This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Denzel Washington on Dropouts: 'Most Dangerous Time' for Kids Right After School
PBS – September 21, 2011
In the first installment of an 18-month series on the nation's high school dropout rate, Gwen Ifill sits down with Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington to discuss his work as national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and making a difference in the lives of at-risk youth.

Alternative Opportunities gives high school drop outs a second chance
KY3, Springfield, MO – September 22, 2011
The lost earnings for the 2010 Missouri high school dropouts totals nearly $5.2 billion dollars. One organization in the Ozarks is trying to reverse that trend by helping kids get back on track.

Rising freshmen complete Communities In Schools graduation camp
Salisbury Post, Rowan County, NC – September 22, 2011
Thirty rising North Rowan High School freshmen completed a 12-day camp, the culmination of the Communities In Schools (CIS) of Rowan County’s Mission Possible: Graduation,” funded by the North Carolina Department of Education and Drop Out Prevention, this summer.

Juvenile Justice

New York Judge Seeks New System for Juveniles
The New York Times, New York – September 20, 2011
New York State has long dealt with 16- and 17-year-old defendants more severely than almost every other state, trying all of them as adults in criminal courts. Now, New York’s chief judge is calling for a less punitive approach that would focus on finding ways to rehabilitate them.

Juvenile grant aimed at rehabilitation
The News-Messenger, Sandusky County, OH – September 24, 2011
Counties across Ohio have limited funding for juvenile rehabilitation programs, though court statistics suggest just locking kids up does little to change their behavior. In Sandusky County, at least, a recently-received federal grant is aimed at addressing that problem.

Juvenile Probation Program Shows Results
WIFR, Winnebago County, IL – September 21, 2011
Five thousand Winnebago County residents are on probation and nearly a fifth of them are kids. However, an old juvenile probation initiative is making new progress.

Foster Care

CASA volunteers work to find support for youth aging out of welfare system
Midland Reporter-Telegram – September 11, 2011
A recent report issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute in New York found a growing number of children in foster care are aging out of the system without any connections to adults, resulting in a disproportionate number of young men and women becoming parents or ending up homeless or in jail. CASA volunteers are committed to helping children find permanent, safe homes as quickly as possible.


State House to Vote on Bill to Extend Foster Care
Public News Service, Lansing, MI – September 20, 2011
Most young adults in Michigan who turn 18 still have a support system to fall back on, even if they are away at college or living on their own. But for those in foster care, 18 is when they "age out" of the system and no longer qualify for supportive services.  That could change under a package of bills before a legislative committee today which would extend foster-care services to age 21.

Forum encourages adoptions of older children
Houston Chronicle, Texas – September 24, 2011
Just five months removed from foster care, 18-year-old Andre Crumedy is already beating the odds.  The Texas A&M student is among the 10 percent of foster children to enroll in postsecondary school.

Teen Pregnancy

More Texas Schools Teach Safe Sex With Abstinence
Texas Tribune, Midland, TX – September 19, 2011
In the spring, public school students in Midland will cross what until very recently was the political third rail of sex education. For the first time, they will be taught about contraception — and how to practice safe sex.

Group aims to guide teen girls to success, prevent pregnancy
Vindy.com, Youngstown, OH – September 19, 2011
The Sisters of Serenity nonprofit mentoring group is looking for a few good girls — or at least those striving to be better. Neoma McDowell, founder of the program for teenage girls, plans an orientation for girls between ages 11 and 16 who want to get involved with the mentoring program. According to McDowell, the group seeks to establish and reinforce good qualities in teenage girls.