The youth of the CNMI—where is it headed?

Do any of us know or think about where the youth of the CNMI is headed? This morning let’s discuss this vital issue for the conclusions will predict what the CNMI will be like in the future?

Is anyone undertaking a survey to measure what the youth of the CNMI are planning to do with their lives and the problems facing them? Are we considering what their thoughts and plans are? Their attitudes about the world around them? The impact of the Internet on them? And the blending of races in our community? The lack of opportunities? What are the reasons they are not coming back after schooling in the United States? These are some of the real issues that we should be addressing. Are we?

Isn’t the better understanding our youth important enough so that we can plan where we will be in the next few years? Unless our youth are imbedded with positive and optimism for the future, will the CNMI be a good place to live? What if the young keep moving away? What type of youth remains?

Since the Northern Marianas Trades Institute began some three years ago, I have seen over 400 students of various ages troop in and out of it. I am happy to report that some of them are still with us. But too many simply dropped out. As hard as we have tried we have not been able to find the causes for the many dropouts.

One of NMTI’s most cooperative agencies, the Workforce Investment Agency, has been funding many students who passed their assessment. But I am sad to report that many of these students simply varnished even after their tuition was fully paid for.

After pleading with many recipients of NAP food stamps to attend the institute while receiving food stamps, few take advantage. For example, we recruit about 60 students then when the start date arrives only two or three show up!

SHEFA reports that almost none of the students that attend college off-island return to live and work here. They prefer to stay in the United States. I honestly don’t blame them. Tell me what is there for a young educated boy or girl to return to here? Are they to be shuffled into a dull government job and hibernate until retirement? Even that job is no longer attractive to the older citizen.

Where can a young person obtain a decent job with a decent future here? We still prefer having nonresident workers fill positions that offer any attraction. When will we change this and make opportunities for our own young people who would like to return here?

How many accountants are local college graduates? How many managers in various companies are local young men and women or even placed in a training position? But we have many nonresident workers filling those positions.

We are facing a great and frightening youth unemployment crisis and seem to be unaware of it. We have a generation of young workers who are in danger of being permanently sidetracked in the labor market and disconnected from society.

A recent issue of Time Magazine reports: “Research shows that the long-term unemployed tend to be depressed, suffer greater health problems and even a shorter life expectancy. In the U.S. the youth unemployment rate is now 24 percent compared with the overall rate of 9.1 percent. If and when these young people return to work, they’ll earn 20 percent less over the next 15 to 20 years than peers who were employed.” Doesn’t this also apply to our youth in the CNMI? Do we know? Do we care?

One of the most needed is the training of our youth to become technically trained in the multitude of industries. We need plumbers, electricians, air conditioning technicians, computer specialists, accountants, managers, painters, teachers, nurses, doctors—the list goes on and on. Notice the list includes both academic and technical trained personnel. I recently studied a list of occupations that numbered over 900. How many of these do you think exist here?

Every year, as we did recently, we witness a great number of students graduating from schools and colleges. Where do they go? Shouldn’t we be concerned? How can we stop this brain drain? How can we motivate our youth to fill in the places that we are or will be vacating soon?

Let’s look at some of the problems facing youth today. If we recall our own youth, we remember that these were the same for us. How have we coped with them? What assistance and guidance did we receive?

Perhaps the most fundamental problem faced by young people is unemployment. Many of the jobs previously available have been eliminated through technology or exported to lower paying wage countries. As a result unemployment creates financial worries, frustration, and discouragement. Therefore many youth cannot cope with the situation and go into an undesirable direction of delinquency, drugs, vandalism, stealing, etc.

Another problem facing young people is the tension which exists between parents and children. It is common for strained relationships to develop between parents and young people. This can be seen especially in families of lower income. Too often we parents forget that what the child sees us do he thinks is the accepted norm. I feel so sad when I read about husband abuse of the wife. The youth sees this and when he becomes an adult he feels it is the norm on how to treat a woman.

Teenager pregnancies and venereal diseases are also common problems facing the youth. As a result of any early pregnancy, both the male and female greatly eliminate their opportunities for growth and education. Perhaps the most important is the risk of catching the deadly disease of AIDS.

While many of our youth attend church today, an equal or even greater number do not attend. Also it has been noted that many youth are questioning the doctrines of the church and as a result begin seeking other means of spiritual satisfaction. This escape often leads to promiscuous conduct resulting in further failure to find happiness and fulfillment.

Another problem facing youth today is our adult hypocrisy. Too often our actions belie our words. We break promises. Too often we set bad examples while being leaders in our community. Is it any wonder that youth becomes disillusioned?

I have only touched on some of the more fundamental problems for young people. Through this discussion, I hope that it will serve as a vehicle for helping our young people today and to appreciate and understand the need to help them cope with their emerging lives. Hopefully the schools and other organizations will pick up on what I am discussing in this article. Let’s begin motivating our youth or accept a worsening of the situation in the CNMI.

We constantly say that our young people are the leaders of tomorrow. Consequently it is incumbent that we as adults become aware of the need to guide them. We must be their mentors. Remember the youth reflect us—our beliefs, our actions! What are we showing them that they can emulate? Are we good role models? Unless we begin taking an interest now, we will be losing out most valuable asset—the youth who will make a better CNMI!

Unless we take a survey of what is running through their heads and what their fears and plans are, how can we plan for the future? Remember as we sow so we shall reap. Our youth are our future! Let’s begin now to help them. Let the survey begin and let the action that should follow begin. Time is of the essence. Think—Where are the youth of the CNMI headed? Happy Fourth of July to all!