Generation COVID Youth Panel: CQU Festival of Change
ON SEPTEMBER 1ST, CQUNIVERSITY HOSTED THE FIRST OF NINE EVENTS IN THEIR ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF CHANGE - A FREE ONLINE LEARNING FESTIVAL DESIGNED TO CELEBRATE AND INSPIRE CHANGEMAKING. THE 2020 FESTIVAL OF CHANGE FOCUSED ON OPPORTUNITIES TO TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES, GROW RESILIENCE AND DRIVE POSITIVE CHANGE.
Moderated by CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Klomp, the Generation Covid youth panel discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education, work opportunities and future planning for countless young people. Professor Klomp spoke with Santiago Mills, Chiamaka Ibeme, Dominic McCarthy, Mylee James, Kai Graz, and Diya John, six young people from diverse backgrounds who are facing these challenges, and their vision for a brighter future post-pandemic, and beyond.
The Panelists
Santiago Mills is a Wuthathi Aboriginal and Kulkalgul Torres Strait Islander man studying Bachelor of Construction Management with CQUniversity.
Santi is based in Cairns and has recently been the successful recipient of a BHP Scholarship. Santi is strongly grounded in his culture and his future goal is to complete his Degree and return to the islands to boost the economy by using innovative building techniques to improve infrastructure and the quality of life for the community. He hopes to inspire Indigenous youth to achieve whatever they set their mind to and break the barrier through positive role modelling.
Chiamaka Ibeme is A Masters of Information Technology student and aspiring software engineer. CQUni Change Champion Chiamaka moved from Nigeria to Melbourne for her studies, and knows the importance of being connected.
Chiamaka is focused on building future-of-work and software skills, securing internships and striving to flourish in the tech industry. She aims to develop and subsidise technology tools that help small businesses in their daily processes. She also hopes to inspire more young adults, especially females to get into STEM programs and be the change they want to see.
Dominic McCarthy is A second-year Bachelor of Business (Management) student, Dominic began his CQUniversity journey through the Start Uni Now (SUN) in high school, and is an enthusiastic Student Mentor.
He’s served on the Queensland International Student Advisory Panel and the Queensland Youth Engagement Panel, and is a current member of the Queensland Youth Advisory Council, Queensland Sexual Health Ministerial Advisory Committee Youth Advisory Group and the Mackay Regional Council Character and Heritage Advisory Committee. Dominic is the 2020 New Colombo Plan Scholar and Fellow for New Caledonia, as well as an Australian Delegate to the OECD Forum with Global Voices.
Kai Graz is a year 12 student at Emmaus College in Rockhampton. At school, he's the Academic Leader for his house, and Vice President of Interact - a school extension of a local Rotary club.
Kai hopes to study a dual degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science after he graduates high school. Kai is a passionate advocate for equity and equality for all people and enjoys discussing his opinions and hearing alternative points of view.
Mylee James is a year 10 student at Ringwood Secondary College in Melbourne. She is passionate about dance, music and travel and volunteers at her local netball club where she coaches an under 11's team.
Mylee loves helping people and is currently studying year 11 Biology as she hopes to study Exercise Science at University.
Diya John majors in Finance and Economics and a Diploma of Languages in Arabic at the University of Melbourne. She has interned with KPMG Deals M&A and is a Melbourne Microfinance Initiative Project Consultant with a Peruvian start-up.
Diya is passionate about social impact, as a founding member of the Scullin Youth Advisory Committee, a CALD women support group, Youth Advisor for the National Council of the Women of Victoria, and a 2016 participant in the United Nations CSW in New York. She aspires to work and volunteer with intergovernmental organisations.
Highlights from the Panel
(listen to the podcast for full details)
[Professor Nick Klomp] - I thought I might start with just a simple question - but is it really simple? I'm wondering when you think about the future and when you dream, what do you think your future holds for you? What do you hope for your future?
Santi, what are you thinking?
[Santiago Mills] - Definitely to kick off my construction career. I want to fulfil a niche market for Indigenous project managers, and I want to use my skill set to go back to the (Torres Strait) Islands and improve their quality of life. I feel really passionate about improving infrastructure. That's how I would do it.
Great, we're off to a flying start. Chiamaka, how do you respond when someone asks what you hope for in your future?
[Chiamaka Ibeme] - When I picture a bright future, I picture a future that allows me to be three things. One is to be inspiring to others, two is to be fulfilled in terms of a great family, love, friends and experiences, and three is to be financially stable. When I picture a bright future, these are the three things I really picture.
