Youth Disconnection in New York CityA New York metro area closeup base - PDF document

Youth Disconnection in New York CityA New York metro area closeup based on the report “One in Seven: Ranking Youth Disconnection in the 25 Largest Metro AreasTo download this report, go to http://www.measureofamerica.org/oneseven 2 Youth Disconnection In New York CityFor manyyoung New Yorkersthe years that stretch from the midteens to the midtwenties are exciting and alive with possibilities. Anchored by school, work, or both, these “emerging adults” are laying the foundation for productive lives of choice and value. They are earning educational credentials, gaining work experience, forging professional networks, building capacities for independent decisionmaking, and developing both the social and emotional skills that will make productive and rewarding relationships with colleagues, friends,and romantic partners possibleBut for the 350,000 young peopleages 16in the New York metro area who are neither working nor in school,life is very different.Thesedisconnected teens and young adults find themselves isolated and adrift at society’s margins, unmoored from the systems and structures that conferknowledge, skills, identity, and purposeThe problem of youth disconnection is a serious and costly one, both for young people themselves and for society as a whole. For disconnected youth, the effects of limited education, social exclusion, employment gaps, and lack of work experience tend to snowball acrossthe course of their lives, affecting everything from earnings and selfsufficiency to health and marital prospects. For the New York metro area more broadly, the consequences are serious as wellabor force with too few skilled workers tofill openings in many industries; the high costs associated with poorphysical and mental health, public assistance, crime, and incarceration;and too many families experiencing intergenerational povertyNationwide, 5.8 million young people are disconnectedone in every seven Americans ages 16 to24. The rate of youth disconnection in the New York metro area, which includes New York City as well as neighboring counties and communities inthe larger tristate area, is higher than the national average15.2 percent compared to 14.7 percentnationally. And the New York metro area lags behind other large American citiesOf the country’s twentyfive most populous metro areas, New York has the ninth highest rate of youth disconnection. To see the ranking of all twentyfive metro areas, go to: www.measureofamerica.org/onesevenAndbeneath these aggregate figureslies tremendous diversity. The New York metro area has the widest gap by neighborhood in terms of youth disconnection of America’s largest cities.In the communities of Hicksville, Bethpage, and Plainview in Nassau County on Long Island, the rate of young adults not in school and not working is onetenth the rate of the South Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven, Melrose, and Hunts Point. Disconnected youthare young people ages 1624 who are not enrolled in school and not working. 3 TABLE1 Disconnection in New York City’s Neighborhoods BOROUGH NYC COMMUNITY DISTRICT(S) NEIGHBORHOOD(S) DISCONNECTED YOUTH (%) New York Metro Area 15.2 Bronx1, 2Melrose, Mott Haven,Port Morris, Longwood, Hunts Point35.6 BronxUniversity Heights, Mount Hope, Morris Heights23.9 Bronx3, 6Claremont Village, East Tremont, Belmont23.6 BronxUnionport, Soundview, Castle Hill, Clason Point22.8 BronxMount Eden, High Bridge, Concourse20.3 BronxNorwood, Bedford Park19.5 BronxWakefield, Eastchester, Edenwald, Williamsbridge18.9 BronxPelham Parkway, Pelham Gardens, Morris Park, Van Nest18.7 BronxSchuylerville, Edgewater park, Throgs Neck, City Island16.2 BronxMarble Hill, Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Fieldston12.4 BrooklynOcean Hill, Brownsville29.6 BrooklynEast New York, Spring Creek, New Lots25.0 BrooklynBedford Stuyvesant24.7 BrooklynProspect Heights, Weeksville20.6 BrooklyBushwick19.6 BrooklynWingate, Prospect Lefferts Gardens19.2 BrooklynRugby, Remsen Village, East Flatbush18.3 BrooklynWindsor Terrace, Sunset Park18.3 