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Recreational Opportunities for Urban Youth (redirected from Recreational and Career Enrichment Opportunities for Urban Youth)

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Front Page / Issue Briefs / Education & Children, Youth and Families / Recreational and Career Enrichment Opportunities for Urban Youth / Overview

Issue Brief

Goal Statement one sentence that further defines the topic

Providing a safe and creative alternative to gang affiliation and street violence will promote the productivity of urban youth, leading to a decrease in crime and rise in urban youth success with higher graduation rates and increased school retention.
Safety

A California school district began offering an out-of-school time program for more than 1,300 students, since then lewd acts against children have dropped by 46%.^[1]

Local/State/National Information additional information on this topic at the local, state, national, global level

Policy Options / Model Programs link to profiles of specific policies or program models, grouped by type

West Side High School in Newark, NJ has set on to address the environmental needs of students by providing a Lights on Program in effort to ensure the safety of students. After losing three students to gun violence Principal Akbar Cook, opened up what is known as the Lights on Program. The Lights on Program is a recreational outlet for students to remain at school during the after hours from 6pm to 12am. After school hours are often when most gang violence and urban youth violence occur. Having this Lights on Program provided by the educational institution benefits both parents by having a place for students to go where they are safe and provided meals. While also benefiting the students by allowing them a safe space to engage in recreational activity.
https://www.njspotlight.com/news/video/lights-on-program-at-west-side-high-school-draws-national-attention/

Athletic opportunity for youth is not always accessible for everyone. The National Youth Sports Strategy is a useful resource for policymakers and program leaders of youth sports. The National Youth Sports Strategy conducts research on ways to make youth sports equitable across race, ethnicity, sex, ability, or ZIP code. Depending where you live live or attend school certain sports are not offered. In some cases in certain areas sports may available for one sex or and not the other. Along with location and sex being a factor in the availability of opportunity for youth sports engagement income is another major factor is some parents are unable to afford and provide their children with the many materials and equipment necessary for sport engagement. The National Youth Sports Strategy seeks to address these issue by providing many implementable strategies for the use of parents, coaches, communities and policymakers in effort to encourage youth participation in sports.
https://health.gov/our-work/physical-activity/national-youth-sports-strategy

Boys and Girls Club is a national organization that provides an after-school program from students K-8. This organization focuses on education programs, such as tutoring, recreational activities, like sports or the arts, and finally wellness programs. Urban youth are more likely to not graduate on time or drop-out, so this organization helps keep students on track as well as providing skills needed to be successful in school and life. Boys and Girls Club also provides workspace readiness and character development. Boys and Girls Clubs are typically found in underserved urban areas or with vulnerable populations where there may be higher rates of crime, so this organization informs kids about appropriate safety in their community. There is a structured day at this program which grants less free-time that students might engage in risky behaviors, such as gang affiliation or violence. This program not only benefits students while they are in school, but it sets them up with lifelong skills to help them grow and succeed. There are diverse opportunities that are offered in this program to attract as many students as possible with a broad spectrum of interests.
https://www.bgca.org

Glossary of Terms key words or phrases that the layperson needs to know to understand this issue

Recreation: activity that provides enjoyment; leisure activities
Enrichment: enhancing the value of something
Gang Affiliation and Street Violence: common alternatives to more beneficial activities that students may engage in
Rise in urban youth success: providing more programs and opportunities will supply more opportunities for students in urban areas

Contributor(s):

Footnotes