That's fantastic, thank you. Dominic, you’re next. What are you thinking?
[Dominic McCarthy] - For myself, a bright future is somewhere where we've got the opportunities to succeed. Whether that's at a university, things such as exchanges, internships, or extracurricular involvement. For me, a bright future would be the ability to work overseas, and travel abroad with different cultures and countries.
Wow, fantastic! You guys are really inspiring. Kai, you're next. What does your future hold?
[Kai Graz] - Similar to Chiamaka, I think financial stability, and personal fulfilment. Not sure how that looks yet, but I'm sure it'll be good. Once again, also like Dominic, I really want to have the opportunity to succeed. If, and hopefully when I do, I can then help others to have similar opportunities.
Fantastic, thanks, Kai. Mylee, you're next.
[Mylee James] - At this stage, I'm hopefully going to complete year 12 and get into university. That’s a big goal for me. I think a bright future would include lots of travel. I’m really interested in learning about other cultures and I would love to be able to travel when I'm older and be able to like experience cultures firsthand. I feel like we've all had pretty similar thoughts. I would love to have a good connection of friends and financial stability and hopefully find an interesting job and a pathway that I'm interested in.
Sounds great, Mylee, and Diya what are you thinking?
[Diya John] - Firstly, I'm so glad to see so much optimism, especially at a time when it's hard to see the glass half full.
But my vision for a bright future is very simple in theory, just being able to finish my studies successfully and for that to translate into secure sustainable work opportunities and to be able to explore greater learning.
I think on a broader perspective as well, I've always been a purveyor for supporting youth voices and bringing them to the forefront of discussion, like we're doing today. A bright future for me really is now to step up the game to see youth voices not just as a tokenistic tool, but to actually prioritise young voices as leaders of today.
Thank you, Diya, I'm really impressed. Chiamaka, I'm going to ask you this question because your response was about being inspiring, achieving fulfilment, having family and friends, but also included that financial perspective. I'm wondering, (especially because you all are very optimistic about the future and every one of your answers was about what else you can do personally), how that perception has changed? Have the last six months dented your optimism, or has it just reinvigorated your desire to achieve your goals? How do you how do you think things have changed in six months for you Chiamaka?
[Chiamaka Ibeme] - I would say it's a mixture of both because at the start of the COVID and the pandemic period, I must say that I was really feeling it a little bit, and it did take a toll on my optimism a bit. But as time goes on, I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and decided to take that time to learn more skills and invest in just growing my future work skills that I would need for employment, and build on things that I've always wanted to do. I started learning calligraphy and I started to just make lemonade out of lemons.
Brilliant! Santi, how do you read the situation? Cairns is doing it pretty tough at the moment. But do you see things in your immediate future being tougher because of what we're going through? Or do you see it being just as bright? How are you reacting when people ask you?
[Santiago Mills] - I definitely see it as tougher. I noticed that in the building industry, a lot of companies have reverted back to their core business so there's not a lot of development pathways available now. It's a bit harder to get into companies and start developing in the field of work that I want to work in. I've had to learn how to manage things my own way. Doing that included just registering with labour companies, jumping on board with building companies and basically managing my own developments with good guidance from other people. But without the traineeship or cadetship, you become resilient and you find other ways to overcome it.
Good on you, and look, I hope [it works out]. Dominic, where do you sit with your education? You've just heard what Santi is saying about things are going to be a bit tougher. Are you confident that the education you're getting is giving you the resilience that Santi refers to, or the durability, as well as all the educational requirements? Are you confident that your education pathway is going to help you achieve the sorts of things that you enunciated about your vision and your goal and your hope for the future?
[Dominic McCarthy] - I think it's a difficult question, and there's a lot of different factors that are at play.
But I think the job market is changing a lot and it's a lot more crowded these days. But I think with that education, it's important to focus on those skills that we can transfer across different careers in different industries.
Programs such as CQU’s iChange and social innovation is helping to develop those skills. I think it's up to universities to take the step forward and look for other ways of doing their education and being innovative. I would say CQU is a great example of that, and I'm not biased at all. It's about developing those skills that we can take into different careers, because the types of jobs of the future are going to change and some of them aren't even here yet. We're going to have to continue to adapt like we've had to during this pandemic and continue to do that throughout our careers.
That’s great, thanks Dominic. Diya, Dominic has opened the door a bit there. [You said] you're currently thinking I need to get through my studies and get that first job. But Dominic's right, the nature of work has changed – it’s now a lot more of a gig economy, part time work, and maybe multiple jobs. Do you feel as though your education has lined you up? Or, what else have you done to make sure you're prepared for that sort of future?
