Who are At-risk Youth?
The term at-risk youth typically implies a future with less than optimal outcomes. Youth are considered at-risk for a number of reasons. Examples include youth who may be:
Homeless or transient
Involved in drugs or alcohol
Abused sexually, physically or emotionally
Mentally ill
Neglected at home or live in stressful family environments
Lacking social or emotional supports
Involved with delinquent peers
At-risk youth are often identified after running away, skipping school, drinking under age, engaging in sexual behavior, displaying disruptive behavior, bullying/harassment, fighting, and committing acts of vandalism. These behaviors can be precursors to dropping out of school, acquiring low paying jobs and/or unemployment, and adult criminal behavior.
At-Risk Youth and Truancy
According to “Youth out of School: Linking Absence to Delinquency”, unexcused absence is the first symptom that a student is likely to be at risk. If they are not in school, they are not learning and consequently fall behind in their studies. When students fall behind at school it may be difficult, perhaps impossible, to make up lost ground and “catch up”. This leads to disengagement from school and teachers and can ultimately lead to serious anti-social behavior like juvenile delinquency.
23 At-Risk Youth Statistics that Prove the Importance of Social Solutions Nonprofits
Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. That’s why youth development is so important. The goal of Destiny House is to prepare and equip adolescent girls to meet the challenges of adulthood and achieve their full potential. There are so many wonderful organizations around the world that change the lives of girls every day through youth development. And their efforts are sorely needed. Here are just a handful of at-risk youth statistics that tell us just how critical youth development is.
At-Risk Youth and Education 12% of high school dropouts are unemployed High school dropouts are more than 8x as likely to commit crimes and serve prison time Children from low-income families are more likely to start school with limited language skills, have less parental support with homework, and deal with more emotional and social problems that interfere with learning If we were able to increase the current US graduation rate to 90%, an additional 219,000 students would receive diplomas Only 1 in 10 youth from low-income families go on to graduate from a four-year college, compared with 28% of youth from middle-income families, and 50% of youth from high-income families Students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are 4x more likely to be chronically absent. Reasons for this include unstable housing, unreliable transportation, and a lack of access to health care. By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
More At-Risk Youth Statistics Children raised in poverty are more likely to lack the basics of food, clothing, adequate housing and health care Nearly 45% of children living in poverty are overweight or obese compared with 22% of children living in households with incomes 4x the poverty level 7% of young women from low-income families have a child by age 18, compared to only 1% from high-income families The top 5 US states with the most homeless youth are Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, and Washington D.C Each year, approximately 20,000 youth will age out of the foster care system in the US.
There’s a Big Need for Youth Development There are 74.2 million people under 18 in the United States. That’s 24% of the total population Nearly 40% of children in the United States live in low-income families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level Children from low-income families are more likely to: *Have sex before age 16 *Become gang member *Attack someone or get into a fight *Steal something worth more than 50 dollars *Run Away.
The Power of Youth Development The positive outcomes to youth empowerment programs are improved social skills, improved behavior, increased academic achievement, increased self-esteem, and increased self-efficacy Girls who are surrounded by a variety of opportunities for positive encounters engage in less risky behavior and ultimately show evidence of higher rates of successful transitions into adulthood Research definitively shows that girls who have sufficient support from their families, schools, and communities develop the assets necessary to do well in life.
Youth involved in development programs are nearly 2x more likely to participate in science, engineering and computer technology programs during out-of-school time in Grades 10–12 10th grade girls involved in development programming are 2x more likely to take part in science programs, and 12th grade girls are nearly 3x more likely.
We salute all the organizations, individuals, and volunteers that provide and support youth development programming around the world. You are improving the lives of children right now, which will better the world for generations to come!