This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Teams to visit school dropouts
Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX – September 4, 2012
Some faculty members and volunteers from Westbury, Bellaire and Lamar high schools are among those gearing up for the Houston school district's ninth annual "Grads Within Reach" program in which they walk to visit high school dropouts to encourage them to get back in school and graduate.

Help cut dropout rate for students via JAG program
News-Sentinel, Indiana – September 8, 2012
Indiana has a 27 percent high school droput rate. That means on your street alone, there are likely one or two students who won't earn a diploma, putting them at a significant disadvantage.  CANI is part of the solution through a new youth-focused program. The objective of JAG (Jobs For America's Graduates) is to help high school juniors and seniors at risk of not graduating to get back on track and graduate.

Immigrant Students Beat U.S.-Born in NYC High School Graduation
San Francisco Chronicle, New York, NY – September 5, 2012
Immigrants were more likely to graduate from New York City high schools than U.S.-born students in 2009, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office.

Juvenile Justice

Youth court fall juror training set
The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, CA – September 7, 2012
Riverside Youth Court is an innovative approach to juvenile justice and acts as an early intervention for first-time offenders of misdemeanor crimes.  It is designed to give youth between the ages of 10 and 17, who have broken the law and admitted their guilt, a second chance.

Foster Care

Mentoring program aids teens ‘aged out’ of foster care
Pine Island Eagle, Florida – September 8, 2012
Turning 18 is a milestone birthday for any teen but for youths in foster care, it's also a sharp line in the sand.  Teens "age out" of foster care when they become legal adults and, while there are some continuing services available, too many find themselves on their own - and ill-prepared for that transition.  That's where Footsteps to the Future, a local not-for-profit, steps in.

LCCC gets grant to help at-risk students
The Telegraph, Illinois – September 3, 2012
A federal grant will enable a local college to serve more at-risk students in a comprehensive alternative education program that literally builds futures.

Teen Pregnancy

Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign
Gaston Gazette, North Carolina – September 8, 2012
A teen mom shouldn’t depend on her baby’s daddy to help raise their child.  Eight out of 10 dads don’t stay with the teen mothers of their children, said Diana Willman, coordinator for the health department’s Teen Pregnancy Program, a parenting program for teen mothers.

TV Writers Script Safe Sex 'Product Placement'
NPR – September 6, 2012
For an egregious example of a silly product placement, look no further than the CW show The Vampire Diaries, where a character actually says "I Bing'd it" of a search online. But believe it or not, product placement can actually be serious and socially conscious.