Study on Young Canadian’s regarding Internet, Politics, and Integration

 By:Tanesha Thiru and Tim Thiru

Young Canadians are more connected than ever and at a surprisingly early age. The Second phase of the young Canadians in a wired world research project reveals that an astonishing 94 % of young people access the Internet from home with students as early as Grade 4 beginning has to rely on the “Internet to explore Social Roles. The most comprehensive wide ranging study of its kind in Canada the YCWW phase was initiated in 2003 with focus groups of parents and children and youth aged 11-17. These were followed up in 2005 with a national student Survey, conducted by Erin Research in classrooms that had participated in the 2001 youth from Grades 4-11 across the country furthers our understanding of how the online activities, behaviors and attitudes of Young Canadians have involved since 2001.

The Young Canadian leaders for a sustainable future program are undertaken within the Government of Canadian's youth employment strategy. Despite all the talk about Canada's changing demography, its aging society and general gaps there is little evidence of youth engagement in policy development. Instead there are signs of disaffection from the political process, an example of which is the low Turnout of youth in elections. The ongoing impact of many policy decisions means that youth of today will be the ones living with the results of those decisions. Engaging Young Canadians on what they see as the key policy issues of today and the future, understanding their hopes, expectations, and what they are prepared to commit to, and the values that underpin the choices they make, promises more sustainable and legimate policies.

For immigrants they are mechanism for integration into the Canadian Society. The students who participated in the Pisa Study came from 1, 200 schools across Canada. Each year about 200,000 immigrants arrive in Canada and about one- third is children and youth under the age of 25. In 1998, for example, among the 174,100 people who immigrated to Canada, about 65,140 were under 25 years of age, accounting for 37 percent of this group. Whether they came by themselves or with their families, these children and youth left behind friends and relatives and a familiar social system. Compared to adults, immigrant children and youth to face unique challenges-most notably getting used to the school system in Canada and balancing the Cultural values and behavior expended of children and youth in their home country with those of their new country.

While most studies on immigrants have tended to focus on the acculturation process for adults, there is little available research about how recent young immigrants are faring. Very recent immigrants who have been in Canada five years or less, that is, who landed between 2001and 2006, has the most difficulty integrating into the labor market ,Even though they were more likely than the Canadian-born population to have a university education. In 2006, the national unemployment rate for these immigrants was 11.5% more than double the rate of 4.9 % for the Canadian-born population.

Reference: Statistic Canada