The voices behind youth unemployment

Prof. Peter Pawlowsky and Aylin Gözalan at the Chemnitz University of Technology have launched in cooperation with the New Club of Paris a project called “Re-Energizing Europe” which deals with social innovation in Europe and the employment chances of the young generation.

The first results of this student initiative (video interviews; facebook site) were presented at the NCP Luxembourg winter meeting in February 2013 and in June 2013 at the IC 9 World Bank conference in Paris.

The basic assumption of the project is that the European cohorts from the 60s on were brought up in the belief that education and knowledge are the most important resources for development, advancement and personal realization in life. This education promise was part of a generational and societal contract involving economic prosperity and future perspectives.
With the deep economic crisis, especially in southern Europe this educational contract is violated dramatically. In Southern Europe large parts of the younger generation with high education and good qualifications are without a chance and are considered as a „lost generation“. This is scandalous not only because of the individual destinies but also because of the tremendous waste of Human Capital and motivational energy.

The New Club of Paris (NCP) which is a global, impartial and neutral organization devoted to subjects of the knowledge society requests the innovation of a new generation contract. On occasion of the conference called in by Chancellor Angela Merkel to Berlin on July 3rd on the subject of youth unemployment in Europe this international “Think Club” raises its concerns. The New Club of Paris is convinced, that the so far valid “generation contract” has been inversed considering the fact, that more and more elder have to finance the younger with increasingly no income. The Club claims, that a new generation contract must be found.

The New Club of Paris pleads that beyond the results to be achieved at the Chancellor’s office in Berlin for immediate action, also some fundamental projects need to be started with the aim to identify and implement new rules for establishing a much more innovative social and educational policy in Europe. For this purpose the Club has drafted a discussion paper on the subjects under discussion in Berlin suggesting up to six elaboration projects, the specifications can be downloaded from http://www.new-club-of-paris.org/Generation-Paper-of-NCP (docx file format)

More information can be called from:
1. Prof. Dr. Peter Pawlowsky & Aylin Gözalan, M. A., Chemnitz University of Technology,
Department of Economics and Business Administration, Institute of Personnel Management and Leadership Studies
p.pawlowsky@wirtschaft.tu-chemnitz.de
aylin.goezalan@wirtschaft.tu-chemnitz.de
2. Prof. Leif Edvinsson, President of The New Club of Paris
leifedvinsson@gmail.com
3. Prof. Günter Koch, General Secretary of The New Club of Paris
koch@execupery.com

For further information on the project see:
https://www.facebook.com/EnergyForEurope or
http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/wirtschaft/bwl6/videos

(Author: Prof. Dr. Peter Pawlowsky)