Sally Lerner wrote:
> >I'd be interested in commentsto this list on an idea that some of us feel
> >would be far better than the coercive and punitive Ontario Works Program.
> >It's very simple: find people on assistance who *want* to work and/or
> >train. Then help them find volunteer work positions (and provide 'work
> >readiness mentoring' if needed) and help them find funding for the training
> >they need/want (not surprisingly, most people on assistance don't have
> >money for training courses.)
>
I agree very much with this approach, although one of the problems I see
both with Workfare and with this approach is that unless there is some
realistic expectation that there may be a job at the end of it...then it
really is just make-work and another form of blaming the victim ie. the
reason you are unemployed is because you lack job readiness "life"etc.etc.
skills or whatever the HRD buzz word of the day. This may be true but no
amount of life skilling/job readiness-inging (sp) is going to do much in
the absence of real employment opportunities.
Now those employment opportunities could come from the public
sector--as us FWers know, there is a lot of "work" to be done even if
there aren't paid jobs to wrap around them, but (IMHO) only
transitioning (other-wise employable youth) or de-classe middle class
folks are going to make very much out of short term, contract "social"
sector employment (anyone else remember Opportunities For Youth and the
"counter sector that it resulted in).
I think what Sally is suggesting works, for example we have made it work
with some ex-TAGS (transitioning ex-fisher) folks here in Nova Scotia but
it didn't just happen by creating a program... it took a lot of money
time and effort at creating contexts out of which real
employment/employment opportunities were able to emerge.
Governments looking for quick fixes/magic bullets don't have the patience
to put that kind of investment into the mix.
No verdict--possible but unlikely
regs
Mike Gurstein
