Originally Posted by
DiscoMick
Yes, you're right, it was a brief and flippant response, as I was engrossed in the tennis, so sorry about that.
What I meant was that we have a national youth problem and the participants in your scheme are examples of that. Society isn't generating the entry level jobs needed to meet the demand because many of those jobs are being automated or exported and not everyone wants to be in hospitality, retail or aged care. Trade training funding has also been slashed and companies and governments aren't creating the apprenticeships that used to exist in the past.
Your scheme is a welcome example of an attempt to break the cycle, as you say, but what we actually need is to go back a step and prevent the cycle. That's easier said than done, of course. The genie is well and truly out of the bottle and can't be put back.
In Aboriginal terms, the past has broken down and is difficult to revive. It can only work if the people involved own the process. Forcing people into a scheme designed in Canberra may not work unless the tribe wants it. This isn't surprising as its also true in wider society. How many outside schemes are being run in our local areas with limited success because the locals haven't embraced them? It's very difficult.
So, it's great that schemes such as yours have been tried and I'm sure some people did benefit. Kudos for having a go.