Newark's History and challenges of Disconnected Youth
Newark is grappling with a crisis of youth disconnection.
Thousands of young people aged 16-24 are neither in school nor employed, perpetuating a cycle of intergenerational poverty.
We can change this.
Here are the facts:
- Nearly 4,000 Newark youth aged 16-20 are not enrolled in school at all
- Another 3,000 youth aged 15-21 are at high risk of leaving school without a diploma
- 50% of 16-19 year-olds and 33% of 20-24 year-olds are jobless.
- An estimated 25% of disconnected youth have had involvement with the juvenile justice system, often for offenses occurring at school
- 33% of Newark Public School students aged 15-21 were over-age and under-credited
Mayoral Efforts:
Newark's mayors have implemented various initiatives to address this challenge:
- Kenneth Gibson (1970-1986):
Implemented programs to provide job training and employment opportunities for youth; established the Newark Youth Corps to engage disconnected youth in community service and skills development.
- Sharpe James (1986-2006):
Launched the Newark Youth Education and Employment Success (YE2S) program to provide mentoring, tutoring, and job readiness training for at-risk youth; collaborated with schools and community organizations to prevent youth from dropping out and becoming disconnected.
- Cory Booker (2006-2013):
Implemented comprehensive education reform efforts, including expanding charter schools and supporting alternative education programs for disconnected youth; launched the Newark Reentry Initiative to provide support services and job opportunities for youth involved in the juvenile justice system; partnered with businesses and nonprofits to create summer employment and internship programs for young people.
- Ras Baraka (2014-present):
Prioritized education and youth development; expanded the Mayor's Office of Reentry to provide more comprehensive services for justice-involved youth; launched the Newark City of Learning Collaborative to improve college access and success for Newark residents, including disconnected youth; implemented the Newark 2020 initiative to connect 2,020 unemployed Newark residents, including youth, to full-time living wage jobs by 2020.
Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty:
Despite ongoing efforts, the cycle of intergenerational poverty persists, especially in the South Ward of Newark. The challenges faced by each age segment contribute to this heartbreaking cycle:
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South Ward, Newark, New Jersey Statistics
1. Children (Birth-12):
- 65% of children under 5 live below the poverty line in the Neighborhoods in the South Ward of Newark.
- Only 1 in 3 childcare slots in Upper Clinton Hill are high-quality; Dayton has no high-quality slots
- The entire Promise Neighborhood of Newark is designated as a food desert by the USDA
2. Youth (13-24):
- 50% of 16-19 year olds and 33% of 20-24 year olds are unemployed
- High dropout rates: only 68% of South Ward students graduate
- Low college readiness: just 5% of 11th graders met ACT college readiness benchmarks
- 25% of disconnected youth have had juvenile justice system involvement
3. Adults (25-64):
- 31% unemployment rate in South Ward Neighborhoods, 3x the state average
- 45% of residents earn less than $20,000 annually; 41% fall below the poverty line
- 61% hold only a high school diploma or less; just 10% have a bachelor's degree
4. Elderly (65+):
- Concentrated poverty: 60%+ of Dayton residents over 75 live below the poverty line
A New Approach:
Decentralized Intelligent and Collaborative Ecosystem (DICE)
Intergenerational poverty is a "wicked problem" - complex, persistent, and deeply intertwined with other social issues. Tackling this challenge requires the coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders, each bringing their own priorities, resources, and limitations to the table.
By leveraging a decentralized model that combines human and AI intelligence, the Beloved Ecosystem will drive coordination and collaboration across our BE members (YOU!) as well as our initial 9 startups.
This synergistic approach fosters the exchange of opportunities, workstreams, information, data, and best practices, enabling more effective solutions to the complex socioeconomic challenges faced by residents of Newark's Distressed communities.
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