Priorities: Why is Preparing Youth to Succeed in Life Important?
Preparing youth for adulthood creates both opportunities for them and savings for taxpayers.
Policymakers in every state deal with a range of costly consequences from problem youth behaviors—“bad outcomes” that both threaten individual futures and result in soaring public expenditures.
Youth who succeed have a clear sense of identity, a positive sense of self worth and opportunities to achieve. They are more likely to avoid risky behaviors—substance abuse and delinquency—that may yield lifelong impacts.
What are the Key Elements to Prepare Youth to Succeed in Life?
·
Youth risk factors.
At-risk youth exhibit multiple behavior issues.
If they use drugs, they are more likely to be delinquent, drop-outs or unemployed. [i]
·
Positive youth development factors.
Young people who are involved in the community, successful in school or engaged in activities are more likely to develop into healthy, productive adults.
[i] Chung Hyunhee and Maurice Elias, “Patterns of Adolescent Involvement in Problem Behaviors: Relationship to Self-Efficacy, Social Competence, and Life Events,” American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 24, 1996.