Hello. My name is Farrah Todosichuk, and I have been asked to speak to you today of my personal experience and perception of the economic prospects of young women in Canada.
This past June, I graduated from the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus on the dean's list, with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a specialization in gender women studies.
Like many young women across the country, I endeavoured to pay for my university education on my own. I worked hard, received scholarships, and received financing in the way of student loans in order to pay for my education. I am proud to have finished my degree, to have done really well, and to have really enjoyed my studies.
Right now, as I appear before you, I am also sitting with a tremendous amount of debt, however, and to be honest, I feel at a loss on how to proceed. The issue for me is that I don't have any professional experience, and without that, I find myself unable to access the potential careers that my degree can offer.
For the time being, I am working two minimum-wage jobs; however, my earnings are not yet enough, unfortunately, for me to pay for daily life and for me to make my student loan repayments. What is more, I find that working these two jobs disables my ability to access volunteer opportunities where I could build my resumé and build my networks in order to find and secure a job in my field. In this way, I find myself in a position of stagnation, unable to find and fill a position that pertains to my degree without the experience I need to attain it.
On top of this, the reality is that I have $35,000 worth of loans that are accumulating interest. Through this process, I've become like many women in Canada who are working minimum-wage jobs: I find myself now living below Canada's poverty line.
From my experience and from my conversations with friends across the board, I see that youth in Canada need more support in terms of career and financial guidance. Young women need help to build their skills, to broaden their resumés and to get the experience they need in order to make the transition from school to employment more successful.
I feel that if investments are made to work with individuals in a proactive manner, providing support, training, and services during school or before the majority of these individuals are burdened with the full responsibility of financial independence, this gap can be overcome. What is more, this guidance does not have to be specific to students or people who want to attend university. It could also be made relevant to younger and older women who are entering into or returning to the working world. This supportive financial guidance could also be made beneficial to the men of our society who are also making similar transitions.
When I was asked to speak to you today, I was overjoyed by the opportunity. This journey has been yet another positive and eye-opening experience for me. Through this, I realize that my economic position is similar to that of a vast variety of women across Canada.
Furthermore, I understand that my position is still a positive one. There are many women who face barriers and hold responsibilities that go way beyond mine. When you consider women with children, with disabilities, or with other obstacles of self-esteem or social standing, it is absolutely remarkable how broad the continuum really can be between those with financial stability and those without.
Although this has been short, I hope that what I have shared with you today helps to stress the importance of support service organizations such as the YWCA, and that in the future we continue to focus on the ways in which we can better enable the economic prospects of women in Canada.
Thanks.