BrooklynDitmas Park, Midwood, Manhattan Terrace17.6 BrooklynFulton Ferry, Downtown, Clinton Hill15.8 BrooklynGreenpoint, North Side, South Side, Williamsburg15.5 BrooklynCobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope15.5 BrooklynSea Gate, Coney Island, Brighton Beach15.1 BrooklynHomecrest, Sheepshead Bay, Gravesen15.1 BrooklynKensington, Borough Park, Ocean Parkway14.2 BrooklynBay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, Dyker Heights13.3 BrooklynCanarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Mill Island13.1 BrooklynBensonhurst, Bath Beach11.1 ManhattanCentral Harlem23.7 ManhattanEast Harlem22.3 ManhattanInwood, Washington Heights15.9 ManhattanEast Village, NoHo, Lower East Side, Chinatown14.9 ManhattanHamilton Heights, Manhattanville, Morningside Heights12.5 ManhattanCarnegie Hill,Yorkville, Upper East Side, Lenox Hill8.1 Manhattan4, 5Clinton, Chelsea, Midtown, Flatiron7.6 ManhattanManhattan Valley, Upper West Side, Lincoln Square6.5 Manhattan1, 2West Village, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Tribeca, Financial District4.7 anhattanTurtle Bay, Tudor City, Gramercy, Stuyvesant Town3.7 4 QueensJamaica Center, Hollis, Rochdale17.1 QueensElmhurst, South Corona, Lefrak City16.7 QueensOzone Park, Lindenwood, Howard Beach16.6 QueensEast Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, North Corona15.4 QueensFar Rockaway, Summerville, Neponsit, Breezy Point15.3 QueensMaspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, Glendale15.1 QueensWoodhaven, Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens14.9 QueensCollege Point, Murray Hill, Queensboro Hill12.5 QueensSteinway, Astoria, Ravenswood11.9 QueensHunters Point, Sunnyside, Blissville10.4 QueensBellaire, Cambria Heights, Laurelton10.3 QueensPomonok, Utopia, Kew Gardens Hills, Jamaica Estates8.0 QueensBayside, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck7.1 QueensRego Park, Forest Hills6.8 Staten IslandPort Richmond, Silver Lake, St. George15.8 Staten IslandBloomfield, Willowbrook, Dongan Hills12.7 Staten IslandBay Terrace, Arden Heights, Tottenville The New York metro areahas significant gaps by race and ethnicity.African American young people have the highest rate of disconnection, 21.7 percent, followed by Latinos, with a rate of 20.6 percent. Both Asian American and white young people havea disconnection rate of 9.8 percent. It is noteworthy that although the rates for African Americans and whites in New York are below the national average for those groups, for Latinos and Asian Americans, rates are well above the average. Nearly one in ten New York Asian American young people are disconnected, considerably higher than the 8 percent U.S. average and the highest rate of the metro areas for which reliable data on disconnection for Asian Americans are available. Similarly, the Latino rate is well above the 18.5 percent average and second highest after Phoenix(see FIGURE 1FIGURE1 Disconnection in the New York Metro Area by Race and Ethnicity African AmericanLatinoNEW YORK METROAsian AmericanWhiteDISCONNECTED YOUTH (%)RACE AND ETHNICITY 5 In densely populated New York City, vastly different youth disconnection rates can be founjust miles, and sometimes even blocks, apart.In Manhattan’s East Side neighborhoods of Turtle Bay and Styvesant Town, only 3.7 percent of youngpeople are disconnected. A relatively short ride uptownon the number trainaway, in the Bronx neighborhoods of Hunts Point Melroseand Mott Haven, the rate isnearlyten times higher, 35.6 percent (see MAPMAPYouth Disconnection in New York CitySource: Measure of America analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey PUMS Microdata 202010. Similar extremes can be found within four of the five boroughs(see TABLE The Bronxhas the highest youth disconnection rate among the five boroughs(see SIDEBARbelow).As mentioned earlier, the Bronx neighborhoods of Melrose, Mott Haven, Port Morris, Longwood, and 6 Hunts Point have the highest rateof youth disconnection, 35.6 percent. The areas in and around Marble Hill, Kingsbridge, Riverdale, and Fieldston have a rate about onethird of that, 