This morning the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) announced Young People First, a decade-long plan to confront a crisis of disconnected youth by investing in education, social services, and job training.
“This mission to get disconnected youth back on track has the strong and enthusiastic support of the education community,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “Built on a long-term vision that prioritizes youth and families, this bold, transformative effort is aimed at reducing the disconnected youth crisis by half within the next decade through a variety of strategies that include additional school funding, equitable school funding formulas based on student needs, targeted support for educators, schools, and districts facing the greatest challenges, solutions for in- and out-of-school issues, and much more.”
The report makes an economic as well as moral case for investing in the 20% of youth ages 14-26 that a Dalio Education report found are disconnected from education and work, estimating the cost of inaction at $750 million.
Strategic Pillars of the plan include:
- Coordination – Coordinated support for youth at all levels. Implementing new educational pathways and alternative learning models to better accommodate the diverse needs of disconnected youth.
- Conditions – Creation of stronger conditions for youth success within and beyond schools. Developing robust vocational and career training programs in collaboration with local businesses and educational institutions.
- Coalitions – Build and sustain coalitions. Building stronger support networks through partnerships between schools, non-profits, and local governments.
- Capacity – Increased capacity in education, workforce, and the social sector. Allocating additional resources to programs specifically designed to address the needs of disconnected youth.
“Connecticut’s educators see firsthand the challenges that lead to and stem from the problem of disengaged youth,” Dias said. “We know that without robust resources, collaboration, and a highly coordinated plan in place, the impacts of disconnection are lifelong and generational.”
Following the release of Dalio Education’s report documenting the number of disconnected youth—119,000—in the state and the problems they face, the 119K Commission embarked on a listening tour to hear directly from youth, educators, service providers, and others.
“The approach we took was to listen to the success stories, the failures, where programs can be shored up, where systems need to be revamped, or where collaboration would really change the trajectory of our young people and their lives,” said Torrington mayor Elinor Carbone, a co-chair of the 119K Commission.
At CCM’s news conference today, young people gave voice to the challenges they see and have experienced in their communities and the programs and supports that have helped them and their peers.
Mrinaalini (Rania) Das, a member of New Haven’s Youth Commission, says that she is fortunate to have a stable and supportive family but that the challenges she sees many of her peers facing have led her to take an active role in advocating for change.
“For many young people in my city, life is complex and uncertain,” Das said. “Many don’t have have stable homes, anyone to ask how their day went, offer a hug when things get tough, or provide the emotional support they need. These aren’t luxuries. They’re necessary for their emotional well-being.”
She added, “We need community-based interventions. Schools alone can’t solve these complex problems.”
During her childhood Erica Soares experienced more trauma that many see in their entire lives. She faced homelessness, sexual assault, the incarceration of a parent, and the loss of a parent while growing up surrounded by gun violence and gangs.
“Today at the age of 24, I sit at the table with senior executives, decision makers, and leaders because I was fortunate enough to have people who believed in me,” said Soares. “I am one of the lucky ones. I had coaches, mentors, family members, and programs like GEAR UP CT that helped me see a future beyond the circumstances that could have swallowed me whole. Thanks to the resources I had, I went from struggling in high school to attending college.”
Soares is now pursuing a master’s degree in strategic communication with the goal of giving back to her community, but says many young people in our state don’t have access to the same support that she received.
“Too often opportunity and success are based on luck, where you live, who you know, or what resources you happen to stumble upon. We can’t leave opportunity up to chance. Every young person deserves access to people who genuinely care about them and programs that help them believe in their potential.”
Programs that offer mental health services and workforce and life-skills training can help turn lives around for those young people fortunate enough to have access.
David Mezard said that when he was released from incarceration in January 2022 he was homeless, struggling with addiction, and lacking the important documents he needed to find housing and get a job.
“The only resource I knew in my community was the liquor store,” Mezard said.
His mother signed him up for a program to help young adults who return to the community after being incarcerated, but despite the best efforts of those who work for the program, Mezard wasn’t ready for help yet.
“I was in and out of rehab, and my parole was finally revoked and I returned to incarceration,” he said. “When I came home from that incarceration, I was more ready for help.”
He attended cognitive behavioral health classes and a workforce program through Domus, an organization in Stamford.
“I’m not perfect, but I’ve come so far from where I was January 2022,” Mezard said. “Today I have my own apartment, I have all my important documents, and I have a job.”
His advice to those who want to reconnect youth to education and career opportunities? “Be persistent and consistent. A lot of young people need a long time to make changes.”
He also emphasized that young people need easy access to those who can support them, transportation, help obtaining basics like a birth certificate and food, and support for their whole families
“Domus helped my mom as well as me,” Mezard said. “She too struggles with an addiction and is participating in a year-long recovery program. Domus also supported my family when my dad passed away.”
Support like that Domus offered Mezard is essential to getting young people back on their feet, but just as essential is addressing the factors that cause youth to become disconnected in the first place.
“By addressing the root causes of disconnection, it empowers our youth to thrive in the classroom, in the workforce, and in the community. This plan has the power to fundamentally reshape the future for tens of thousands of young people and their families, and the benefits of this work will be felt in every city and town across our state,” Dias said. “We look forward to working together to enact the plan and bring about significant changes that will create a brighter, more equitable future for all.”
