WHAT HAPPENS TO HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS?

Challenge

The dropout rate for youth in the U.S. is nearly the same as the rate of youth who obtain a bachelor’s degree, comprising the backbone of America’s underclass. Studies show that on average, dropouts experience longer periods of unemployment and greater dependence on welfare systems. Nearly 1 in 3 teen mothers is also a high school dropout. Male dropouts are particularly at risk of incarceration, which further diminishes their chances of finishing a high school degree.

Examples of Solutions That Work

The Alternative High School Initiative (AHSI) assists communities in providing all students—regardless of their race, socio-economic status or learning styles—with a rigorous educational experience culminating in the opportunity to receive a high school diploma and attend college. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a member of Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG), funds this initiative.

For more information, visit www.ytfg.org/PromisingPractices.html and follow the Alternative High School Initiative link.

Further, YTFG has launched a Connected by 25 Initiative in several communities to learn more about best practices in high school drop out reform.  These YTFG member institutions include the William Penn Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and the Eugene & Agnes Meyer Foundation, among others.

 

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WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUTH WHO AGE OUT OF FOSTER CARE?

 

Challenge

One of the highest-risk youth populations is young people raised in foster care, who come of age without the support system of a family and with few positive connections to social institutions. Studies show that about 1 in 8 youth who age out of foster care will be homeless within one year. From 2 to 4 years after leaving the system, studies found that only about half of these youth were employed regularly and nearly half had been arrested. Without family supports, half of the young women in the study had become mothers and were receiving welfare. Youth leaving the foster care system were also found to experience mental health and substance abuse problems at three times the rate of youth who were never in foster care.

Examples of Solutions That Work

The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative is a national foundation whose mission is to help youth in foster care make successful transitions to adulthood. Formed by two YTFG member institutions that focus exclusively on child and youth well-being - The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs - the initiative brings together the people and resources needed to help youth make the connections they need to education, employment, health care, housing, and supportive personal and community relationships.

In addition to Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, foundations such as the Lumina Foundation, The Eckerd Family Foundation, The Walter S. Johnson Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, and other funders are key partners in this work, supporting efforts to help youth in Indianapolis, Hillsborough County (FL), and five counties in California.

For more information on Jim Casey Youth Opportunities partner communities, visit www.jimcaseyyouth.org/communities.htm.

 

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WHAT HAPPENS TO COURT-INVOLVED YOUTH?

 

Challenge

Experts in juvenile justice and psychology agree that the current juvenile justice system fosters conditions of arrested development in youth. Most states punish juvenile offenders without implementing strategies for their rehabilitation. Confinement also disrupts youths’ family life and promotes antisocial behavior. Reports estimate that anywhere from 20-50% of youth in institutions have mental health disorders, however only 10-15% may get treatment due to lack of funding. A mere 12% of chronic or serious offenders go on to receive high school diplomas or GEDs in young adulthood and the likelihood of welfare dependence for juvenile offenders is seven times as high as young non-offenders. Juvenile offenders are also five times more likely to be arrested again between the ages of 17 and 25, resulting in a recidivism rate of between 70-90%. Unemployment, divorce, and having a child out of wedlock are other documented problems juvenile ex-offenders experience in adulthood.

Examples of Solutions That Work

The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) was formed in 1992 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to demonstrate that jurisdictions can establish more effective and efficient systems to accomplish the purposes of juvenile detention. The objectives of JDAI are to eliminate the inappropriate or unnecessary use of secure detention, to minimize failures to appear and the incidence of delinquent behavior, to redirect public finances to responsible alternative strategies and to improve conditions in secure detention facilities.

Information about The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative is published on the Annie E. Casey website at www.aecf.org/publications/juvenile/exper.htm. 

JDAI achievements can be found on the YTFG website at www.ytfg.org/PromisingPracticesJuvenileJustice.html.

 

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ADDRESSING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT YOUTH IN TRANSITION

 

Challenge

Youth in transition comprise approximately 8% of individuals between age 16 and 24 - some 3 million young people across the country. About one third are parents, nearly 50,000 are homeless and over 400,000 are incarcerated. However, the other 1.5 million successfully transition into educational opportunities and employment through their own determination, resilience, luck, and systems of support in the community. Innovative community programs across the country have gotten results by harnessing the leadership potential and cultivating the job skills of youth in transition. By promoting social inclusion during stressful transition points, these programs offer effective prevention against later problems such as crime and substance abuse. Unfortunately, most states concentrate funding on early childhood programs and de-emphasize interventions for older youth. As Maggie Daley, wife of Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley, stressed, “we cannot afford to write off one single child.  Investing in them is in everybody’s interest.”

Examples of Solutions That Work

Safe Passage is a YTFG publication that highlights strategies that can be used to make more prudent and effective investments in our young people. The goal of Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) is to entice communities to seize the call to action to support the safe passage of America’s youth to successful adulthood.

Safe Passage is available for download in YTFG’s online toolkit for funders, policymakers and advocates (www.ytfg.org/SafePassageToolkit.html).

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STATE-BY-STATE BATTLES FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM

 

Challenge:  From coast to coast, important precedents are being set by lawsuits filed by juvenile justice advocates against state governments. Recent rulings in California and Florida confirm the unhealthy conditions prevalent in the current juvenile justice system as well as the urgent need for reform. Several communities have adopted promising practices to reintegrate and reform juvenile offenders in community settings. These programs provide useful recommendations for communities across the country to implement healthy, affordable, and sustainable solutions to juvenile justice and youth development issues.

Examples of Solutions That Work

The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) in Chicago is considered to be one of the sites that has made the most progress. At the start of JDAI, Cook County had few of the characteristics necessary to reform its system. Cook County created a new detention screening unit in its juvenile probation department and began using a new screening instrument that clarified for police officers the basis upon which admissions decisions would be made. Many of the earlier characteristics of Cook County’s Juvenile Detention system have been fundamentally altered.

JDAI was launched in 1992 by The Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Cook County initiative was funded by MacArthur Foundation, a YTFG member institution. 

JDAI achievements can be found on the YTFG website at www.ytfg.org/PromisingPracticesJuvenileJustice.html.