I want to comment on my own forward of the piece on "generational
disparity"...
I sent this to the list for several reasons...
*the information in it is intrinsically interesting and
being a thousand miles or so from the "mind" if not the "heart" of the
country, I don't get to read the Toronto Star very often.
*the fact that the post is addressed from an ex-Cape Bretoner to
current young Cape Bretoners, is also to my mind interesting and rather
poignant
*but most important for me is that it gave me my first "aha"
experience for several months.
Let me tell you a story:
We worked out a deal with someone from the Feds to do something about
putting some Occupational Health and Safety information onto the Web.
Great, some short term jobs for Cape Breton, some training for a few folks
on using the technology, maybe something that could be done in the longer
term linking the skills/experience of unemployed miners or steel makers or
fisherfolk to the "New Economy".
So we made our arrangements, sent in our proposal, got our approval and
started to read the fine print..."only those between 18 and 30 need
apply".
Whoops, that wasn't our idea, we'd already hired an unemployed
ex-steelworker who had gone back to school to get a teaching certificate
and was now one of the 1000 or so unemployed teachers in Nova Scotia (as
well as being one of the several thousand unemployed steelworkers) to
organize the project.
And his/our idea was to hire some other unemployed ex-Sysco (local steel
company folks) to do the project, get some stamps (lots of these very
proud guys are now on welfare) and maybe salvage something for the future
out of 15 or 20 years of work in the "satanic mill"...
Sorry, we're told, only unemployed youth need apply...but sir, there
aren't any unemployed youth in Cape Breton...as a matter of act there are
almost no youth at all...anyone with a thumb or a passing grade at 18
heads down the road.
What we do have is a whole lot of unemployed folks over 40 with 20 years
in and no immediate prospects of a job or a pension or much except
welfare...and no real skills except working at the plant or the mine or on
the sea...and all their "wealth" tied up in houses that they can't sell
and their families and friends that they can't take with them.
Sorry, those are the rules, 18-30 year olds only need apply*...
So my "aha", from the note from the Caper from away...
Mike Gurstein
* Almost all of the money currently available through the Canadian
government for "job creation" has a similar age (geographic?) restriction.
On Wed, 10 Dec 1997, Michael Gurstein wrote:
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 21:35:31 -0500
> From: Caper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To: cb-politics <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Generational Disparity
>
> The Sat. Dec 6 Toronto Star has front page articles and a twelve page
> section without a single advertisement on how poorly 18 to 30 year olds are
> doing in Toronto. Cape Bretoners in this age group who might be considering
> heading for the big smoke may want to consider the plight of others already
> there. You can probably get the paper at you local library in a few days,
> depending on the postal backlog.
>
> Toronto usually gets better press than Cape Breton so it's easy to get the
> impression that moving to Toronto is a solution to all kinds problems. These
> articles in the Star are unusual. They detail the problems of a large
> segment of Toronto's society. Generational disparity seems to be a worldwide
> problem, not just a Cape Breton problem. I won't tell anyone to not come to
> Ontario, well maybe I would, but, folks should know when they are jumping
> out of the frying pan and into the toilet.
>
> Headlines, captions, & quotes from Lives on Hold:
> - Lives on Hold
> - Why aren't they working?
> - Many are jobless or just getting by but they are willing & well educated.
> They all need a break.
> - A 27 year old student with a $57,000 debt
> - Almost half of those who were out of school were either unemployed or
> earning $1,000 a month or less
> -This isn't where I expected to be
> - Who feels underemployed? 63%...
> - Youth left 'struggling for basics' as companies enjoy boom times
> - Hardworking, Educated, Underemployed, Debt-ridden, Determined, Eager,
> Angry, Confused, Confident, Disconnected, ...
> - We can cut it, if given a chance
> - Education is seen as the gateway to success but, once out of school, the
> best jobs are often entry-level retail & clerical.
> - Why didn't somebody set me straight? Unemployed & living on her nearly
> maxed-out credit cards
> - There is no stability. People are losing track of their goals. I'd kill to
> have a house by the time I'm 35, but, there is not a chance.
> - Contacts are the curse of today's society
> - I never thought I be sharing an apartment with my mother-in-law after I
> was married
>
> And so it goes. There's lots more. I stopped halfway through the Lives on
> Hold section. Not great news but information that might be considered when
> comparing life in Cheticamp vs. Islington and highway 401. At least give me
> that problems don't disappear at the causeway and that generational
> pressures are not exclusive too the Island.
>
> David
>
>
>
>
>
Michael Gurstein, Ph.D.
ECBC/NSERC/SSHRC Associate Chair in the Management of Technological Change
Director: Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking (C\CEN)
University College of Cape Breton, POBox 5300, Sydney, NS, CANADA B1P 6L2
Tel. 902-539-4060 (o) 902-562-1055 (h) 902-562-0119 (fax)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://ccen.uccb.ns.ca
