Disconnected Youth

Press:

A Deal to Help Foster Youths Find Housing
New York Times (October 20, 2011) By Mosi Secret - New York City has reached an agreement on a proposed settlement of a lawsuit that claims the city allows older children to leave foster care only to become immediately homeless. -see story

Solving the Nation's Dropout Crisis
Education Week (October 24, 2011) Commentary by Russell W. Rumberger - The United States is facing a dropout crisis. Only 76 percent of public high school students earn a diploma within four years of entering the 9th grade, a rate lower than 40 years earlier. -see commentary

High school dropouts face difficult task in job market
Schenectady Gazette/Capital Region Section (September 2010) By Sara Foss - What is the value of a high school diploma? Since dropping out of high school at the age of 16, Hank Graham has learned the answer to that question. - download article

Youths battle 'disconnection'
Schenectady Gazette/Capital Region Section (September 2010) By Sara Foss - The day begins with a discussion called "Our Friends, Our Choice." -download article

Forums/Conferences:

Back on Track: A Policy Forum on Disconnected Youth in New York State, July 24, 2009

SCAA hosted a policy forum on disconnected youth in New York State, and presented the findings of Back On Track: Re-Connecting New York’s Disconnected Youth to Education and Employment. This report provides the first statewide survey of youth outcomes in New York State. Youth development experts discussed the implications of Back On Track for reforming education, workforce and social services policy. Speakers included:

Kristin Proud, Deputy Director of State Operations, Office of Governor David A. Paterson
Bret Halverson, Consultant, JobsFirst NYC
Dennis Richardson, President and CEO, Hillside Family of Agencies, Rochester
Dianne Morales, Executive Director, The Door, New York City

Download Media Advisory   Download PowerPoint presentation   Download Executive Summary


Additional Resources:

Fostering Careers September 2011

A new study from the Center for an Urban Future reveals that an alarming share of young people who age out of New York City's foster care system are failing to obtain and hold on to jobs, and that part of the problem is that city government and foster care agencies are either not adequately focused on providing workforce preparation services to these youngsters or not equipped to do so. The study concludes that these dismal employment outcomes are a leading reason why an unacceptably large number of foster care alumni go from being minor wards of the state to adult wards of the state.

A Profile of Disconnected Young Adults in 2010 December 2010

A National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) report. Using census data, the report highlights a growing
segment of the population who are arriving at young adulthood disconnected from the main pathways leading to economic independence.

dream it, plan it, make it happen

NYS Department of Labor website with resources and assistance for disconnected youth.

Tip Sheet for obtaining a NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Non-driver identification card for youth in care September 2010

Developed by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet Subcommittee on Child Welfare / Juvenile Justice, this tip sheet is intended to provide some practical tips to help you obtain a NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Non‐driver Identification Card for youth in your care. This is not meant to provide detailed instructions, but rather suggestions you might find helpful.

Trends in STDs among Young People in New York State February 2010

A New York State Department of Health PowerPoint used with the Understanding the Epidemic of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in New York’s Young People webinar and seminar.

Disconnected Youth: An Answer to Preventing Disengagement. Volume 2 December 2008

A follow-up to SCAA's October 2007 Disconnected Youth white paper that focused on preventing disconnection among young people involved in the child welfare and children’s mental health systems. This second paper concentrates on two other systems—education and juvenile justice—and recommends ways that the state can prevent disconnection with changes in those systems.

Disconnected Youth: An Answer to Preventing Disengagement October 2007

Young adults with no care, no connections, and no hope for the future are a population on the rise. A number of past reports and studies have focused on reconnecting youth.  This white paper by the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy focuses on preventing disconnection in the first place.