12.4 percentBrooklyn’syouth disconnection rate is 18 percent. Bensonhurst and Bath Beach, the rate is 11.1 percent.Ocean Hill and Brownsville, the rate is 29.6.Staten Island’syouth disconnection rate is 14 percent overall, and the borough hasa considerably more narrrangeamong its neighborhoods, at least in part because of its comparatively smaller population sizeBay Terrace, Arden Heights, and Tottenville have a youth disconnection rate of 12.6, whereas Port Richmond, Silver Lake, and St. George have a rate of 15.8Queens has a youthdisconnection rate of 13.3 percent.In Rego Park and Forest Hills, the rate is just 6.8 percent.In Jamaica Center, Hollis,andRochdale, it is 17.1 percent. This range is considerably more narrow than that found in the other large boroughs. Manhattanhas the lowest youth disconnection rate of the five boroughs, 12.3 percent. The rangebetween neighborhoods, however, is very large. In Turtle Bay, Tudor City, Gramercy, and Stuyvesant Town, the youth disconnection rate is 3.7 percent. Harlem, the rate is 23.7 percent, more than six times as highTABLEHighs and Lows of Youth Disconnection by Borough Source: Measure of America analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey PUMS Microdata 2006 RANK BOROUGH CENSUS NEIGHBORHOOD: HIGHEST AND LOWEST BY BOROUGH YOUTH DISCONNEC ION (%) HIGHManhattan Turtle Bay, Gramercy, Stuyvesant Town3.7 HIGHQueensRego Park, Forest Hills6.8 HIGHBrooklynBensonhurst, Bath Beach11.1 HIGHBronx Marble Hill, Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Fieldston 12.4 HIGHStaten IslandBay Terrace, Arden Heights, Tottenville12.6 LOWStaten IslandPort Richmond, Silver Lake, St. George15.8 LOW Queens Jamaica Center, Hollis, Rochdale 17.1 LOWManhattan Central Harlem23.7 LOWBrooklynOcean Hill, Brownsville29.6 LOWBronxMelrose, Mott Haven, Port Morris, Longwood, Hunts Point35.6 7 ho is Considered a “Disconnected Youth”What Drives Youth Disconnection?Measure of America research found that high rates of youth disconnection in the country’s twentyfivemost populous metropolitan areas, New York included,e strongly associated with twocritical factors: poverty and low levels of adulteducational ttainment.Poverty. Disconnected youth are, not surprisingly, considerably morelikely to come from isconnected communitiesareas in which highrates of poverty are evidence of and ontributors to isolation frommainstream social and economic systems. A startling 39 percent ofdisconnected youth live in households with incomes that fall below thepoverty line, ompared with an alreadyhigh 21 percent of connectedyouth. In terms of community conditions, one in five young people inhighpoverty metro neighborhoods are disconnected, as compared withonly about one in fourteen for youth in lowpoverty neighborhoods. For the purposes of this study, lpoverty neighborhoods are those with a poverty ratebelow 5 percent, anighpoverty neighborhoods have a poverty rate ofabove 20.9 percent. 8 (These thresholds are one standard deviation above and below the mean for all neighborhoods, respectivelyIn each borough, the poverty rate is higher in the most disconnected neighborhoods than it is in the metro area asa whole (13.8 percent), particularly in the most disconnected parts of theBronx 42.5percent), Brooklyn(35.8 percent), and Manhattan(28.6 percent). Adult educational attainment. Another strong link exists betweenconnectedness of young eople to work or school and the educationalstatus of adults in their communities. Towns and neighborhoods in whichfewer adults have at least a fouryear college degree have a far greaterproportion of disconnected young people. In fact, thepositive benefits for thecommunity seem to accelerate in impact as the proportion of adults withbachelor’s degrees in an area increases.In the three most disconnected New York City neighborhood clusterstwo in Brooklyn and onethe Bronx, less than 1percent of adult residentshave bachelor’s degrees; in three areas with the lowest rates of disconnection, all in Manhattan, about 75 percent of adults have bachelor’s degrees. For a more detailed discussion of the factors most closely associated with youth disconnection, see “One in Seven:Ranking Youth Disconnection in the 25 Largest Metro Areas,”page 19 at:http://www.measureofamerica.