Moi discussed what many Americans feel is diminished prospects for their future in Americans, no longer dreaming:
The Victorian Contexts gives a good overview of the world of Charles Dickens.
Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door.
Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
Charles Dickens
“Mr Jarndyce, and prevented his going any farther, when he had remarked that there were two classes of charitable people: one, the people who did a little and made a great deal of noise; the other, the people who did a great deal and made no noise at all.”
Charles Dickens (Bleak House)
Throughout history there have been great empires who eventually challenged each other for dominance in a variety of areas. One of the most interesting historical rivalries was between Athens and Sparta. See, PBS’ The Two Faces of Greece: Athens and Sparta which has atable comparing the two cultures.
Elizabeth C. Hair, Ph.D., Kristin A. Moore, Ph.D., Thomson J. Ling, MA, Cameron McPhee-Baker, BA, and Brett V. Brown, Ph.D. write in the July 2009 Child Trends Research Brief, YOUTH WHO ARE “DISCONNECTED” AND THOSE WHO THEN RECONNECT: ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY, PROGRAMS, PEERS AND COMMUNITIES:
BACKGROUND FACTORS THAT PLACE YOUTH AT RISK
Many personal, family, community and neighborhood characteristics may put youth at risk for disconnection, either individually or in combination.
�� Household income, parental education level, family structure, and minority status. Young people are more at risk if they grow up in a family that receives welfare payments or experiences poverty,2,3,22 if their parents have low levels of education, and if they are born into a family with a single parent or with no parent.22 Minority youth are at greater risk of long-term disconnection than are white youth with similar characteristics. 2,22
�� Involvement in the foster care, juvenile justice, and special education systems.
Young people who have been involved with these systems, either recently or in the past, are also at greater risk for disconnection than are other youth.5,6,9,15,22 Among the challenges these vulnerable young people face are limited skills; a lack of family support;15 learning disabilities; and health, emotional and, behavioral problems.5 Conversely, adolescents whose families provide support are more likely to thrive during the transition to adulthood.6,17,19
�� Community and neighborhood characteristics.
Some studies suggest that the type of neighborhood in which a young person lives may have particular relevance to disconnection. For example, evidence shows that youth who live in neighborhoods with a lower percentage of workers holding professional or managerial jobs1,4 have higher dropout rates and higher rates of teenage childbearing.
RESILIENCE AS A COUNTERVAILING FORCE
Despite the presence of background factors that may put youth at risk for disconnection, it should not be forgotten that many people who grow up u n d e r a d v e r s e c o n d i t i o n s do succeed.7,13,24 Researchers and others use the term “resilience” to describe good outcomes despite high-risk status, sustained competence under stress, and recovery from trauma.24 Resilient children take an active approach to solving problems, perceive even negative experiences constructively, have an ability to gain positive attention from others, and tend to draw on their faith to maintain a positive outlook on life.23,26 Resilience may also be linked to cognitive abilities and scholastic competence, an internal locus of control, and a positive self-concept.25 Family and community factors associated with resilience include the characteristics and caregiving styles of the parents and the support of other adults, such as grandparents, mentors, youth leaders, and members of church groups. http://www.childtrends.org/files/child_trends-2009_07_22_rb_disconnectedyouth.pdf
The Social Science Research Council has released a report on disconnected youth.
Tyler Kingkade is reporting in the Huffington Post article, 1 In 7 Young People Are Not Working Or In School: Measure Of America Study:
One in seven people between the ages of 16-24 are not in school or working, a new report finds, and it cost taxpayers $93.7 billion in government support and lost tax revenue in 2011 alone.
Measure of America, an initiative of the Social Science Research Council, released a report last week titled “One In Seven: Ranking Youth Disconnection in the 25 Largest Metro Areas.” The report found 5.8 million young people fall into this “disconnected youth” category nationwide. The rate is even higher for the black community, where 22.5 percent of young African-Americans are out of school and not working, nearly twice the national average.
“Disconnection can affect everything from earnings and financial independence to physical and mental health, and even marital prospects,” Sarah Burd-Sharps, co-author of the study, said in a statement.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/1-in-7-young-people-out-of-work-school_n_1897927.html?utm_hp_ref=education&ir=Education
Here is the press release for the report:
One in Seven: Ranking Youth Disconnection in the 25 Largest Metro Areas
Launched September 2012
What’s new in this report?
