It has been a sad truth for years now how hard it is for the youth: youth unemployment has steadily worsened, the lack of affordable extracurricular programs, persistent child poverty especially for Indigenous youth, and the lack of supports like mental health. COVID restrictions caused a very worrying trend of mental health issues and youth anxiety over climate change is worsening. The world has only gotten more complicated and confusing, and with the internet and social media adding more distraction and opportunities for bullying, navigating this uncharted territory is not easy.
Youth Job Guarantee
One of the easiest ways to keep youth engaged and learning to be responsible is through employment. We need a youth job guarantee, so any person aged 12 to 18 can have paid work if they so desire.
The work can take so many different forms as there are lots of low-skill jobs that need to be done around the city, from picking up trash in parks and on streets, to aiding the elderly, to helping run more summer camps for children. All the little things that we need done, that we don’t have enough low wage workers to do, could be employing our youth.
Funding such a program would be easy if Toronto were to adopt its own digital currency (more on that here). We could generate all kinds of localized economic activity with such a program as it would not only employ the young, but then their wages would be spent at their local businesses. When there are valid economic alternatives to engage the youth, the potential exists to lower crime, increase socialization, and improve their outlook on the world.
Childcare
As a parent I can tell you how nerve-wracking finding childcare is, never mind affordable childcare. And even if we finally get $10/day care, that does not mean there will be enough spaces.
My son was on the waiting list for ABC Academy before he was even born, and immediately after enrollment he was on the waitlist for Kew Beach Daycare which was nearly half the price. We counted ourselves very lucky when he finally got into the YMCA afterschool program at Norway.
Toronto cannot wait for senior levels of government to get their act together, childcare spaces need to be created, starting yesterday. The easiest way to do this is using Toronto’s increasing supply of underutilized schools. It is truly perplexing why none of the suggestions for increasing childcare spaces include this option, schools are ready for use immediately, and are already in a setting with all the necessary amenities and nestled in residential neighbourhoods.
Programs and Services for Children
Every parent signing their child up for a city program like swimming or gymnastics knows the pain of being on their computer at 6:30am, waiting for the 7am signup to start, and even though they hit that button right at 7am they end up stuck in a queue, clicking and clicking for their turn. And then almost every program you might want is already booked by 7:10.
The city must find new ways to expand programs for children. City programs are the most affordable and usually located very centrally in communities. Obviously space is an issue, many facilities already run close to capacity, but we can do better. We must find ways to maximize the utility of existing spaces, look at how we might build expansions on them, and ensure new buildings contain ample space for such programs, not just childcare.