After the troubles in the West Indies at the end of last year, how can we respond to the economic turmoil of young people which is partly to blame? It has been more than a month since the French State launched consultations with unions and local communities in Martinique and Guadeloupe on ways to improve employment and local training for young people. Young people often tempted to give up or leave, for lack of prospects. The stake is all the more crucial as the population of the two territories is aging due to the exodus of this youth.
From our special correspondent in Perrin
The last fires of the mobilization crackle in Perrin in Guadeloupe. The police are preparing to raise one of the roadblocks symbolizing a protest against the lack of economic prospects for young people. Dimitri Cyrille presents himself as the spokesperson in Perrin for a youth who aspires to leave and never come back. “There are a lot of young people who have bac + 5, even more who come back because they want to stay in their territory, but they cannot find a job. So we understand. We cannot have done all these years of study only to end up being paid at the minimum wage … », Underlines Dimitri Cyrille.
Anaïs, 24 years old and with a master’s degree in law in her pocket, had to give up her dream: to become a judicial officer, because it forced her to leave her island, Martinique. “To do the training of judicial officer, that changed when I did my master’s degree. I had to go to the metropolis and I did not see myself leaving », She explains.
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The choice of young local graduates
After several food jobs, it is in a notary’s office as formalist that she lands, managed by Maître Sébastien Tripet. The notary partner does not regret having bet on the training of young local graduates.
“When you bring in people from metropolitan France, they arrive here, but it is not their country of origin. We do not know how long they will stay while the Martinican who is hired here, we know that it is not someone who will go in the opposite direction. He is someone who will stay in Martinique and who will be happy to have found a jobHe said. Then add: “We have a study with a lot of young people, we have some who were hired two, three, four years ago and who already have mastered the position I hold.“
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Restore hope to young people and make them want to participate in society
Hired on a permanent contract, Anaïs went through the local Mission in Cité Lacroix, a district which caught fire in November. But for Jean-Michel Loutoby its director, local youth cannot be reduced to the explosion of this winter.
We have roughly 1,000 to 1,200 young people who go into employment each year. In training, we have about 300 or 400 young people entering training. There is still something being done in the territory. There are people who manage to get by. And then all those who need a helping hand, need support, need a click … Our role is to give them hope and make them want to be in this society and participate in this society, to ensure that young people have confidence in themselves, and that they have confidence in the future.
But in order not to fuel future social explosions in the West Indies and keep the youth there, we have to think far, says the expert. Start thinking today with integration professionals and companies about the jobs and skills that the region will need in 15, even 30 years.