Why young people need HOPE

Right now, young people and their families are facing economic, systemic, or circumstantial barriers that limit their hope and possibilities.

What does it mean to be a young person “in need?” Need can include a variety of factors, such as financial hardship, severe stress on the family, parent/guardian illness, neighborhood violence, or an underperforming school—most anything that would create significant barriers to a young person realizing their potential.

Boys Hope Girls Hope works closely with each young person and their family, guardian, or support system to assess their unique situation, needs, interest, and motivation to self-select into the program.

They need to believe that their lives can get better.

That’s why Boys Hope Girls Hope is focused on creating access and opportunity, so more young people have hope for safe, nurturing spaces where they can learn, grow, and thrive.

young people in the US live in families with incomes below the federal poverty line.

Socioeconomic Status

Children from families in the highest income quartile are eight times as likely to earn a college degree that those with the lowest family incomes. In 2019, approximately one in three adolescents (33 percent) were living in families at less than twice the federal poverty line (defined as an income of $25,750 or less for a family of four in 2019). This means that out of all adolescents in low income families in 2019, approximately 40 percent lived in poverty. Poverty rates were especially high for single-female headed families.

Children born into poverty are six times more likely to drop out of school.

Poverty

Out of all young people in low income families in 2019, approximately 40% lived in poverty. And this was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Growing up in poverty can have negative implications for adolescents. They are more likely to suffer from behavioral or emotions probelsm and engage in unhealthy behaviors. Poverty, in part, also shapes young peoples’ access to well-funded schools, healthy food, and safe outdoor spaces. The longer a child lives in povery, the lower their overall level of academic achievement.

of US high school students reported being treated badly because of their race or ethnicity

Racism

Large disparities by race and ethnicity continue to exist between outcomes for underrepresented minorities and their peers, such as education, college acceptance, degree attainment, incarceration, addiction, as well as physical and mental health outcomes.

Racism has negative impacts on education and a child’s ability to perform well in school. Perceived racism was highest among Asian (63.9%), Black (55.2%), and multiracial students (54.5%). Students who reported perceived racism had higher prevalences of poor mental health (38.1%); difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions (44.1%); and not feeling close to persons at school (40.7%).

of young people in 2021 reported a parent or other adult in their home lost a job.

Stress on Families

and up to 85% of teens have experienced community violence by age 16

Community Violence

A significant number of children in American society are exposed to traumatic life events. A traumatic event is one that threatens injury, death, or the physical integrity of self or others and also causes horror, terror, or helplessness at the time it occurs. Traumatic events include sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, community and school violence, medical trauma, motor vehicle accidents, acts of terrorism, war experiences, natural and human-made disasters, suicides, and other traumatic losses.

of high school students reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year.

Sadness and Hopelessness

THE COST OF INACTION

The costs to society are significant when negative outcomes span a child’s lifetime. We lose the economic productivity, civic engagement, and volunteerism, in addition to the incredible contributions and innovation these young people have to share.

OUR WORK

OUR COMMITMENT TO SERVE MORE YOUNG PEOPLE

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN PROVIDE HOPE

Working to nurture and guide motivated
young people in need to become well-educated,
career-ready men and women for others

boyshopegirlshope.org