There are about 10,000 16 to 24-year-olds in the Road Map Project region who are not in school or working. But these opportunity youth, despite facing significant barriers, are powerful and resilient. When given the chance, they have the potential to contribute to our communities in significant ways.
Opportunity youth say disengagement from school happens for many reasons, including academic barriers, life responsibilities, and the school environment itself. A growing network of service providers working with opportunity youth are strengthening local programs around a common vision. This action plan summarizes work over the past five years and identifies regional priorities for 2020-21.
Road Map Project partners have been working together to create and coordinate programs for young people to finish their secondary education, receive a range of wraparound supports, and transition to postsecondary or career training. In the 2013-14 school year, there were only three reengagement programs serving 800 opportunity youth. As of 2019, more than 25 programs are working together as a network.
Each of these teams is working to align regional efforts serving opportunity youth.
SAVE THE DATE for our next Education Results Networking meeting to say goodbye to the...
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Local high school students have spoken: 96 percent have affirmed the desire to pursue a postsecondary education. Despite this, we are not doing enough for our young people. Nearly 2,000 ...
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Our region is one of many around the country that has worked to reframe conversations about disconnection with the more strengths-based term “opportunity youth,” putting the onus on the systems ...
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