YOUTH

 Chalkbeat - Roughly 4.2 million teens and young adults across the country are not in school or the workforce — a group of young people advocates have come to call “opportunity youth.” Traditionally, they have been left to fend for themselves after dropping out of high school or faltering post-graduation.
Some policymakers believe reengaging this group could be key to addressing intergenerational poverty, racial disparities, and gun violence. But the issue rarely makes its way into media coverage.

In the fall of 2023, Chalkbeat reporter Mila Koumpilova set out to explore the latest efforts to help out-of-school, out-of-work young people. She focused on Detroit, which has long been an epicenter of the issue, with a quarter of 16- to 24-year-olds in the city fitting that “opportunity youth” description. But she also took a national look, poring over U.S. Census statistics with data journalist Kae Petrin and speaking with experts, advocates, practitioners, philanthropists, and, of course, the young people themselves. 

Her story today offers an intimate look at the experiences of two Detroit teens trying to get back on track after disconnecting from school and work, as well as a panoramic view of the push to rethink programs serving these young adults. Read this important story, and let us know what you think.