Rethink Resources

I’m finding it interesting to find relevant news items from all over the country - and from urban, suburban and rural communities.

Close to my home is a report from Milwaukee on violence in schools here. It’s part of a series and the one I’ve linked to explains the background to one incident. I’m passionately committed to education options that work for teens and the news report details how youth are pushed out, transferred and not helped until they finally stop going to school. This matters for many reasons - but youth out of school and most likely without a job are at risk to have sex for money or other illegal stuff.

And I just have to say reading the article about the one incident where the principal was hurt that conflict resolution with youth means not ordering them to calm down. This is basic youth worker knowledge to me but I think people get stressed and don’t realize that physically advancing on a youth, grabbing them or yelling are all ways to escalate a conflict, not reduce it.

Houston reports a serious teen prostitution problem and in Davenport Iowa, two adults were convicted of making money off of and sexually abusing at least two girls (one only 11 years old). An article from Florida talks about youth in foster care group homes and the struggles they face to adapt to new surroundings and loneliness after being placed in care.

Lastly in California an article details the experiences of youth ‘couch-surfing’ for lack of safe housing. Advocates are trying to create a youth shelter in the area to address the need. The most interesting point in the article for me was this:

1.65- Percent of U.S. residents estimated to be couch homeless
4,975,559- Number U.S. residents estimated to be couch homeless
Source: US Census Bureau

I didn’t know anyone had quantified it like that and it’s helpful to see something so common to me documented.

I’m off to Minneapolis to present at the Pathways to Adulthood Conference.

Group homes a haven for foster kids (Florida) Monday, May 7, 2007 Though filled with students, the halls at DeLand High School seemed empty and lonely to Samantha. At 16, she was the new girl — at school and at the DeLand foster home where she lived with seven girls she didn’t know.

Behind knockout of principal lies a sad tale (Wisconsin) Sunday, May 6, 2007 The anger seemed to come from nowhere. When another student slammed a fruit cup on a cafeteria lunch table last fall, the young girl’s rage began to build.

Houston ‘a mecca’ for child prostitution (Texas) Thursday, May 3, 2007 A man who forced children to work as prostitutes will spend the next 21-years prison. Now the FBI tells 11 News child prostitution is a problem that’s particularly bad in Houston.

Homeless teens couch surf while advocates hope for a shelter (California) Thursday, May 3, 2007 Just as the city of South Lake Tahoe blurs the line between rural and urban communities, the city’s teen homeless population strikes an uneasy balance between temporary housing arrangements and true life on the streets. “Couch surfers” are those without any other place to go, besides gracious accommodations from friends and families.

Woman, man who prostituted girl get combined 32 years (Iowa) Thursday, May 3, 2007 A Davenport woman who prostituted a young girl for $100 in November, and the man who paid for her, were sentenced Thursday to a combined 32 years in prison and life-long probation.