Few have felt the sharp sting of the global financial crisis as keenly as those who came of age during the recession. I myself fall into this category, having graduated from university in 2010, when the term ‘green shoots of recovery’ could be heard in whispered tones in weary newsrooms, as though reporters were afraid it might be scared away by such plain discourse.

I don’t pretend to have suffered disproportionately during the recession, I was always fairly lucky when it came to finding employment, but for a lot of people I knew, the world of young adulthood was a grim and fairly hopeless one, characterised by dead-end, low paid jobs, and the swift death of youthful aspirations.

It is a problem that still exists today. The Times Rich List was published at the weekend and seemed to show that the wealth of the UK’s top 1000 individuals has doubled in the past decade…this must surely be a bitter pill to swallow, for so many of the young unemployed, or those working exploitatively long weeks for desperately low wages.  How unfair it must seen that the lowest paid in our society, suffer first and most during times of trouble, and also take the longest to recover during an upturn… but that’s for another day.

The Jobless Generation is a new initiative from the charity Circle Sports, which has tasked itself with alleviating some of the pressure facing young people with regards to unemployment. Specifically they are trying to dispel the stereotypical image of the unemployed youth as lazy underachievers, and at the same time showcase their abilities to prospective employers. The video, featuring a fake careers advisor and 20 real job seekers, is rather uncomfortable watching as it reveals and accentuates some of the prejudices which are often shown towards the youth of today… the ‘jobless generation’ as they are sometimes haplessly known.

“There’s a huge problem facing young people in the world today.  Over 75 million are unemployed worldwide with over 1 million in the UK alone. And despite what many think, most are passionate, hardworking young men and women who just want a proper job” says Deborah Meaden, celebrity entrepreneur and supporter of the initiative.

Since its release, the people at Jobless Generation have been using digital media as a means of raising awareness of the issue as well as giving the young people involved the ability to reach a wide range of potential employers.

Check out what it is all about, and maybe even help spread the word about an unemployed young person.