+1 or +5

I watched a video yesterday about the population and/or birth rate decline that is showing most in Japan and South Korea, but that is happening in Western countries too, just like here in Canada.

So I had another idea if I was to win a big lottery jackpot to address this, at least here in my city.

I would post a notice somehow at CEGEPs looking for young women aged 17 or 18 who are uncertain about their future, but want to have children and would consider being a home maker. I would suggest she discuss with her family.

I would somehow try to reach men aged 24-25, who are safely employed, and who though may not feel they are ready, but do want to have a family someday. I am less certain about how to reach these.

I would pick a date and a venue and then do a presentation. The presentation would first explain Canada's dropping birth rate, and use Japan as the extreme example of what could eventually happen. Then I would explain that there are four spots available for couples to be formed to give them a big boost towards starting a big family, including assistance to buy first property and subsequent support.

At this point I would offer for anyone, now that they know what this is about, if they want to leave, they are welcome to leave. Then, I would have one or two ice breaker games to get the people to start to get to know each other, then I would have tables and chairs set up, in groups of four with two men and two women, they would take turns answering questions about each other. After 15 minutes, each person moves around to join a new four person group.

After 75 minutes of this it would be free for all with food and drinks, no alcohol so that these young adults are entering this with clear heads. I would encourage potential couples to exchange contact information and to schedule two subsequent dates. I would have a staff member take down their information as they leave. The staff member would also give them a questionnaire for them to take with them - it will have questions to let them focus their thoughts on what their new future could look like.

For those couples who complete the two dates - they send photos to me that are date stamped and at two different venues, we'll have another event at a smaller venue.

Now a more detailed presentation - if selected, my real estate agent will work with them, for them to choose a two bedroom condo; I will pay 50-80% of the price of the condo (depending on the price) and the employed man is to take a mortgage to pay the rest. I will let them know that there are four spots available for me to assist them to start their family and provide to them the notary prepared contract that they are to review. I will set a deadline for applications to be entered in, perhaps a few months later, to give these couples more time to get to know each other. Unbeknownst to them, if any woman in these couples is already pregnant at the deadline, she and her guy automatically become one of the couples that 'win' this opportunity. Some method of determination will be used to choose the other couples.

The union of the couple will be for a duration of 10 years with options to renew every 5 years after that.

As a couple they are expected to start their family with their first born within the first year of when they sign the agreement and to have at least three additional children.

The young man is expected to keep his job, to work hard, try to improve and to be there for the family.

The young woman is to take care of and raise the children, take care of feeding everyone in the family and be supportive. If she does not already know how to cook and clean and care for a home and a family, it will be up to her to take this on, but I will have someone provide assistance.

Of course, respect, honesty, loyalty and other aspects of a successful union will be important, and so I will have a marriage counselor prepare a multi week package to meet with these young couples to help them through the early months of their marriage.

The family will have their first two children in the condo they start in, once the second child is born, and when she is pregnant for the third, I will have my real estate agent work with the family to find them a bigger home where again I will assist with the funding. I will keep the condo for a subsequent cohort where their choice of where to live now becomes limited to the condos I already own, but to their advantage, I will ask them only for a nominal monthly fee.

After four years in the program I would provide the contact information of everyone in a cohort for them to meet with each other and to trade experiences. I would also have one or more of the women become 'big sisters' to new cohort women and have one or more of the men become 'big brothers' of the new cohort men.

So each year a new cohort will come in, and with each year I will offer temp employment to the young men and women who have already succeeded in the program to assist in the running the events and to give their own presentation as to how it has gone.

At the 10 year mark I will work with the notary to confer ownership of the house they bought to be fully owned by the family and with a marriage counselor find out if they are doing the five year renew. Going forward from there, the family has graduated from the program and have no more requirements to be big sister or big brother or help at presentations.

I have had the thought that I would need to consider what happens if the union dissolves within that 10 year period and I haven't been able to come up with a proper solution for this.

When I was 24 or 25yo, I would have definitely considered doing this signing up for this.