The economic recession has hit America’s youth particularly hard. Nearly 4 million of the unemployed are young people 25 and under.
Many of them are not teenagers who need a minimum-wage job to earn pocket money to spend on weekends. They’re young adults who need a job — and job skills — so that they can support themselves and, sometimes, their families. More than 5 million young people ages 16-24 are disconnected from employment and education and living in high-poverty communities in this country. Some of them are lucky. Some live in areas that have jobs and education programs that target youth and help them complete their education, learn job skills and find jobs that allow them to advance and earn a liveable wage. What about the ones who are not living in such areas? Will they be subjected to further despondency or will the education programs ultimately reach their locations too?