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/09/MOAOne_in_Seve14.pdfWhat Can Be Done?Today we are paying for societal failure;investing in success by preventing disconnection in the first place cheaper by any measure and easier than reconnecting those who havefallen out of the mainstream. Evidence hows that two investments in our collective future merit particular attentionRESET THE TRAJECTORY FOR AT RISKKIDS WITH HIGHQUALITY EARLY EDUCATIONPreschool seems distant from the teens and early twenties. But research consistently shows that the roots of high school completion are planted before a child even startstheir firstday of kindergarten. Atrisk 3and 4yearolds who attend a highquality preschool have lower dropout rates and enjoy greater labor market success decades later than their peers who did not go to preschool.Highquality, centerbased preschool programs do more than enhance cognitive development; they also provide children with critical social and emotional skills that compound over time, resulting in less grade repetition and fewer behavioral problems, less crime, fewer teen births, and higher wages.DEVELOP MEANINGFUL SCHOOLWORK OPTIONS FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLEEvery American young person needs some education after high school to succeed in today’s globally competitive workforce. But the ideathatthis education must be a bachelor’s degree sends the message that anything else is second best.Other affluent democracies in Western Europe and the Nordic countrieshave strong vocational and technical education systems that offer a host of meaningful alternatives for young people whose interests and aspirations are best met by a certificate program or twoyear degree. And, as one result, many of these countries have far lower youth disconnection rates than the United States.Every young person needs some education beyond high school to succeed in today’s workforce. But the idea that this must be a bachelor’s degree sends the message that anything else is second best. 9 Researchers have estimated that over the next five years nearly 30 million newjobs will require workers with an associate degree or occupational certificate. A robust career and technical education system that offers strong high school academic preparation alongside a range of onsite or classroombased programs would offer an important option for young people who have the desire and aptitude to enter some of these "jobs of tomorrow," jobs that allow for economic security and job satisfaction and requiresome postsecondary education but not necessarily a bachelor's degree. These programs can include internships, apprenticeships, afterschool programs, and more. In many successful models here and abroad, the participation of the private sector helps to defray costs and builds links between students and future job placements. In turn, industry benefits from a welltrained workforce. Moving beyond the vague “collegeforall” mantra to provide meaningful guidance and concrete options both to young people aiming for a bachelor’s degree and to those whose career aspirations would be better served by relevant, highqualitycareer and technical education programs is key to preventing youth disconnection. .'-(23#-3�+"#$%&"()#+"&,-#?(&@'''"#$%&'#!()!*+#',-$!1&(A,B"$'"#$9C3(C%$"'9"3'+"3D(B(4(@,-#449'$(%2B'3((4$')(&'%2B"&$3#2B,2@'E"44CF",2@'#2B'(11(&3%2,39',2'*+"&,-#'#2B'$3,+%4#3"$')#-3 D#&B'-(19'#2B'(24,2"'&"1(&3$6',23"&#-3,A"'I#11$6J'#2B'-%$3(+CF%,43'B#$DF(#&B$6'!"#$%&"'()'*+"&,-#'F&"#3D"$'4,)"',23('2%+F"&$6'%$,2@'B#3#'3(',B"23,)9'#&"#$'()'D,@D"$3'2""B6'1,21(,23'4"A"&$')(&'-D#2@"6'#2B'3&#-8'1&(@&"$$'(A"&'3,+"?''''7%$,2"$$"$6'1D,4#23D&(1,$3$6'#2B'F(#&B$'()'B,&"-3(&$',2-&"#$,2@49'E#23'#2'#2$E"&'3('3D,$'K%"$3,(2G'#&"'(%&'"))(&3$'3$4#3,2@',23('$(-,#46'"-(2(+,-6'(&'"2A,&(2+"23#4',+1#-3$'(2'3D"'@&(%2B M"A"'3((4$')(&' 3D"'2#3,(2#46'$3#3"6'#2B'-(%23 %$"&$'-#2'14#9'E,3D'(A"&'/=='$(-,#4',2B,-#3(&$ ,23('3D"'F&(#B"&',+1#-3'()'"B%-#3,(2'(2'-(++%2,3,"$?''':""B'D"41'E,3D'B#3#