Framework for Growing Up as a Youth in the U.S.
is important, as the United States has historically strugg - led to contextualize direct interventions that are particu - lar for this age group. Adolescents in the United States have special legal pro - tections afforded to them surrounding a variety of an - gles including labor, education, alcohol consumption, healthcare, and so forth. The rights afforded to them are divided between federal, state, and local jurisdictions. Upon reaching the age of eighteen, a person is consi - dered to be an adult and therefore loses many of these special considerations and protections. Demographic Shift The realities of racism, classism, and sexism in the Uni - ted States persist despite the country changing tremend - ously each day. The U.S.’s population is now aging at an unprecedented level and the rapidly aging population ( Baby Boomers ) is increasingly becoming more depen - dent on the younger generation – a younger generation that is more diverse than any other the United States has ever seen. Thus, the U.S. is faced with a prevailing chal - lenge – how to promote equality with an aging populati - on that continues to own many of the resources that are needed to create a brighter future for everyone. There tends to be tensions between the Baby Boomer popu - lation and youth, with the older population not able to fully understand the extent of the challenges that young people face today in addition to youth feeling misunder -
stood by them. Because the cost of living and attending college has gone up drastically, it is not always possib - le for the current generation of young people to follow the same path that their parents or other older relatives completed. Different Realities Create Different Outcomes Youth in the United States face different realities and life outcomes depending on variables as disparate as the zip code that they were born in, to whether or not they at - tend a city or county school. City schools are located in more urban centers while county schools are typically in the suburbs connected to the outskirts of these cities or in smaller towns. Often times, whether or not a person is successful in the United States is reliant as much on whe - ther or not they were born within the right circumstan - ces as it is upon their innate ability. This is a reality faced by many youth around the world, but the hypocrisy is amplified within the United States because of the relati - ve financial wealth of the country and, subsequently, the collective efforts by government and society to try and mitigate the consequences of a system that can make or break a person based off of many factors outside of their control. According to official Census U.S. poverty measures, 11.6 million children (or 1 in 7) – which would equate to 16 % of all kids in the United States – were living in poverty in
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