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The DisconnectedWho they are. How they got there.

Who am I, and why should you listen to me?Currently the Director of Teen Central at Burton Barr Library - Phoenix Public LibraryWorked for several years on a city-wide committee to address Disconnected Youth13+ years of working with Teens in low-income neighborhoodsPhoenix is the 5th worst city in the nation as far as Disconnected Youth (1 in 5)Also, grew up in a low income neighborhood

Who are they?

CHARACTERISTICSDisconnected Youth

Ages16-24 Low Familial SupportNot in SchoolNot WorkingNo Degree

Other Factors of DYDisconnected Youth

Gay/GenderIssues

Kids HavingKids CausesAbusiveParentsJuvenileJusticeSystemPovertyFoster Care

Factors Leading to VulnerabilityInstitutional ChallengesUnsafe schools or with few resources, unsafe or deprived neighborhoods, services in siloEducational ChallengesELL, special ed needs, older for grade, low literacy skillsSocial ChallengesPoverty, racism, abuse, juvenile justicePersonal ChallengesLack of self-efficacy, mental/physical health problems

What do youth need to become healthy, functioning adults?

Tasks of AdolescenceBeing, Becoming, BelongingPhysicalSocialEmotionalVocationalSpiritualHealthy Youth DevelopmentConfidenceConnectionCompetenceCaring Contribution

Youth Transitions Funders Group: Connected by 25A young person who is Connected by 25 has attained 4 critical outcomesEducational achievement in preparation for career and civic participationGainful employment and/or access to career trainingAbility to be a responsible and nurturing parentCapacity to participate in the civic life of ones community

Developmentally Supportive PlacesFeatures*:Physical and psychological safetyAppropriate structureSupportive adult relationshipsFeelings of belonging and being valuedOpportunities to develop positive social values and normsSupport for efficacy and matteringOpportunities for skill building and mastery

*National Academies of Sciences/National Research Councils Panel on Community Youth Development Programs

Whats going on in the US?

The bad newsIn America, an estimated 2.3 million to 5.2 million young people between the ages of 14 and 24 are not enrolled in school, not working, and lack family or other support networks. Thats 1 in 7In 2011, 14% of young people in America ages 16-19 are not in school or the workforce. And last year alone, youth disconnection cost taxpayers $93.7 billion in government support and lost tax revenue.

Foster care = higher riskOnly 3% of foster children nationwide have a degree beyond high +school.Nearly 20,000 foster care teens "age-out" of the foster care system each year. 25 percent of "aged-out" youth have been homeless 42 percent have become parents themselves fewer than 20 percent are able to support themselves,only 46 percent have graduated from high school

Race and sex matterAfrican 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.Boys are slightly more likely to be disconnected than girls. 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.

Family mattersYouth disconnection mirrors adult disconnection: household poverty rates and the employment and educational status of adults in a community are strongly associated with youth disconnection.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.

Whats going on in WI?

Some bad newsLowest indicatorsEqual Wage Gap - 48th% of Unemployed Receiving UI Benefits - 32ndFood Insecurity Rate - 26thPoverty Rate: Percentage of people in the state who fell below the official poverty line13.1% or 15th

Unemployment Rate: Percentage of unemployed workers in the state during an average month 7.5% or 20th Equal Wage Gap: Amount a woman earns for every dollar a man would earn in the same job 70.0 or 48th % of Unemployed Receiving UI Benefits: Percentage of unemployed workers in the state receiving unemployment insurance benefits49% or 32nd Food Insecurity Rate: Percentage of households unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members at some point during the year14.1% or 26th

But, some really good stuff is going on tooHigh School Graduation High school graduation rate 90.7% or 1stPercentage of young people ages 25-34 in the state with an associates degree or higher40.8% or 22ndDisconnected youth: Percentage of young people aged 16-19 who are neither in school nor the workforce 7% or 11th

Teen Birth Rate per 1000 Number of births to teenagers (15-19 year olds) per 1,000 births in the state 26.2 or 10th Foster Care Population per 100,000 children Number of children in foster care per 1,000 children under age 18 in the state 51 or 6th Affordable Housing Gap: Number of affordable and available units per 100 tenants at or below 0-50 percent of state median family income.73 or 15th

Back to the bad news7% DY is up from 6% in 2010.

Graduation rates

Wisconsins black-white graduation gap is third highest in the country behind Nevada and Minnesota. 64% black student graduation rate is 15th from the bottom.

Wisconsins graduation gap between Hispanic and white students is ninth highest. 72% Hispanic graduation rate.

74% low-income graduation rate tied for 12th highest. South Dakota had the highest rate at 86 percent and Nevada had the lowest at 53 percent.

67% graduation rate among students with disabilities.

Human Development Index

Yeah, but what about Rural Wisconsin?

Percent of Disconnected Teens by County Type, 2006-2010

Graduation RatesAbout 44 percent of Wisconsins public school students attend school in a rural school district. Wisconsins rural schools can boast better graduation rates than their urban neighbors. In 2009, rural high schools had a 93 percent graduation rate. The rate for the state as a whole was 89 percent, and 87 percent for metropolitan schools.

