Reengage Disconnected Youth

When youth become disconnected from their schools, their communities and from economic opportunities, they may engage in negative behaviors including substance abuse, delinquency, risky sexual behavior and dropping out of high school. Alternatively, young people with a clear sense of identity, a positive sense of self-worth and opportunities to achieve are more likely to be successful. Some of the strategies that can be used to reengage disconnected youth include:

• Provide community-based strategies for high school completion and support alternative learning options. Research shows that youths who do not attend school at age 16 have incarceration rates that are 4 times greater at ages 19 to 22, crime rates that are two-thirds greater, arrests rates that are 2.5 times greater and a high school graduation rate that is almost 70 percentage points lower than their peers.[1]  To prevent juvenile delinquency, state legislators can reengage high school dropouts and help them complete high school by creating incentives for dropout recovery and establishing school reentry programs for juvenile offenders. Policymakers can also support new and more flexible options for earning a traditional high school diploma—such as alternative schools and credit-recovery programs—that are relevant for students who have dropped out of school.    The Georgia Department of Education offers online learning through the Georgia Virtual School, a teacher-led, virtual classroom environment with an online media center and guidance services to help middle and high school students complete coursework and move toward high school completion.  Learn more about strategies to increase high school completion.
• Expand college access. Approximately two-thirds of all jobs in today’s economy require credentials or a degree through quality higher education. College graduates experience better outcomes—including better jobs, better wages and a better quality of life, over the course of their lives, than their peers who do not graduate college.[2]  State policymakers can support the educational attainment and long-term economic well-being of disconnected youth by expanding access to college.  In partnership with the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel, the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, the Lumina Foundation for Education, and the YMCA, the Missouri Department of Higher Education sponsors FAFSA Frenzy, a program that assists students and families in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Develop workforce connections. Between 3.8 and 5 million youth (age 16 to 24) are out of school and out of work, and employment for teens is at the lowest level in over 50 years, with as few as 20 percent of black teens employed at any one time.[3]  Youth disconnected from school and work and in other high-risk situations need effective supports, including educational and vocational services and employment counseling and placement programs, to connect them to the workforce and prepare them for self-sufficiency and life-long economic success.  Portland (Maine) Community College offers a 12 credit to 44 credit Machine Manufacturing Technology program that includes modules leading to an Employment Skills Training Certificate, which qualifies students for entry-level employment. The program also provides links to advanced certificates and degrees.  Arkansas’ Career Pathways initiative compresses two semesters of remedial reading, writing, and math into one semester while integrating basic health career concepts into the Fast Track curriculum so that students can progress more quickly to allied health courses.[4]
• Support youth in transition. Without a connection to family, youth often leave foster care without the preparation or supports needed to be successful in adulthood.  Research has shown that one in four youth in transition will be incarcerated within two years of leaving foster care, 1 in 5 will become homeless, only half will graduate from high school and less than 3 percent receive college degrees.[5] Policymakers should implement strategies that support youth in transition by supporting their placement in permanent nurturing families with their siblings; ensuring educational continuity and post-secondary educational opportunities; expanding their economic opportunities; support safe and affordable housing options; ensuring access to comprehensive, coordinated health care and creating opportunities for youth be heard, informed, respected and exert control over their lives.  Iowa has implemented several strategies to support youth in transition, including creating a statewide permanency planning process, promoting youth engagement in the transition process  and expanding college financial aid, Medicaid eligibility and independent living services.
• Promote youth civic engagement. Youth civic engagement leads to reduced risky behavior, increased success in school and leads to greater civic participation later in life.  However, youth today are less likely than those in earlier generations to exhibit many important characteristics of citizenship.[6]  State policymakers can engage youth in positive opportunities for civic participation that support their engagement in the political process and their communities.  Successful youth engagement strategies provide young people with opportunities to gain work experience, acquire new skills and to learn responsibility and accountability—all while contributing positively in their communities.[7]  In 2002, the Washington, D.C., Youth Advisory Council (DCYAC) was created to provide an organized youth perspective regarding various issues to elected officials, public schools and public charter schools, key decision-makers in the District of Columbia government, officials and community leaders; in addition, service on the DCYAC allows D.C. youth to gain experience in community service, civic participation and youth advocacy while influencing and creating youth-policy. DCYAC is comprised of 32 council members, between the ages of 13 and 22, selected from various sectors of the District (3 members from each of the 8 wards and 8 at-large representatives who have experience with the juvenile justice and foster care systems).