Meet N’Dera - 3D Printer Technician, Lifeguard, and Businesswoman
Too many places say they won’t hire youth because youth don’t have experience – nobody’s going to get experience if you don’t teach them. They’e not going to want to get experience if they have an interest and you just shut them down all the time. When I was 14 I wanted to cook, but for all the cooking jobs you had to be 16. And look where I’m at now, I’m in technology because that’s the job that would take me. And I ended up loving it. One day when I get older, and I get into a system, I want to be able to say this is another 3D making shop – a maker shop. You can come here and you can learn skills. I want to also be able to create those opportunities for youth.
The Largest Unemployed Population Excluded from The Economic Recovery Plan
Young people are facing barriers to their future like never before. The pandemic is crushing the economy and our new reality has made many jobs extinct. As leaders, executives, and lawmakers start discussing recovery and more importantly rebuilding our workforce, the youth voice is not invited to the conversation.
As unemployment numbers rise, youth employment opportunities also start to disappear. Our young people are and will continue to be, disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the racial injustices in our country. Many of them will find themselves disconnected meaning jobless or not in school. Over the next few months, it’s forecasted that 1 in 4 youth will be forced out of the workforce before they even have the chance to enter it. That’s 25% of youth, approximately 9 million young people between the ages of 14-24 who will face barriers.