Engaging high risk youth is the most urgent social problem that all governments need to face. Tourism and development will be much more effective.
All of the talk about crimes committed by drug dealers, car thieves, murderers and so on centre around the problems of unemployment in the high-risk youth age category. Real life inequality both in terms of economic standing but also opportunity is at its root. This is not a racial divide, at least in many countries where most people are non-white but becomes a racial divide in Western countries where mostly white skinned people have the best opportunities and mostly non-white do not. This includes opportunities for personal betterment in education and social standing but more importantly, economic standing.
The pattern is the same everywhere. Young men with a lot of energy, generally dissatisfied with their lot in life are easily influenced by evil men with an agenda. This agenda is intended to co-opt these youth into a life of criminal activity, usually as small-time drug dealers but could involve most any sort of illegal activity. The young, high-risk men are seen as being low-value and disposable.
As a result, many young men are tempted into gangs where they feel a sort of kinship with other like minded young men.
This, in itself is very bad for these young men but the problem is that government leaders also see these young men as mostly worthless. They portray the young men as lazy, aimless and un-motivated. They are seen as trouble-makers and generally relegated to a position of low social esteem. But the young men are not the problem.
Indeed, nothing could be farther from the truth. Clearly, these young men are highly motivated to move ahead in the world. They are willing to take enormous risks to achieve this, including risking their own death.
In fact, these young men are a resource that is key to social progress. They are also highly intelligent and can learn given the right environment and motivation to do so.
Unfortunately, the young men see that there is little chance to get what they want anytime soon and this pushes them to a state of desperation.
These are the properties that evil men seize upon: They appeal to the young men to rise up and take a chance to get those things that the young men most want.
They are given a feeling of power, self-esteem and the impression that this is what they are meant to do, that this is 'their' place in the world.
This has always been the case. Restless young men, caught between childhood and developing into adults is usually seen as problematic. In the past, the way to deal with them was often to enlist them into the military. The way to deal with them was to discipline them, to forcefully direct them, to 'tell them what to do', until they acquiesce.
In more recent times, this has not been the pattern and young men have been basically set adrift to find their own way. The general way to deal with their restlessness has been to basically wait it out. The problem is that the recruiters for gangs, or drug dealers and insurgencies are seizing upon this period of metamorphosis as the opportune time to enlist them into the service of crime.
The problem now is that there are much greater risks that young men will fall into the trap of recruiters that want them to do 'their' dirty work. Drug dealing and insurgencies are their field of expertise, their 'theatre' so to speak, and the young men are being enlisted to basically die in the trenches of these wars. And they are. And the young men are being given the feeling that they are performing some sort of 'valuable service'. Undermining greater social values is being sold to them as a value that needs to be done and the young men are going to be the ones to do it.
Probably, they are being told that there is great fortune that awaits them, if they only do this thing or that thing. The young men, believing this lie, are tempted into taking enormous risks, not fully aware of the consequences of these actions.
And Society blames the young men, not the source of the problem, which is the recruiters for these evil, organized crime gangs, drug dealers or insurgents. In point of fact, the young men are usually ignorant of what is happening to them, until it is too late1.
So, this is what our leaders also must do: Find ways to help these young men get what they so desparately want. Recruit them, like the gang recruiters are doing, but direct them in ways that will help them celebrate their thirtieth birthday.
Society may be gradually moving in the direction of giving young men real, attainable opportunities and goals and to set into directions that will help them get there. Its not easy to transition but this is the only way to get these young men into contributory roles for the benefit of Society. Frankly, Society need to get out of the mode of 'every man for himself' kind of self-destructive thinking. No single man can ultimately succeed if everyone else fails. Success is relative as well as being contextual. Unfortunately, we're no longer in the social context where success is available to all members equally.
Success, as seen in the context of wealth accummulation, is only available to those who are already wealthy. This disparity, or inequity, is what is driving the greatest part of social upheaval. Money attracts money but the problem is that most people don't have it. If you don't have it, chances are you won't. So, again, recruiters seize this as the opportunity to attract young men.
So, that is the crux of the matter. Our leaders, in effect, need to focus their attention on these young men to place them where they see themselves as worthwhile. Direct them into a channel to positively use their creative energy and drive.
See: Crime and Tourism
Youth Unemployment and Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean, Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), August 16, 2013
1. Ignorant in the sense that they just don't know, not some sort of deliberate act, although this can happen too. Some young men are just willfully destined to take themselves to heights of danger but, hopefully they are the exception and not the rule.