Youth statistics for Armenia paint a dire portrait of how the 18-35 years old are experiencing paid work .A staggering 52% don’t have a job and two thirds of them have never had a job. 35% youth are volunteering, the official numbers say…But are we seeing the whole picture? As we have learned from our collective experience in this community over the past two years, perspective is everything. it’s not like young people need to hear more about the challenges they face on the labour market…they live them every single day! So we are taking a different approach.
Temporary, local…or a bigger shift at hand?
By far, young Armenians aren’t the only ones coping with deeply flawed mechanisms of connecting our choice of education with who we will become professionally. Throughout Europe we are seeing people with high level of qualifications who seem to be unable to find work according to their expectations, and many have no choice but settle for temporary and underpaid contracts outside their domain of interest. Others are taking up internships, most often unpaid, in the hope that these will land them a paid job. But are jobs really the way forward for all of us? Or the only way to lead meaningful and fulfilled adult lives?
Asking different questions, finding different solutions…
A group of us sat down one day and realized we don’t even need a proper income, as long as we have a roof on top of our heads and food, doing what we love. So we launched the unMonastery – a subsidized hackers’ space where innovators from all over work with a local community to solve challenges on-site. It happens now in Matera, South Italy!
Another daring example is that of Rhiannon, who got fed up with being part of a so called “generation without a future” and created a platform to support co-operatives set up by graduates who are navigating transition to work, all while de-constructing what “young and successful” means nowadays.
What are YOU trying to achieve?
We think initiatives such as these that Edgeryders create are not the exception, rather they are becoming more and more spread in the face of generalized precarity, and so we’re onto spotting similar change makers in Armenia and showcase the amazing things that you are building.
To participate in this discussion simply create a post and tell us about your experiences.
You will be amazed to discover you’re not alone, and your peers across the world are facing similar challenges! By sharing your story you’re making a first step to connect with a community of support. We are seeing already how giving each other advice makes us stronger and much faster at fixing the Big problems our societies are faced with. If you don’t know where to start, simply pick one of the questions below and try to answer it in detail. Looking forward to read you!
How are you and your peers making a living? Where do you search for opportunities?
- (1) How do I pay rent? (2) Who am I in the eyes of others? (3) What do I get out of bed for? Try answering all these 3 questions briefly. Do you notice anything?
- Do you have friends or family members who are working abroad (perhaps you are in this situation)? What have you found useful when taking life into your own hands, while being abroad among people different from your own? !
You know the situation on the ground where you are better than us.
Post a personal introduction and a story* telling us about your experiences here: https://edgeryders.eu/futurespotting-making-a-living
*A small number of selected stories will be published and paid for.
