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The Stand Up for Youth contest was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Human Rights Program of Canadian Heritage.

This project is a joint effort with:

Work and School

Between school and work, it’s hard to keep up the pace!

Children and Teenagers in the Workforce

Mohammed has a dilemma. He has been going non-stop for the past few months and is exhausted.

You are a social worker with an organization for youth. Mohammed is asking you for advice.

Since the age of 12, Mohammed has been working a couple of hours a week in his family’s restaurant. He has done every job: waiter, kitchen helper and cashier!

For the last few months, the restaurant has not been doing well. It has been losing customers, especially since a snack bar opened up nearby.

Mohammed’s parents are working twice as hard as usual to make up the financial losses. They let the chef go and are doing the cooking themselves, which means they are both working more than 70 hours a week. To help them out, Mohammed sometimes works until 11 p.m. several nights a week.

Mohammed has still not missed even a day of school, but he has no time for anything but work and going to class. The long hours at the restaurant are starting to affect his studies.

He also has no time to practice his cello. Mohammed knows that he will need really high marks to get into the music program at CEGEP. On top of that, he needs to do well in an upcoming audition.

On the other hand, Mohammed doesn’t want to quit his job, even if his parents only pay minimum wage. The job pays for his music lessons. His parents have other priorities right now than paying for his lessons.

His restaurant job has also let him save money for school and a cello. A good cello, even used, costs at least $2,500.

Mohammed knows that his parents are counting on him during this difficult time. They could never find an employee as efficient as he is who is willing to put in as many hours. On top of that, no one knows the restaurant as well as their own son!

Mohammed feels cornered and is asking for your advice.

The Contest Question

Mohammed wants to know if he should quit his job. If he does, his parents would have to do everything in the restaurant themselves. What advice do you have for Mohammed?

Support your answer using the legal rules in both the “Legal Information” section below and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (the “Convention”).

Happy writing!