disconnected youth

When high school student Kia Reid’s brother was arrested, she withdrew emotionally, missing more than a week of school. But in her absence, Reid didn’t fall through the cracks. Her teachers texted and called to check on her.

Larry Robbin has worked to close the opportunity gap since he was a high schooler, when he first volunteered with a workforce development program at Chicago’s Cabrini Green housing project, serving juveniles and adult gang members coming out of the justice system.

Focus on the Figures is a regular partnership between The Imprint and KidsData.org, a nonprofit dedicated to providing data on the health and well-being of California’s children. Sometimes referred to as “disconnected youth,” older teens who are neither in school nor working are more likely than other youth to struggle with mental illness or substance abuse, encounter violence and become teen parents.

The Obama Administration has released information on a new initiative, Performance Partnership Pilot (P3). The P3 program is targeted to serve disconnected youth across the nation. States, tribes, and municipalities can apply for a Performance Partnership Pilot grant and test innovative, outcome-focused strategies to achieve significant improvements for disconnected youth in educational, employment, mental health and other key outcomes.