of young people in this community.

Disengagement from learning is occurring at a pivotal time in the lives of young people in Broadmeadows and Dallas with significant impacts on personal development and diminished opportunities to develop as valued members of, and contributors to, this community. Disconnectedness manifests itself through:

• limited career and social opportunities
• reduced earning capacity
• reduced participation in the workforce
• reduced levels of self-esteem and well being
• increased participation in destructive behaviour

Life-long learning demands a re-connection with learning. It is built upon the foundation stones of literacy and numeracy. It aspires to employment; it builds a house which becomes a home – a nurturing environment for the next generation of learners.

Whatever the reason we must feel outraged at what has happened to our young people.

Augustine of Hippo once said of hope: 

Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage: anger at the way things are and courage to make sure that things do not remain the way they are. 

Engaging young disengaged people into education and aligning this to future employment is the innovative and creative approach to the program delivery of E Qubed. Within the holistic framework of the E Qubed model, learning is considered a vital component toward alleviating the cycle of disadvantage that occurs when young people finish their schooling prematurely and are not able to obtain employment as a consequence. This model is around Social Enterprise generation and Case Management support of our young people.

E Qubed Inc. [Engagement /education/ entrepreneurship] is the initiative of the small but vibrant Anglican community in Broadmeadows and Dallas, postcode 3047. We work with young people where the youth unemployment rate exceeds 55% per cent. We work creating community based projects for our disengaged young people where the levels of social dysfunction and exclusion are extreme. We work to reduce the injustice of disadvantage through the provision of learning experiences and pathways through enterprise education and social enterprise development.

The E QUBED INC vision [ developed over 10 years- West Heidelberg now Broadmeadows] is to build, in collaboration with our partners, a Centre for Innovation & Enterprise Excellence in Hume. The thriving enterprises in its midst will engage with, and be driven by, disengaged young people while generating products and services which build community wealth and cohesion. Services and support will be delivered in a positive environment and provide a space where people initiate change away from the stigma and prejudices that frequently confront those experiencing disadvantage.

E Qubed presently runs 2 shops ; is developing a permaculture enterprise; a hospitality program;  a community VCAL; Revive: a furniture recycling Social Enterprise [2012].

The E QUBED commitment to creating qualification pathways via Social Enterprise activities sits within a broader philosophical approach to education which emphasises multiple learning goals:

Learning to Learn: By establishing positive learning models, independent learning plans and providing mentors, the young people who become involved in the Enterprise Centre will realise their capacity for lifelong learning.

Learning to Earn: Young people who have grown up in an environment characterised by intergenerational unemployment and poverty will have access to role models who are wage earners and will be encouraged to learn as they earn. The enterprise planning and facilitation process will assist young people to develop business enterprises which will be sustainable, replicable and offer broad community benefits.

Learning to Lead: Mentoring provided by business partners and E QUBED’s partnership with Activate Australia will provide young people with access to experiential learning and leadership training to develop their own leadership potential.

Learning to Be: Access to a safe and supported place to build relationships with others and reflect on their learning, will encourage young people to examine their personal development on the enterprise journey. The pastoral platform and ethos of EQUBED, will support young people to confront the issues that have blocked their development.

Learning to be with: Young people who participate in the Enterprise Centre will develop relationships that foster the creation and utilisation of networks that improve access to opportunity for those experiencing disadvantage.

Learning to stay: As young people come to understand and accept their self worth they develop the resilience required to overcome barriers to attaining their individual learning and employment goals.

Nelson Mandela says:

Poverty is not natural, it is man-made … and overcoming poverty is not an act of charity. It is an act of justice.