NCJ Number
114976
Date Published
1988
Length
208 pages
Annotation
Non-college bound young people face shrinking job opportunities, high unemployment rates, declining real income, familial instability, and increasing poverty.
Abstract
Educators have been so preoccupied with those who go on to college that they have lost sight of those who do not. Consequently many of the latter now fall between the cracks when they are in school, drop out, or graduate inadequately prepared for the requirements of the workplace. Four major strategies can help these forgotten youth and their families regain hope for the future and make a successful entry into the adult world. Initiatives are needed to enhance the quality of youth-adult relationships, within and outside of the family. These include greater public support to ease the financial burden of raising children and adolescents, business and school practices more responsive to the needs of working parents, and increased community support of relationships between youth and other adults. Schools and communities should create and revitalize activities that concentrate on the developmental needs of youth, respond to their ideas and opinions, and involve them in program planning and implementation. Also needed are greater service opportunities for youth and increased support of youth organizations. In addition, to the development of a coordinated and comprehensive system of community services, there is a need for programs that would improve and extend the education, training, and employment opportunities of youth. Finally, enactment of a Fair Chance: Youth Opportunities Demonstration Act is proposed to increase access to post-high school education through financial aid, counseling, and academic support. A resource directory and program descriptions are included. See NCJ-114977 and NCJ-114978 for individual chapters.