Diversityas rural areas become more diverse culturally, an increased number of students who are English Language Learners (ELL) are attending school in rural districts. Unlike larger districts that receive funding to serve ELL students appropriately, many smaller districts are unprepared for these new students. In the 2008-2009 school year, 47 percent of ELL students (almost 28,000) went to school in districts that did not receive state support for bilingual/bicultural programs.

Rural Support NetworksWorkers in rural northern parts of Wisconsin were disproportionately affected by the recession. The unemployment rate for rural Wisconsin was 9 percent, compared to 8.3% for the urban counties over the last few years.This has gotten better in metropolitan areas, but hasnt gotten much better in rural areas. Current numbers are 8.1 and 7.3 respectively.

Rural Support NetworksThe state as a whole is below the national average in terms of adults with a post-secondary education. Of adults in rural areas, only 1 in 5 (20 percent) hold a bachelors degree or higher, whereas in urban areas of the state, 28 percent of adults hold a bachelors degree or higher. In 2009, 48,415 (16 percent) of children in rural Wisconsin lived in poverty (below $22,050 for a family of four). In particular, many of the northern counties have some of the states worst rates of poverty.

Some other things to consider about rural areas

That food insecurity thing? It is a really big deal.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2009 11.4% of households in rural Wisconsin were food insecure an increase of 21% since 2005.

HomelessnessTemperatures drop well below zero in winterHomelessness is a rising issue among rural counties in WIFor example, by October 2011 in Green County, the number of homeless or near-homeless families that contacted county agencies for help had surpassed 2010's figures.

Rural Schools StruggleOf Wisconsin's 220 rural districts, 182 (82.7%) had enrollment declines in 2000-10. Over half had declines of at least 10%, and nearly one-quarter saw enrollment fall more than 20%. Seven rural districts had smaller revenue limits in 2010 than in 2001. Another 20 had their limits rise less than 1% per year during this period. The average rural district offered three Advanced Placement classes, compared to nine elsewhere in the state. In rural districts, nearly 40% of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch, compared to 31% elsewhere.

Health and healthcare is an issueOnly about ten percent of physicians practice in rural America despite the fact that nearly one-fourth of the population lives in these areasRural residents are less likely to have employer-provided health care coverage or prescription drug coverage, and the rural poor are less likely to be covered by Medicaid benefits than their urban counterparts.

Dental Care a really bad issueThe most common reason for kids to call off of school is a toothacheNine of 10 dentists in the state accept few or no Medicaid patients, mostly because they say the state pays too little for the care.

Child Care strugglesBecause families in rural areas lack resources and have lower incomes, parents are not able to afford child care fees.The corporate model today is based on a capacity of 75-85 children. In a rural community, this number of children does not usually exist in one location. Rural programs often serve only 40-45 children. Generally programs are operated by not-for-profit agencies, Head Start, or public schools.

Child Abuse/NeglectIn WI, during calendar year 2011, CPS agencies received a total of 64,132 referrals; 38,623 of these were screened-out and 25,509 were screened-in Out of a population of 1,000 Wisconsin children, about 29 children were involved in a report of alleged maltreatment in 2011.

Costs of Juvenile JusticeJuvenile arrests were relatively stable in the mid-1980s, but increased each year from 1989 to 1997. Over the 10-year period from 1999 to 2008, however, total juvenile arrests declined by 26.9%, from 137,872 in 1999 to 100,744 in 2008. In comparison, over the same period, total adult arrests decreased 2.2%, from 321,610 arrests in 1999 to 314,271 arrests in 2008.

GLBTThats Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered Strengths and Silences reveals heightened incidents of student victimization based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in rural schools compared to suburban or urban schools.

And some other, other issuesAbout 80% of Wisconsin residents have access to some type of broadband through cable television providers or telephone companies, according to industry figures. But coverage gaps in rural areas are a problem as businesses and individuals increasingly turn to the Internet for everything from online sales to entertainment.The lack of broadband access has put children in rural schools at a competitive disadvantage. Unable to quickly access podcasts, videos and Webinars, these children are a step behind in a technological society.

Lack of federal and commercial funding in rural communities can mean less access to programs like GED help, Leadership programs, job skills programs, and more.In addition, children have fewer avenues for creative outlets and experimentation with creative and artistic skills.People who must rely solely on over-strapped charities and churches have far fewer opportunities for robust, diverse programs allowing for a leg up.

Lets talk about Rural Libraries

Rural and Small Libraries: Providers for Lifelong Learninglibrary financing;traditionally conservative nature of rural and small towns;lack of academically trained staff;need for skill development of library trustees;limited, if any, analysis of community needs;perception that rural library typically is a place of books;technology is huge challenge; andprovision of targeted services to Native Americans and tribal libraries

Lets imagine

being a disconnected youthAge 18Live in rural areaDropped out of HS due to pregnancySeasonally employedNo access to childcareLimited access to healthcareNo access to dental careNo plans for collegeNo permanent residence

And, on that depressing noteLibraries can help.Librarians are a GREAT resource for these young people.We are a source of inspiration.We are good role models.Libraries are a safe place to be.You CAN make an impact.Every life you touch matters.

Stay tuned for part II next week where well talk about specific services you can offer your Disconnected community.

Questions? Comments? Hit me up!Terry Ann Lawler602-534-5014Terry.lawler@phoenix.gov

Look me up on Google+ or check out my online profile @https://sites.google.com/site/terryannlawler/