By Andrea Teran | Partnerships and Fundraising Director
¨Going to University was not something I planned. Today, I can say that I have a different mentality, that I love to learn, that my newly achieved knowledge is reflected in my grades and in my effort, that I am proud to by a college student at ULACIT… furthermore, I love to know that I have people that believe in me and that support me in my personal and professional projects. I am deeply thankful with Fundación Acción Joven not only for helping me believe in myself, but for teaching me how to fly.¨
Anthony, Participant in the Youth Employability Program
Anthony is 18 years old, he lives in the vulnerable community of Alajuelita. For the past year he has been working in the Human Resource Department at BCT Bank. Anthony is also a student at ULACIT University where he is studying Business Administration.
Cristian is 18, also from Alajuelita, and is currently finishing a technical degree in Banking and Finance Cristian was recently hired in Bridgestone Costa Rica as an Administrative Assistant, after having concluded a three month professional internship.
Saneth is 20, she is from the urban marginal community of La Carpio. Saneth recently graduated from a Technical Program in Administrative Management at Universidad Latina, and is currently working in the financial department at Evonik, a German multinational company specialized in the chemical industry, with its financial service center for Latin America located in Costa Rica.
Anthony, Cristian, and Saneth are only three of the 3828 students that have participated in Fundación Acción Joven´s Youth Employability program during the last five years. All of them where students of public high schools in which FAJ implemented the Program, and benefited from the participatory workshops, attended company visits to achieve better understanding of the formal job sector and its requirements, and elaborated a life plan with short, mid and long term goals. Through this activities Fundación Acción Joven was able to identify them, to elaborate an individual profile, provide close follow up, and to connect them with further opportunities of higher education and employment.
Currently, Costa Rica is the Central American country with the highest numbers of youth unemployment, with an approximate of 172,136 youth between 15 and 24 years of age that are neither working nor studying. This has very serious implications in terms of economic and social stability and represents a serious challenge that must be attended. Vulnerable youth that are outside the educational system and do not have a formal job are especially vulnerable to being recruited by gangs, participate in illicit activities, and make life choices that separate them from the possibility to achieve social mobility.
Fundación Acción Joven has been working with vulnerable youth for the past 11 years. This has allowed us to understand that in order to generate a real impact in the lives of our youth it is necessary to transcend the very important technical knowledge, and generate spaces to allow each person`s aspirations and dreams to emerge and flourish. Thanks to your solidarity, our organization has been able to continue impacting at risk youth and offering them with opportunities to continue with their personal and professional development.
During 2017 the Youth Employability Program was implemented in 18 public high schools located in 6 of the 7 provinces of Costa Rica, impacting a total of 1218 vulnerable youth. Your generosity has allowed us to continue strengthening the program, opening new alternatives of advancement for costarican youth, and supporting our organization in its goal to lead the way in the construction of a more equal and inclusive society with real opportunities for young people in Costa Rica.
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