The lack of jobs for young people and the inadequacy between supply and demand for work are realities that have preoccupied the Paraguay YCW for decades, due to their scale and the significant impact they have on the future of young workers, their mental health and their ability to integrate fully into society. Since the pandemic, informal work has exploded, with self-employment, street vendors and others lacking social security. In addition, the precariousness of work means that there is no balance between the conditions under which work is carried out and remuneration, and the environment is now one of the global issues affecting life in general.
Faced with these realities and convinced that workers must be able to live a dignified existence and enjoy fair conditions in the exercise of their work, the Paraguayan movement has defined labor rights as a cross-cutting issue to be addressed in the aforementioned areas.
Its motivation for developing vocational training and alternative economies lies precisely in the search for fairer, more sustainable and more equitable options that can improve the lives of individuals and communities, and in its desire to change a system that fails to meet the needs of all, to find more creative and innovative ways of working, and to generate a positive impact on society and the environment.
Context
The training process takes place in three cities where the Paraguay YCW is most involved:
San Juan Nepomuceno, a city located 250 km from the capital, with a high youth population, few job centers and high internal migration, where activities are organized from the yvy marae'y training center.
Caaguazu, another town in the inland, with few job centres and strong migration from rural areas, where a literacy program for young people who have not completed their schooling is being developed.
Asunción, the country's capital, is home to many young migrants from rural areas, excluded from the education system and with little technical training.
Networking
The whole training process was only possible thanks to the participation and support of many people.
A group of teachers' unions helped develop the content. Youth organizations from other parishes took part in the training sessions. Friendly professionals volunteered to develop the training processes. The adult team accompanied the processes. The national team managed resources and accompanied the training sessions. Activists developed their own YCW activities to promote and co-opt contacts.
Some materials were financed within the framework of Paraguay YCW projects with ADVENIAT, and self-financing activities were also carried out.
Demands
Requests have been submitted to the Education Directorates, part of the Ministry of Education, to approve the courses and recognize the certificates.
Demands have been lodged with the municipalities of the towns concerned, as well as with the Ministry of Labor, for the creation of first jobs for young people.
Changes
The action has generated personal changes: additional technical training in fields such as artisan bakery, confectionery, sewing, integral beauty, cash register management in a bank or retail outlet, savings, facial cosmetology. It also raised awareness of their own reality and that of other workers.
Collective changes: good cohesion between participants, large number of young people trained, dissemination of the YCW's work in the communities.
Changes in the environment: better living conditions for participants, ability to generate additional income for their families, awareness of good, healthy food, dissemination of the YCW's work among young workers.
Looking to the future
The Paraguay YCW wants to strengthen its training spaces and adult support in the processes, sensitize participants to the importance of being part of organized groups, diversify training according to the interests of young workers, obtain certification for technical training with official recognition from the Ministry of Education, and ensure accompaniment and follow-up for young entrepreneurs.
Because they know that vocational training and alternative economy offer a viable and sustainable way out for those who find themselves unemployed or working in the informal sector.
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