The life of young workers and their rights have always received the full attention of Pope Francis. On the occasion of the IYCW International Council, Pope Francis, through the Holy See Secretary of State, sent a message of encouragement to the IYCW to continue its work for a better life for all young workers.

Holy See Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, wrote to the International YCW on behalf of Pope Francis for the movement’s postponed international council, which was finally held via Zoom last month.

“His Holiness trusts that in this time of economic and social crisis, the Council’s deliberations will reaffirm the efforts of young people to advance the Kingdom of God through the building of a more just and equitable society which leaves no one behind and which promotes respect for the fundamental rights of all, including that of safe and dignified employment,” Cardinal Parolin wrote.

“We are connected, we are one international movement and we are called to act, called to act for just work more than ever. In fact, the social contradictions, inequality, precariousness, informality and unemployment continue to grow, especially in the midst of the global Covid pandemic,” Sarah Prenger, the IYCW international president, said at the opening of the 15^th International Council of the movement, calling all young workers of the world to act for change.

Sarah emphasized that with a strong and deep belief, young workers are able to act for social justice. “Social change is a shared task; you and I must act now to make change a reality.”

“With deep conviction in our hearts and minds, we must do something for change in our daily life, in our neighbourhood, in our school and in our working place,” Sarah said.

Sarah continued, “You and I must do something, we can make a difference, we can change the world. It is with this conviction, together with you, that I declare this XV International Council open. We should not be afraid of change.”

IYCW News - The Americas YCW (JOCA) organised a virtual exchange on 9 and 16 July 2021. The aim was to share about realities, needs, challenges and actions re unemployment and precarious young workers in the world of work at the continental level.

Participants in the event were young workers, activists and adults from different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, such as Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico, Haiti, as well as a young German volunteer in Peru.

“The current global health crisis (Covid-19) has made even more visible the inequalities that we live in our societies; some of us have reinvented ways of work for survival while those who still have a job are submerged in long working hours and faced with double workload. Their salaries are often not enough to cover one or two meals a day plus other fixed costs. In addition, the cost of food, transportation and connectivity has increased,” Ana Cecilia from the Americas YCW team explained.