[Diya John] - I like the saying that people are trying to make lemonade from lemons. But I think during a season like this, we're being handed apples and we're trying to make lemonade from apples.
It's absolutely a hard, tough graduate market to walk into, with soaring unemployment and underemployment rates, for young people especially.
I think that university and post-secondary education is a great tool to help understand and hone your theoretical understanding of whatever career pathway you want to pursue, and just have a feel for the intuition of the pathway that you want to really set yourself up for. But, with regard to securing actual tangible practical skills, I think there's a lot more scope in terms of the role post-secondary education institutions can provide, this being one of them.
Having curriculums that are focused not on just theoretical aspects of learning, but also on the practical skills that enable young people to really implement what they learn in lecture rooms, and in tutorial rooms into practice I think is a big gap right now.
I've spoken to a lot of employers, especially as I'm in the margins of graduating from my degree, and a lot of them tend to say, ‘Hey, great, you're doing a degree, but when you get into work we'll have to train you up from scratch.’ Because some of the skills that you've taken through your degree might not always be the skills that you end up applying, so bridging that application gap is super key.
Thanks Diya. Mylee, can I turn to you now? You're already thinking ahead. You've obviously got communication skills and human centred skills, because I don't suppose you could be a netball coach of under 11’s if you haven’t got some of those skills. Are you doing this with a plan in mind? Or are these the sorts of things that you’d just do anyway?
[Mylee James] - I've really struggled with trying to figure out what I've been interested in. I feel like in school, I've just been a bit clueless and haven't had too much guidance on what directions are possibilities for me to pursue. But this year, we've had a few more opportunities. We had our careers talk, and that helped me a little bit. I've figured out that I'm really interested in Exercise Science and this is why I decided to do biology, because I thought that that will give me a good head start and would also lead to lots of different pathways.
I feel like in today's society, you can't just go to target a specific job. You need to target groups of jobs and figure out what you're interested in as a field rather than going for a specific job.
I still have pretty much no clue what I want to do, but I feel like I've found more of a direction now.
Good on you Mylee. Okay, we've heard a little bit about all the different changes, and we've certainly heard a little bit starting from Dominic, Diya and others about the changing nature of work. I might start with Dominic, are you confident that a university degree is going to give you all the other things you'll need to achieve your future?
[Dominic McCarthy] - It's up to the university to provide those opportunities, but then it's up to the students to take them and look for other ways of getting involved as well. Having a university that's flexible and able to accommodate different requests and different ways of doing things is vital. Myself, I was living overseas this year on a student exchange, and I found a great way to develop some of those skills we talked about.
I think a degree on its own isn't going to be enough like you said, it's about getting involved in other things and finding what interests you and what your strengths are. I think there's a role for both the university to play and for the students to play, and it can be collaborative. We should be working together to look at new ways of doing things. It shouldn't just be on the university, and it shouldn't just be on the students. We can come together to be innovative in our in our practices.
Thanks, Dominic. What about you to Chiamaka? Has the University helped you acquire skills, notwithstanding what Dominic said about how it's up to the individual as well. Most studies recognise that you need critical thinking, you need communication skills, and you need teamwork, has the university in your studies helped you acquire those skills?
[Chiamaka Ibeme] - Yes, I would say, I was given the great opportunity to be a Change Champ at CQUniversity Melbourne and during this time, I've learnt many future work skills. Working with the most amazing team, organising workshops, student events, as well as setting up volunteering opportunities for students with external bodies have really honed my communication and teamwork skills.
I've also been exposed to the idea of human-centred design and how it can be employed to tackling social problems. That's also building my problem-solving skills. It's really amazing how these skills that I have built from social innovation at CQUniversity have translated to my internship, which I'm currently doing.
These critical thinking skills, these problem-solving skills, have really translated, and I do say that the degree on its own might not do a lot, but coupled with all the other things that CQUniversity provides it will.
That’s a relief to hear. Thanks Chiamaka. Santi, can I turn to you again, a lot of your initial response wasn't just about the construction management studies that you're doing. But also, laced in your response, was your commitment about giving back. Has that always been something that you were thinking about as you approach your studies?
