Moving toward independence presents youth aged 16 to 24 with a number of opportunities — and challenges. The stakes are high for this age group; 16- to 24-year-olds are forging pathways to postsecondary education, training, and employment, and for youth with additional challenges, these transitions are even more difficult.
American Youth Policy Forum. (2009). Leveraging resources to create alternate pathways to education and employment training for disconnected youth. Retrieved from http://www.aypf.org/resources/leveraging-resources-to-create-alternative-pathways-to-education-and-employment-training-for-disconnected-youth/
Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University. Retrieved from http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/
Center for Labor Market Studies. (2009). Left behind in America: The nation’s dropout crisis. Retrieved from http://iris.lib.neu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=clms_pub (PDF, 19 pages)
McMichael, W. H. (2009, November 5). Most U.S. youths unfit to serve, data show. Army Times. Retrieved from http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/military_unfityouths_recruiting_110309w/
National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (n. d.). Guideposts for success (2nd ed.). Retrieved from http://www.ncwd-youth.info/sites/default/files/page/2009/02/guideposts_0.pdf (PDF, 12 pages)
National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (2004). Making the connections: Growing and supporting new organizations : Intermediaries. Retrieved from http://www.ncwd-youth.info/sites/default/files/page/2009/02/infobrief_issue8.pdf (PDF, 4 pages)
National League of Cities. (2005). Reengaging disconnected youth: Action kit for municipal leaders. Retrieved from http://www.nlc.org/File%20Library/Find%20City%20Solutions/IYEF/At-Risk%20Youth/disconnected-youth-action-kit-apr07.pdf (PDF, 14 pages)
Sum, A., Khatiwada, I., McLaughlin, J. & Palma, S. (2008). The historically low summer and year round 2008 teen employment rate: The case for an immediate national public policy response to create jobs for the nation’s youth. Boston, MA: Center for Labor Market Studies.
U.S. Department of Labor (2009). Occupational outlook handbook, 2010-2011 edition. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos249.htm
U.S. Department of Labor (2009). The employment situation-November 2009.Bureau of Labor Statistics News Release. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_12042009.pdf (PDF, 30 pages)
U.S. Department of Labor (2007). College enrollment and work activity of 2006 high school graduates. Bureau of Labor Statistics News. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/hsgec_04262007.pdf (PDF, 5 pages)
U.S. Department of Labor (2008). Work experience of the population -2008.Bureau of Labor Statistics News Release. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/work.pdf (PDF, 9 pages)
Wills, J. (2008). Preparing all youth for academic and career readiness. Washington, D.C.: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, Institute for Educational Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ncwd-youth.info/assets/reports/preparing_all_youth_for_academic_and_career_readiness.pdf (PDF, 63 pages)
U.S. Department of Defense
This site helps young adults plan their next steps in life by bringing together the most recently available information about colleges, careers and military services. Designed primarily for individuals between 16 and 24, the site features information drawn and collated from the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, Education and Labor. The site contains information on more than 1,000 military and civilian careers and nearly 7,000 accredited colleges, universities and trade schools, and can serve as a central resource for valuable background on college admission requirements, employment trends and military benefits.
Eligibility: Youth aged 16 to 18, and 19-year-olds who will graduate before turning 20 – unemployed, drug-free, law-free high-school dropouts
Focus: Education, workforce preparation
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a federal program operated through a cooperative agreement by the state National Guard that seeks to improve life skills and employment potential of at-risk youth by providing military-based training and supervised work experience so that they may become productive citizens. The program is preventive rather than remedial and targets participants who are unemployed, drug-free, and law-free high-school dropouts, 16 to 18 years of age. Select 19-year-olds who will graduate before turning 20 are eligible. As of August 2009, nearly 90,000 youth had graduated from the program. ChalleNGe is funded by the Department of Defense.
Core components of the ChalleNGe program include: citizenship, academic excellence, life-coping skills, service to community, health and hygiene, job skills training, leadership/followership, and physical training. The two phases of the ChalleNGe program include a 22-week Residential Phase and a 12-month Post-Residential Mentoring Phase.
NGYCP students raise an estimated 1.5 grade level equivalents in reading and 2.2 grade level equivalents in math. Eighty percent of NGYCP cadets earn their GED; nearly double the pass rate of other adult education programs. Thirty percent of NGYCP graduates continued their education. Twenty-nine percent of NGYCP graduates joined the military.
