At Risk Youth
Children have been defined as "at-risk" by meeting a variety of circumstances.
These are circumstances are: the absence of either or both parents from the household
the child resides in; at least one foreign-born parent of recent immigration; low family income; the absence of any employed parent or guardian in the household; the child having at least one disability; being retained in grade at least once; or speaks English less than “very well”. Measures of community risk might include rates of poverty, crime, unemployment, or teen parenthood in the community.
Abuse, neglect, and dependency often become generational. According to the latest reports from the Child Welfare League of America published in 2017:
Reducing social isolation; creating supportive social networks; teaching appropriate behaviors and stress responses; developing relationship skills; providing a platform of faith or inner peace; and developing an awareness of self and individual worth are core elements of Seeds of Hope programming developed to combat the perpetuation of the cycles of abuse, neglect, dependency, and poverty. Since our inception, this continues to be our driving objective. It is our goal to teach our children we are each made for greatness.
Statistics show mentors help keep students in school. Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters). Mentors help improve a young person's self-esteem. Mentors provide support for students trying new behaviors. Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters). About 40% of a teenager's waking hours are spent without companionship or supervision. Mentors provide teens with a valuable place to spend free time. Mentors teach young people how to relate well to all kinds of people and help them strengthen communication skills.
An estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure, equating to 40 million Americans including more than 12 million children. [Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. Gregory, and Anita Singh. 2018. Household Food Security in the United States in 2017, ERR-256, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service]. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It is important to know that hunger and food insecurity are closely related, but distinct, concepts. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the level of the household.
These are circumstances are: the absence of either or both parents from the household
the child resides in; at least one foreign-born parent of recent immigration; low family income; the absence of any employed parent or guardian in the household; the child having at least one disability; being retained in grade at least once; or speaks English less than “very well”. Measures of community risk might include rates of poverty, crime, unemployment, or teen parenthood in the community.
Abuse, neglect, and dependency often become generational. According to the latest reports from the Child Welfare League of America published in 2017:
- In 2015
- There were 2,288,050 children under the age of 18 living in North Carolina. Of these children, 1,090,000 lived below 200% of poverty.
- 10,324 children lived apart from their families in out of home care. Of these, 2,739 were waiting to be adopted.
- Approximately 90,583 North Carolina grandparents had primary responsibility caring for their grandchildren.
- An estimated 6,000 children ages 12 to 17 were alcohol dependent in the past year and 242,000 adults age 18 and older were dependent on alcohol or used heroin in the past year in North Carolina.
- Health care costs related to opioid abuse in North Carolina reached $582,486,663.
- 45,000 teens ages 16 to 19 in North Carolina were not enrolled in school and not working.
- 143,000 young adults ages 18 to 24 were not enrolled in school, were not working, and had no degree beyond high school.
- There were 10 reports of children in North Carolina aged 10 to 14 committing suicide, and 58 reports of suicide among children aged 15 to 19.
- 84 children under age 19 were killed by a firearm in North Carolina.
- 19,724 children younger than 18 were arrested in North Carolina. Violent crimes were the reason for 1,207 of the arrests.
- In 2014
- Approximately 18,000 children ages 12 to 17 needed but had not received treatment for alcohol use in the past year.
- Approximately 26,000 children ages 12 to 17 needed but had not received treatment for illicit drug use in the past year.
- In 2013, 543 children lived in juvenile correction facilities in North Carolina.
Reducing social isolation; creating supportive social networks; teaching appropriate behaviors and stress responses; developing relationship skills; providing a platform of faith or inner peace; and developing an awareness of self and individual worth are core elements of Seeds of Hope programming developed to combat the perpetuation of the cycles of abuse, neglect, dependency, and poverty. Since our inception, this continues to be our driving objective. It is our goal to teach our children we are each made for greatness.
Statistics show mentors help keep students in school. Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters). Mentors help improve a young person's self-esteem. Mentors provide support for students trying new behaviors. Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters). About 40% of a teenager's waking hours are spent without companionship or supervision. Mentors provide teens with a valuable place to spend free time. Mentors teach young people how to relate well to all kinds of people and help them strengthen communication skills.
An estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure, equating to 40 million Americans including more than 12 million children. [Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. Gregory, and Anita Singh. 2018. Household Food Security in the United States in 2017, ERR-256, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service]. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It is important to know that hunger and food insecurity are closely related, but distinct, concepts. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the level of the household.