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[Santiago Mills] - I come from a culture where we're really people based, and we are very involved in (their) lives. We have a lot to do with our elders, we have a lot to do with the younger ones, so we're very community involved and based. Being seekers going out getting fish, we made sure that we had enough fish for people who couldn't go out and get fish. We'd be taking food up to the elders or taking food up to people who are sick, so I don't feel like I've learned it through university. If anything, it's enhanced it.
University has provided me with other skills, so that I can go back share, and inspire Indigenous youth back on the islands to go to university, and to enhance their own set of skills in whatever they choose to do.
Was a degree always part of your plan, so you could achieve this? How did that work?
[Santiago Mills] - I actually finished my carpentry trade first when I left school, and I just jumped straight into construction industry. I wanted the work to be hands on, and it was very good. I always wondered what I could do next. I saw that being in that field of industry and construction management was probably one of the highest positions that I could see in that industry. From there, who knows what I can do from there. I just want to finish my degree first.
Diya, can I turn to you next? I can't help but think that things have changed in our young adults. A generation ago people said, “get a degree if you're going to get a degree, or get a trade or get a job”, and it wasn’t about that individual. Yet, we're hearing again and again across this panel, “yes, I want financial support. Yes, I want to succeed at university or a job. But I also want that fulfillment and giving back and so much more.” Have you seen that as well? Do you think there's a difference in generations here?
[Diya John] - Absolutely, I keep thinking to myself it had to take a whole pandemic to happen for me to realise that I don't have to be as selfish with my career needs. Previously, it was only about, “get the job, get the best marks you can. Go out there, get involved, etc.” But I think now with COVID and how everything is happening online, with my friends struggling with the same issues that I'm having in terms of gaining secure job opportunities, or being able to navigate this not so kind market out there, it really helped reveal to me the common thread that I guess connects us all.
It’s that we're all humans, and we're all young people who have to make it through this together. I think more so than anything, it has reinforced this generation of young people, of Generation COVID. Through this whole experience that we've had, just simply fulfilling very individual career pathways and aspirations won't suffice, especially if we want the economy and if we want job markets to be booming again. We have to ensure that our fellow graduates across the country have access to those same opportunities and are able to engage in those opportunities as well.
Diya, on balance, do you think COVID-19 has reminded people what else is important? Or in other words, have people been reminded to be more generous to humankind, or have they become more selfish and more scared? Tough question, I know, but you seem so positive, I couldn't help but ask the question of you.
[Diya John] - Of course, and this positivity is coming from the whole panel we've got here. But yes, that is very true. I guess there are two sides to this. On one end, yes, you do see concerning expressions of people being very self-centred. I get that people are frustrated staying indoors, especially in Melbourne, and we want to just get out, get some fresh air, and not be constrained to just the four walls of our house anymore, which in a sense is antithetical to that community support that we need to have right now.
But more so than ever those voices and those expressions of just wanting what you want is sort of dwarfed compared to the enormous community support that we've seen. Unfortunately, it has taken this for us to realise that community comes first if we are to thrive on an overall basis, but also on an individual basis.
Wow, you guys give me lots of hope! Folks, I've got one or two questions, and I'm going to ask you them in a second. But before I do, I feel as though there's been this elephant in the room called COVID-19, that we've largely ignored. I'm okay with that, if you all feel as though it's halfway out the door, and we can ignore it. But it's still pretty big and could be a big challenge for your immediate future. I mean, just in the disruptions of studies for Mylee and Kai, and all of you who are at university, but the disruptions of potential work as well. Can I run around the virtual table and just see how people are feeling about it. Whether it's preoccupying your thoughts for the future, or whether you think it's something that you just got to get over quite quickly? Chiamaka, can I ask you, how do you respond to that?
[Chiamaka Ibeme] - I do feel like it's been there, I've been thinking about it and I do feel the future is unpredictable. At this point, the prospects are really diminishing, because obviously, a lot of businesses have really taken some hits from this. But I say that what we can do is try to focus on the positives and try to improve our skills in this period, and get ready for that time where there are any opportunities that are coming forward, for us to be able to take those opportunities and ride with it. Although there might be a barrier right now, and there are issues that are being amplified by the pandemic, I do think that more and more organisations out there are trying to create opportunities for everyone, regardless of what's happening.
Santi, can I turn to you. How do you think about it? Is this something that we're going to laugh about in a year's time looking back? Or do you think that it's a problem that we've got to address?
[Santiago Mills] -
I think it's a problem that we got to address because we're essentially going to be the workforce that has to deal with rebuilding the economy.
We should be involved in discussions of whatever modelling they're going to try to make to rebuild the economy. We're in it for the long haul, right?
