What is the need for a Youth Project? Significant barriers (such as poor or limited access to information and support) exist for youth dealing with workplace injuries, diseases, and/or disabilities. Therefore, improving access to information and creating support systems are important issues to be addressed by this project.

Other barriers to be addressed by a Youth Project:

•  The public perception that "youth" injured at the workplace are not really injured workers. Since many young people may not yet be supporting families or working at a career, the perception exists that injuries at this time are insignificant.

•  That communities do not recognize the anguish experienced by a young person injured, diseased, or disabled as a result of a work accident. Their frustrations and experience are unique to their stage of life. Often such experiences as financing post-secondary education, travel, buying a first home, or participating fully in extracurricular events become impossibilities for injured and/or disabled youth. Young workers unable to return to their pre-accident job may experience a severe loss of self-esteem, depression, and/or anger at not being able to work during the prime of their lives.

•  The difficulties experienced by a young injured workers' family (parents, siblings) are often ignored. The financial, emotional, and physical demands of living on their own may become too much for many youth with workplace injuries and/or disabilities. Family members may find them living at home for much longer than they had expected.

•  The lack of resource material geared specifically to youth. Information on workplace injuries, disabilities, return to work initiatives, compensation and support systems specific to young adults must be made available.

•  Prevention is another focus of this initiative. In 1995, seven workers (ages 15 to 24) were killed on the job; 100 lost an eye, an arm or a leg, and 18,000 others were injured in some other way. A project such as the one we are proposing needs to draw the attention of youth to these issues. Hopefully, the result would be a lowered number of young people suffering from workplace-related injuries and diseases.

What needs to be included in a Youth Project?

•  Education, including material focusing on prevention and safe workplace practices, is necessary. What are the worker's rights and responsibilities?

•  For those injured or experiencing workplace disease, what are their rights and responsibilities in terms of compensation and returning to work? Support must be provided.

•  For young people that may find themselves in the position of employer, what are the employer's rights and responsibilities? How can they provide healthy and safe work places to their employees and how can they best deal with injured and disabled workers? Many large employers have Health and Safety programs, but unfortunately, smaller employers often don't have the same resources or priorities. Young people most often start out working with smaller employers.

We believe this initiative is important because as a society, we benefit from the working contributions of our members, including our youth. Increasing numbers of young adults with workplace injuries, diseases, and/or disabilities, experiencing a lack of support, will result in socioeconomic costs to all of us. We have a responsibility to provide our youth with the tools they require to take care of themselves before, during, and after workplace injury or disease. Before - by preventing accidents through education about the workplace. During - by being aware of their rights and responsibilities, knowing where to find support, and working together for change. After - by learning how to return to work after being injured, integrating back into the community, and finding continual support.