An astonishing one in every seven Americans ages 16 to 24 is neither working nor in school—5.8 million young people in all. As their peers lay the foundation for a productive, fulfilling adulthood, these disconnected youth find themselves adrift at society’s margins, unmoored from the structures that confer knowledge, skills, identity, and purpose.
The cost is high for affected individuals—and for society as a whole. Lack of attachment to the anchor institutions of school or work at this stage of life can leave scars that last a lifetime, affecting everything from earnings and financial independence to physical and mental health and even marital prospects. And last year alone, youth disconnection cost taxpayers $93.7 billion in government support and lost tax revenue.
This brief ranks the country’s 25 largest metropolitan areas as well as the nation’s largest racial and ethnic groups in terms of youth disconnection. Key findings include the following:
- Big gaps separate major metro areas; in bottom-ranked Phoenix, 19 percent of young people are disconnected from the worlds of work and school, whereas in Boston, which tops the chart, only about 9 percent are.
- African American young people have the highest rate of youth disconnection, 22.5 percent nationally. In Pittsburgh, Seattle, Detroit, and Phoenix, more than one in four African American young people are disconnected.
- Young men are slightly more likely to be disconnected than young women, a reversal of the situation found in decades past. The situation varies by race and ethnicity, however. The gender gap is largest among African Americans; nationally, 26 percent of African American male youth are disconnected, compared to 19 percent of their female counterparts.
- Youth disconnection mirrors adult disconnection: household poverty rates and the employment and educational status of adults in a community are strongly associated with youth disconnection.
- Where a young person lives is highly predictive of his or her likelihood of disconnection. The findings break down youth disconnection by neighborhoods within cities. The disparities between wealthy and poor communities are striking. For example, in New York, disconnection rates range from 3.7 percent in parts of Long Island to 35.6 percent in parts of the South Bronx.
The report concludes with a set of recommendations for preventing youth disconnection, including moving beyond the “college-for-all” mantra to provide meaningful support and guidance both to young people aiming for a four-year bachelor’s degree and to those whose interests and career aspirations would be better served by relevant, high-quality career and technical education certificates and associate’s degrees.
For media inquiries, contact Keren Ritchie, kritchie@groupgordon.com, (212) 784-5713.
All other inquiries: contact@measureofamerica.org.
In 3rd world America: The economy affects the society of the future, moi said:
So what future have the Goldman Sucks, cash sluts, and credit crunch weasels along with we don’t care, we don’t have to Washington Georgetown and Chevy Chase set – you know, the the “masters of the universe” left those on a race to get through college? Lila Shapiro has the excellent post, Trading Down: Laid-Off Americans Taking Pay Cuts and Increasingly Kissing Their Old Lives Goodbye at Huffington Post:
This government, both parties, has failed to promote the kind of economic development AND policy which creates liveable wage jobs. That is why Mc Donalds is popular for more than its dollar menu. They are hiring people.
This economy must focus on job creation and job retention and yes, hope. Both for those racing through college and those who have paid their education and training dues. “You deserve a break today at Mc Donalds,” the only employer who seems to be hiring. https://drwilda.com/2011/11/22/3rd-world-america-the-economy-affects-the-society-of-the-future/
Resources:
DISCONNECTED YOUTH Federal Action Could Address Some of the Challenges Faced by Local Programs That Reconnect Youth to Education and Employment http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08313.pdf
Youth at High Risk of Disconnection http://www.aecf.org/~/media/PublicationFiles/Public%20Impact%20for%20AECF%20Disconnected%20Youth%20Data%20Update%205%2009.pdf
Related:
Hard times are disrupting families https://drwilda.com/2011/12/11/hard-times-are-disrupting-families/
3rd world America: The link between poverty and education https://drwilda.com/2011/11/20/3rd-world-america-the-link-between-poverty-and-education/
3rd world America: Money changes everything https://drwilda.com/2012/02/11/3rd-world-america-money-changes-everything/
Dr. Wilda says this about that ©
drwilda 
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