Next Generation Myanmar > 15 Training opportunities Political involvement ‘The future of the youth is bright because there are many groups and social organisations that promote the skills of the youth. Before I joined the Red Cross, I had no clue of the outside world.’ Many others cited their greater political freedoms as reason for optimism. Youth expressed appreciation for their expanded freedoms of expression and association, even while noting these freedoms are still constrained. Some highlighted the fact that today’s youth can now participate in political activities wholly denied to generations before them. Some youth interviewed in this study believed these freedoms will allow young people to enjoy greater influence over public affairs, pushing issues most important to them. Student activist, male, Mon State, age 26 Thanks to the greater number of training opportunities available, many young people felt their future goals were more achievable. They explained that training offered in their areas by local CSOs and international NGOs, particularly vocational trainings, gave youth a chance to build valuable new skills – an opportunity that only recently became available. They hoped that skills could then translate into greater opportunities for education or employment, and even greater political awareness. ‘If I think of the five years to come, I believe the situation will get a lot better. There were no CSOs previously. Now that there are a lot more CSOs, I believe they will give a hand to the youths, providing trainings where young people can improve their communications and public speaking skills.’ Student, female, Kayin State, age 20 ‘I believe the conditions of the youth will be better in five years from now because I can see that there are more and more training opportunities for the youth, which are offered by both local and international organisations.’ Male, Mrauk U, Rakhine State, age 23 ‘I believe that having youth working in CSOs is making them closer to politics rather than individual actions. Working in CSOs, you can be known by more people, you will get exposure to a lot of issues. [It helps youth] learn more about politics and keep increasing their knowledge.’ Lawyer, female, Shan State, age 25 ‘If we compare, in the previous regime, there was no press freedom. No freedom of expression. Now, things are getting better of course, but the transition is only halfway now. There are a lot more opportunities. For example, previously, CSOs could not organise trainings. The freedom of expression has been significantly increased also. Still, the public is not exercising the rights enough.’ CSO leader and peace activist, male, Kachin State, age 30 ‘More men and women work with the youth to involve them. They do training to involve them into political parties. The generation born after 2010 is promising. Others did not have the chance to take part in such activities.’ Student, male, Bago Region, age 24 Unemployment Youth consulted in this study tempered their optimism with a realistic account of difficulties that young people face in Myanmar. The priority youth placed on future employment as a goal reflects the fact that finding a job is a widespread concern now: 92.7 per cent of survey respondents reported being concerned about unemployment. The proportion was even greater among youth from border states, such as Kayah State (96.5 per cent), Kayin State (97.4 per cent), and Shan State (94.6 per cent). About one in four (26 per cent) of survey respondents said they were jobless and searching for work. In interviews and group discussions, several youth explained that they and their peers most often had to migrate to larger cities or neighbouring countries if they wanted to find a decent job. Some felt that youth who remained at home were more likely to get into trouble. ‘The problem also is that youth struggle to find job opportunities. Youth need to have money if they are to be involved in activities. Also, the question of drugs is impacting a lot of youth. In rural areas, there are only a few youth remaining, they often lost faith in their business as they are not earning enough, so they leave and go to urban centres or Yangon, even sometime abroad!’ CSO employee, female, Ayeyarwady Region, age 25 ‘I want to do volunteering, but I think there isn’t much opportunity here. There aren’t even job opportunities in Taunggyi. Of course, there are more opportunities to do volunteering than to find a job, but to find a proper job, you’d better go to Yangon.’ Lawyer, female, Shan State, age 25 ‘We cannot see many young people in the town. The youths are migrating to Hpakant and China as there are not many career opportunities in the region. Right after the youths pass the matriculation exam, they migrate to the places which are offering the jobs... ‘...the boys are having more difficulties in getting jobs in Kachin. It is one of the reasons that the current education does not relate to any vocational opportunities. Thus, the boys are migrating to Hpakant to find jades, and some are going to the other countries. As a consequence of rare job opportunities, youths are getting depressed and becoming addicted to drugs. There are not many households