(The following article is from the May 1-15,  2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

The 25th Central Convention of the Young Communist League-Ligue de la jeunesse comuniste (YCL-LJC) will be held May 21-23 in Toronto. We reprint here some excerpts from Part 2 of the Call to the 25th Convention, the section on the situation of young workers during the present global economic crisis.

     The economic crisis is rooted in the systemic crises of the capitalist system. It has come about at the same time as crises in environmental problems and food supply that have related but distinct origins.

     As we've said, while neo-liberalism has intensified the outcomes of the current crisis, the crisis "is not the result of the implementation of neoliberal policies such as free trade, deregulation, privatization, and anti-labour employment policies, etc.; rather, it is the inevitable outcome of the systemic crisis of capitalism itself."

     Now the crisis has matured. There is a major campaign to convince us that we have experienced a "jobless recovery." In fact there is no such thing...

     Internationally, the young workers have seen a major spike in unemployment. No other age group has been hit as hard. 1 in 5 youth are unemployed in the United Kingdom. The United States AFL-CIO labour union central calls this the "lost decade" for young workers. For third-world and global South's unemployed, youth are the majority.

     Young workers [especially from the "second" and "third" worlds] are the first victims of labour market deregulation, produced by imperialist globalization, with alarming results. Millions of young workers are unemployed, sub-employed or working in slavery-like conditions without health or social security. They are homeless and persecuted emigrants, as well as child labour. A whole generation of young workers are in material and spiritual ruin, with no promising future.

     The capitalists are claiming that the debt and deficits incurred to "fix" the crisis must be resolved by anti-people and anti-youth measures, like:

•  reduced accessibility and privatization of education, transit, housing, dental care, and childcare;

•  even lower rates of youth unionization, ageist two-tier collective agreements, poorer wages;

•  and even more debt.

     The consolidation of these plans by imperialism are found on the state budget-level, and special trade agreements. Those hit hardest include Indigenous youth; youth from racialized communities; young women; youth in sub-Saharan Africa; youth in countries subject to imperialist wars, occupations and blockades.

     The intense ideological offensive designed (a) to divide the working class, including scapegoating, racism, anti-communism, etc, and (b) convince people that a recovery is in full-swing.

     Efforts to convince the youth through the corporate media and culture that "the crisis has ended" have broadened to include campaigning for the hearts and minds of the youth, for their vision of a better future. etc. The methods are sophisticated although the basic message is sometimes very crude, found in all media.

     ...On the other hand, genuine anti-imperialist efforts have been seen globally:

•  outpouring of support by the youth for the revolutions of Latin America, both on that continent and internationally;

•  the resistance of the youth in Honduras;

•  international youth support for the Cuban Five;

•  strikes and actions of the Greek youth and workers;

•  resistance of the German, Austrian and French students;

•  sharp criticism by the ANC Youth and Young Communist League of South Africa of neo-liberalism;

•  rejection by young Americans of Bush and the war in Iraq;

•  rise in youth support of the Japanese Communist Party;

•  global outrage by the youth about climate change, seen at militant protests in Copenhagen.

     These fight backs on the surface have a strong spontaneous dynamic, but in fact are part of organized struggle. Often they are connected with the specific work of youth organizations.

     The most advanced global expression of anti-imperialist resistance is the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). We also express our hope for strengthening the International Union of Students. The continuation of the World Festival of Youth and Students movement is a terrific step forward. It should be greeted with the greatest energy and enthusiasm by our YCL-LJC.