YMCA calls for urgent safety net policies for young people worldwide

Today we join with the International YMCA movement in calling for urgent action to protect young people in this time of crisis.

An urgent message form Carlos Sanvee – President World YMCA

For many young people this is the second major economic crisis they are facing in their lifetime, severely curtailing their career development and family lives while in some cases also reducing their trust in their governments to support them when they are in need.

As one of the largest Youth Movements in the world with an active presence in over 120 countries, the YMCA calls policymakers and encourages youth organisations to advocate for taking the following urgent measures for supporting young people worldwide and increasing their role in decision-making processes:

• Flexible and Sustainable Employment
• Support and help the growing mental health impact of Covid-19
• Introduce fiscal stimulus policies which encourage re-hiring of young people who were laid off
• Simplify national legislation to encourage remote work and flexible working agreements while ensuring that adequate safety nets exist
• Include young people with temporary/seasonal jobs in the existing government stimulus packages, where such stimulus exists
• Encourage hiring of young people, particularly those with fewer opportunities, by temporarily reducing social contributions and taxes for work contracts
• Change the paid furlough approach in order to encourage work even when the state support a portion of the employee’s wage
• Encourage intergenerational and diverse work environments, offering both financial sustainability for all and a better developed peer on-the-job learning system, with special attention to vulnerable young people
• Ensure equal access to healthcare for young people of all backgrounds, including the unemployed or underemployed, including for eventual COVID-19 treatments and a vaccine when/if they appear

Please read the full statement here YMCA calls for urgent safety net policies for young people worldwide