Pivotal: major new research shows NI young want better job prospects and and end to paramilitary activity

Young people across Northern Ireland are anxious about future job prospects and issues such as paramilitary activity and illegal drugs, major new research revealed today (Thursday).

In terms of the education system, they feel schools do not prepare them well enough - with the main focus on exams.

And with regard to paramilitarism and drugs, they see both issues as intertwined and want to see them tackled head-on.

These were some of the findings of new surveys by the independent think-tank Pivotal.

'Youth Solutions for Building a Better Community in Northern Ireland' looked at how local young people view society and how it has shaped their lives.

Ann Watt, Director of Pivotal, explained: “The importance of this research was in giving young people a platform to really voice their opinions, with room to talk at length and explain their thoughts in detail.

“A number of themes emerged. These reflected the findings of our previous research on young people’s views, which was carried out via anonymous polling. At the same time, the focus groups produced a wide range of individual voices.

“Young people are keenly aware that they have grown up in a divided society. They want that to change. They are far from naïve about how that might be achieved, and have quite clear ideas about what they want to see, both in terms of residential and educational mixing.

“When it comes to education, they want more practical help to prepare them for the world beyond school. They want positive relationships with teachers who see them all as individual people.

“They are unimpressed with prospects in the local jobs market. This is seen as the number one reason for why a young person would leave Northern Ireland. "

In addition, those surveyed said they had a number of other concerns

"They see drugs and paramilitarism as intertwined issues and want to see a lot more done to tackle both. Drugs are seen as both a problem that can harm the mental health of people that use them, and also create a more dangerous society in general," Ann added.

Young people further reported that segregation between Catholic and Protestant areas continued to influence their lives with most of them saying they lived in single-community residential areas.

Closely linked to segregation were worries about ongoing sectarianism.

Some said they felt fear when in areas seen as belonging to a different community background than their own. This fear was particularly acute among young people who live in interface areas.

Pivotal’s latest research paper was based on 12 focus-group discussions with almost 100 young people, which took place between April and June this year. The young people held in-depth conversations on community issues, education, and training and employment.

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