Earlier this week, our Latvian member Diakonija Latvija announced it would start cooperating with Riga Municipality to offer young people not in employment nor study a personalised mentorship program to help them in their career path.
Young people will be supported by a mentor for a period ranging from 1 to 4 months, which also includes an activities program to help participants understand better their drivers, passions and key strengths to access the job market. Moreover, through the help of specialists and workshops, young people will gain a range of skills to further boost their employment opportunities.
Aside from helping young people accessing the job market, this initiative also promotes youth participation in volunteering activities, cultural exchanges, and outdoor and sports activities. The program is free of charge, which makes it accessible to all interested participants.
At Eurodiaconia, we are involved in the active inclusion of youth into society and the labour market. Recognising that young people are a particularly vulnerable group, and that youth unemployment is still high in some member states, we commend on such initiatives that promote social inclusion and also serve as a prevention against radicalisation. On that topic, we have recently released a policy paper on the prevention of youth radicalisation, which includes many interesting insights on this broad topic.
If you would like to know more about Diakonija Latvija’s project, please visit the organisation’s webpage.
If you would like to know more about our policy work on youth inclusion, please read our policy paper.