Santi, that's interesting, isn't it? Dominic, what do you think about it? Is there a shadow of your future?
[Dominic McCarthy] - It definitely makes you aware of how quickly things can change. I think maybe some people are just tired of talking about COVID. They are trying to look beyond it now, but I think it's still very much present and prevalent in a lot of places and it's going to have long term effects. I think it's always in the back of your mind about what's the job market going to look like in the next two years? Five years? ten years? What will I do if there's something like this that's going to happen again? How will I adapt? This could happen again, in another five, ten, twenty, years. That's sort of in the back of your mind. I fear for a lot of young people who are less fortunate, and I am concerned about how that's going to play out.
Diya, what's your position on this?
[Diya John] – I’d just like to echo everything that's been said so far, in that as much as we'd like to get over COVID, it is a very explicit reality that that we just cannot ignore. I think in terms of something that weighs on my mind, especially with how rapid the onset of COVID was, everyone needs a job, so what am I going to do?
Because I'm almost graduating, so how am I going to secure an internship or a job? That sentiment has been shared, even with my peers, and everyone is worried about, “how am I going to make it through this market”, and I guess that isn't just something that we're feeling.
It is something that's also being actualised in the way internships, interview processes and applications are being held. I've had my fair run of internship applications processes this year and I can fairly say that comparing it to what it was like last year, from what I've heard from friends, or my own experience of it last year, the number of call-backs that you receive are dwindling. The number of interviews or stages that you need to get through are becoming a lot harder, and the fact that it's all online doesn't really help. I think more than anything that's always been on my mind. If there's anything that I've taken away from this pandemic, or this whole experience, it’s that any opportunity you see, you’ve got to grab it now more so than ever.
Thanks, Diya. We're getting into the next question actually, and it's about what you think the biggest challenges for you are to get into the career you want.What are the challenges for your career? But what are the challenges also, for you giving back? Because you’ve nearly all talked about not just your own career, but your goals were also how you can give back and how you can contribute to your local communities or more broadly? Kai, I might start with you. Are you confident that you will not only be able to carve out your own career in the immediate future, but be able to give back in some sort of socially innovative way as well? Where's your confidence levels there?
[Kai Graz] - I think the biggest challenge is not even COVID related at all. I think it is a mixture of self-motivation and determination. I think a lot of people, if you really want something bad enough, you're probably going to be able to get it. It’s not always the case, but I think the biggest challenge that I personally face, especially in getting to where I want to be is self-motivation.
Mylee, do you do you have to kick yourself every now and again and make sure that you're motivated? Or is that something that comes naturally for you.
[Mylee James] - Typically, I'm a pretty motivated person. However, COVID has definitely shown another side of myself.
I feel like it's just so much more difficult to stay concentrated and motivated, especially when these days are just all merging into one, being stuck in Melbourne, in my house and not really being able to go anywhere.
But I definitely feel like motivation for me will be a big part of getting to where I want to go and maintaining it. That's probably the main thing.
We're down to our last couple of minutes, but I wanted to ask the four folks that are still at uni. You've all been very gracious in saying that your studies have given you extra things besides your qualifications, and that now provides an opportunity to give back. But now, let's put a bit of acid on the universities here. Chiamaka I might start with you, in asking what has been lacking? What else could we have done? [This includes things] that not just help your career but could have helped you in your training or ability to give back to be a changemaker.
[Chiamaka Ibeme] - I think with my experience at university there's been a lot of opportunities, a lot of extracurricular activities, and I would say maybe the one thing that is off a bit is maybe the students feeling a sense of community. It would be really great to see more of a motivation for students to participate in all these activities. But so far, at the end of the day, it's also on the students themselves to take opportunities. For me when I came here, I recognised the fact that I had all these different amazing things in front of me, and I took them, and I grabbed them. But I will also say that the school can maybe try to work a little bit harder to facilitate that student engagement.
Santi, do you have anything to add? Or even something that you'd like to tell the Vice Chancellor about “I wish you’d taught me this or given me this opportunity?”
[Santiago Mills] No. I think my experience with CQU has been really positive and supportive. Especially with the all the Indigenous initiatives and support services you guys have. That's pretty good. I do feel like because everything is online, it's less engaging. I'm not too sure how you can sort of improve that engagement, but it feels like that. It can’t be helped, because there's a bit of a disconnection because of the shift to online, but that could be improved.
Thanks Santi.
I am so confident about the future, with graduates and students coming through like yourselves. Thank you very much everybody, and all the panelists.