U.S. Department of Education
Eligibility: Full-time students in postsecondary education
These need-based awards of up to $5,800 annually for full-time students do not have to be repaid, and can be used to pay for tuition and school related expenses.
Eligibility: Full-time students in public school
Under this program, state educational agencies (SEAs) must ensure that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as other children and youth. Homeless children and youth should have access to the educational and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging state student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment. States and districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth.
Dropout Prevention on the Department of Education's Doing What Works Site
This site provides multimedia resources to help you find out what works in dropout prevention. Schools can create research-based and practical solutions to keep students in school, reduce dropout rates, and recover students who left school.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families/Children's Bureau
Eligibility: Youth aged 18 to 21 who are aging out of foster care
Focus: Education and Training
Within the Children's Bureau, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) seeks to ensure that young people involved in the foster care system receive services and support to help them make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and adulthood. CFCIP provides states with the funding to:
U.S. Department of Labor
This resource for adults and youth provides employment, training, and financial assistance for laid-off workers. It includes resources for getting immediate help with unemployment insurance, healthcare, and other financial needs; job searching and resume tips; changing careers and understanding transferable skills; and upgrading skills through education and training. It also provides career information and links to work-related services that help veterans and military service members successfully transition to civilian careers.
Eligibility: Youth aged 16 to 24
Focus: Workforce development
Job Corps is a federally-funded education and career technical training system administered by the U.S. Department of Labor for youth aged 16 to 24. Job Corps has trained young adults for meaningful careers since 1964. Each year, Job Corps serves approximately 65,000 at-promise youth at 123 centers throughout the country.
The program uses a standards-based curriculum to prepare students for high-growth careers. Job Corps offers the opportunity for youth to earn a high-school diploma or GED, and attend college. Career technical training programs include automotive, health care, renewable resources, and more. Job Corps operates according to eight Career Success Standards or behavioral expectations, which prepare students to transition to the workplace and become contributing members of society.
This resource for adults and youth helps laid-off workers and other career changers find new occupations to explore. Users can identify occupations that require skills and knowledge similar to their current or previous job, learn more about these suggested matches, locate local training programs, and/or apply for jobs.
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 enacted a formula-funded youth program serving eligible low-income youth, aged 14 to 21, who face barriers to employment. In addition to low-income requirements, eligible youth have additional barriers to employment: they may be deficient in basic skills, school dropouts, homeless or runaway, foster youth, pregnant or parenting, have involvement with the justice system, or require assistance to complete their education or secure employment. Service strategies developed by workforce providers prepare youth for employment and/or postsecondary education through strong linkages between academic and occupational learning. Local communities provide youth activities and services in partnership with the WIA One-Stop System and under the direction of youth councils and local Workforce Investment Boards. Services include occupational skills training, summer employment opportunities, counseling, internships, job placements, mentoring, tutoring, other academic and vocational education, leadership development, and support services. For additional information on WIA youth services and other youth programs funded by the Department of Labor visit: http://www.doleta.gov/youth_services/
Eligibility: Youth aged 16 to 24
Focus: Workforce development
The YouthBuild program assists out-of-school youth between the ages of 16 and 24 in obtaining their diplomas or GEDs while providing occupational training in the construction industry. Acquiring leadership skills and participating in community service, at-risk youth build and renovate affordable housing within their communities.
Participants in YouthBuild programs include individuals who have been in the juvenile justice system, youth who are aging out of foster care, high-school dropouts, and others. In addition to receiving academic and occupational skills training, these young people develop leadership skills and participate in community service opportunities. Many YouthBuild participants are learning "green" building techniques, assisting with retrofitting existing homes, and discovering how to help make their communities sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Organizations chosen for YouthBuild funding include workforce investment boards, faith-based and community groups, and local and nonprofit housing development agencies. The YouthBuild program was transferred by Congress from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the U.S. Department of Labor in 2006. Currently 228 YouthBuild projects are funded by the Department of Labor.
Map My Community is a tool designed specifically to assist you in locating resources in your community to help you build and strengthen your youth program. Get ideas for new partnerships, identify gaps in your community, and learn about resources to avoid duplication of effort.
FindYouthInfo.gov is the U.S. government Web site that helps you create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs. Included are youth facts, funding information, and tools to help you assess community assets, generate maps of local and federal resources, search for evidence-based youth programs, and keep up-to-date on the latest, youth-related news.