1. Opportunity Youth in California
Kristen Lewis, Co-Director

2. MEASURE OF AMERICA
A nonpartisan project of the nonprofit Social Science Research Council
Provide easy-to-use yet methodologically sound tools that measure what matters for human well-being, freedom, and opportunity
Work with partners to breathe life into numbers, using data to identify need, pinpoint levers for change, build support for people-centered policies, and track progress over time.
California projects: Portrait of California 2011, Portrait of Marin, Portrait of Sonoma County, Portrait of California , Portrait of Los Angeles (Coming in November!) 2

3. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Defined as the process of enlarging people’s freedoms and opportunities and improving their well-being.
Puts people at the center of analysis and looks at the challenges we face in the interconnected way we experience them.
Is expanded or constrained by the things we do ourselves and by the conditions and institutions around us.
Debuted in 1990 at the UN; rooted in Amartya Sen's capabilities framework.
Seen as the global gold standard for measuring well-being in human development reports in over 160 countries. 3

4. WHY FOCUS ON OPPORTUNITY YOUTH?
Late teens/early adulthood is the time we build the capabilities you need for a rewarding, freely chosen adult life.
A fundamental indicator of societal progress and well-being is how young people are faring in their transition to adulthood.

5. What Is the Connection between Human Development and Youth Disconnection?
“Emerging adulthood” – the teens and early twenties — is when people build many of the capabilities required for a good life.
Good schools and positive work experiences build capabilities like:
Credentials
Mentors
Work history
Social capital & professional networks
Cognitive skills and soft skills
Self-awareness & emotional regulation
Understanding of workplace norms
Through their experiences in classes, sports, clubs, camps, faith-based groups, internships, and rst jobs, connected young people lay the groundwork for freely chosen, rewarding lives.
Disconnected young people are cut off from these critical resources and experiences, from mentors and motivated peers to diplomas, certi cates, and job contacts to positive experiences that foster feelings of dignity and belonging. Research shows that being disconnected as a young person has long-term consequences; it’s associated with lower earnings, less education, worse health, and even less happiness in later adulthood.4 And society as a whole pays a price in terms of reduced competitiveness, lower tax revenues, and higher health and criminal justice costs, to name just a few.5 5

6. OPPORTUNITY YOUTH: DEFINITION
Opportunity youth, or disconnected youth, are people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working.
Young people in this age range who are working, are in school full- or part-time, or are in the military are “connected.”
Some groups modify this definition, or use different data sources, and get different numbers as a result.

7. Nationally, Youth Disconnection
Continues to Decline

8. SPOTLIGHT ON CALIFORNIA
California’s youth disconnection rate is 12.2 percent – just shy of the national average.
Between 2010 and 2015, the rate dropped 17.9 percent.
California ranks first in the absolute number of opportunity youth, 609,000 youth.
California’s DY rate is a bit higher than the national rate—14.7 percent.
750,321 .

9. RATES BY RACE AND ETHNICITY
At the national level, youth disconnection rates for blacks (21.6 percent), Native Americans (20.3 percent), and Latinos (16.3 percent) are markedly higher than rates for Asian Americans (7.9 percent) or whites (11.3 percent). In nine metro areas, at least one in four black youth are disconnected. In ten metro areas, at least one in five Latino youth are disconnected.
The rates for blacks, Latinos, and whites are lower in California than they are in the country as a whole.

10. SPOTLIGHT ON CALIFORNIA: CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS
CD 8
21.2
CD 13
7.1

11. SPOTLIGHT ON CALIFORNIA Metro Areas
San Francisco
WORST
for Blacks
San Francisco
BEST
for Latinos
Stockton-Lodi
WORST
For Latinos
California’s DY rate is a bit higher than the national rate—14.7 percent.
750,321 kids
SARAH CAN YOU MAKE THOSE ANIMATED BUBBLES ON THIS SLIDE FOR BEST AND WORST CITY FOR BLACKS AND FOR LATINOS .
Riverside-SB
BEST
for Blacks

12. SPOTLIGHT ON CALIFORNIA: COUNTIES
California’s DY rate is a bit higher than the national rate—14.7 percent.
750,321 kids
SARAH CAN YOU MAKE THOSE ANIMATED BUBBLES ON THIS SLIDE FOR BEST AND WORST CITY FOR BLACKS AND FOR LATINOS .

13. SPOTLIGHT ON CALIFORNIA: NEIGHBORHOODS IN LA
California’s DY rate is a bit higher than the national rate—14.7 percent.
750,321 .

14. SPOTLIGHT ON CALIFORNIA: NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE BAY AREA
California’s DY rate is a bit higher than the national rate—14.7 percent.
750,321 .

15. CHARACTERISTICS OF DISCONNECTED YOUTH
Connected youth comparators: poverty: 21% live in a poor household. Education: 11% dropped out of high school. 20% highest degree is a HS diploma or equivalent. 8% highest degree is a bachelor’s. young motherhood; 9% women with children. Disability: 5% with a disability

16. CHALLENGES DIFFER BY RACE/ETHNICITY AND GENDER
Black youth struggle more with employment
Latino youth struggle more with education
Black girls are ahead of black boys in both
Latina girls are ahead of their brothers in education, behind in employment

17. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION IN CA TODAY

18. Rigorous Evaluations Offer Important Lessons
Successful reconnection programs address a wide variety of challenges and needs.
Short-term workforce and school reengagement programs seldom bring long-term benefits.
Paid work creates a virtuous circle.
Young people need preparation for a career, not just a (low-wage, low-skill) job.
Restorative discipline reduces dropout and disrupts the school-to-prison pipeline.
For rural youth, opportunity is often far from home.
Employers must be part of the solution.

19. SETTING GOALS CAN SPUR PROGRESS

20. DATA AVAILABILITY Data by: State Metropolitan Area
Disaggregation by race and ethnicity, neighborhood, when data allowed
Congressional District
County
Interactive tool at:
Fact sheets for four California metro areas at:

21. Thank You!