Youth in the USA
Students attend their school day typically from around eight or nine in the morning until three or four in the afternoon. From there, students can stay after school for sports or other extracurricular activity clubs, and then go home via school bus, public transportation, or their parents/other family members picking them up from school. In New York City and other large cities, it is not uncommon for high school students to take public transportation such as the subway to school. However, in many areas, especially more suburban and rural are - as, most students take a school bus to get to and from school. Students in higher socio-economic classes may have their own car to drive to and from school after they get their license from the age of 16 and onward. While some young people in the United States are very focused on their personal and family lives, as well as their career paths and extracurricular activities, there are many young people in the United States who engage in activism for racial, economic, gender and environmen - tal justice. There are several youth-led advocacy groups such as the Sunrise Movement that focus on environ - mental justice and March for our Lives , which focuses on gun control where young people can engage in political causes. The role and activism of these organizations has grown substantially over the last ten years. Some high schools and universities have local chapters of political advocacy groups that allow young people to engage in pushing for a more just United States to eliminate the inequities that exist by race, class, gender, sexuality, and more. LGBTQIA+ There are approximately two million young people bet - ween the ages of thirteen to seventeen that identify as LGBTQIA+ in the United States, which constitutes 10 % of the youth population. In more recent years, there has been more acceptance towards LGBTQIA+ youth from their peers. However, there has also been recent state and local-level movement from mostly conservative sta - te legislatures to target the ability of these young people to live their lives freely. LGBTQIA+ youth are more like - ly than their heterosexual peers to experience negative health and life outcomes due to bullying and a lack of support for their mental and physical health. Increasin - gly federal and local policies are acknowledging and fo - cusing on the experiences and needs of LGBTQIA+ youth. Numerous national advocacy groups and other organiza - tions are also giving greater attention to LGBTQIA+ youth in their work. The Trevor Project is the largest non-profit
organization in the United States that focuses on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQIA+ youth. However, the work of organizations like this and the po - licy advancements for LGBTQIA+ youth have come after hard fought legal fights and are constantly under threat. Youth With Disabilities The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, mandates that children and youth ages three to twenty-one with disabilities be provided a free and appropriate public school education. The resources that youth are afforded is broken down by federal, state, and local school district. The most commonly used tool to help guide students in this category is the Individual Education Plan (IEP), which lays out the special educa - tion methods, instruction, supports, and services that a special needs student requires. Further, the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability provides a range of assessments that can help with the transition from school to employment. In addition to their focus on career planning, these resources recognize unique chal - lenges faced by youth with disabilities.
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