Jobless youth, aboriginal education are focus of community foundations report

This article was distributed to print and broadcast media across Canada by The Canadian Press, Canada’s national news agency and written by Anne-Marie Tobin.  

TORONTO — Concerns about young people, including the unemployed and aboriginal students who are at risk of dropping out of school, are a major focus of a report released Tuesday by Community Foundations of Canada. 

The Vital Signs report compiles statistics on subjects that help reflect the health and well-being of people in communities across the country.

This year, the annual report highlights the rise in youth unemployment from 10.7 per cent in January 2008 to more than 16 per cent this past summer in the midst of the economic downturn. It also notes that 19.2 per cent of students looking for summer jobs were out of luck.

"It's really been youth who have become even more vulnerable than they have in the past," said Monica Patten, president and CEO of the organization, which represents 165 community charitable foundations. "The figures for youth trying to find a job tell us that it has been tougher."

She noted that statistics varied across the country, and some communities experienced the downturn more severely than others. 

Community charitable foundations are tackling the question about how to respond, Patten said.

She pointed to a Toronto sports leadership development program that provides training and accreditation to young people, allowing those from marginalized communities to develop skills such as lifeguarding that will lead to work.

In this program, Patten noted, about 400 young people from 13 communities have received training, and a very high percentage - three-quarters - have completed programs and found work. 

The report also highlights statistics showing that 39.3 per cent of Inuit Canadians 15 and older completed high school, while the rate for aboriginals on reserves was 40.5 per cent. Overall, the high school completion rate for aboriginal Canadians was 56.3 per cent in 2006, compared to 76.9 per cent among non-aboriginals. 

"This has huge implications for their future, for their work, for their sense of self-worth, for their productivity. And that has huge implications for the whole country," said Patten. 

The 165 foundations provided $169 million to local charities and organizations in 2008. Patten said they received $230 million in new gifts in 2008, whereas in the past, they've received more than $300 million a year. 

Investments were way down at one point, but are now reporting a slow but comfortable and steady return, she said. However, it will take several years to get back to where they were a few years ago. 

Besides the statistics on young people, the report highlighted several issues dealing with the population at large:

-Violent crime has fallen 12 per cent since 1991.

-Low birth weight increased from 5.7 per cent in 2002 to 6.1 per cent in 2008, in part due to more pre-term births linked to fertility treatments, an increase in maternal age and C-sections.

-Housing has become less affordable. The average home price in Canada was 3.23 times the average pre-tax income in 2000. By 2006, it had risen to 4.35 times the average pre-tax income.

-Ninety-eight per cent of Canadians with access to recycling programs were taking part in the programs.

-The median charitable donation rose from $170 in 1997 to $250 in 2007, but the proportion of Canadians declaring charitable donations dropped from 25.7 per cent to 24 per cent.

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