Youth Empowerment (Greenville)

Hi! My name is Priya Desai!

Hi! My name is Jess Meaders!

Second Year Psychology and Communication Studies & Disorders Major
Contact: priya.desai@uga.edu
she/her/hers

How did I get involved with IMPACT?
My older sister was actually a site leader during her time at UGA, and she highly recommended IMPACT to me! I wanted to get involved during my freshman year, so I went to IMPACT’s open house and applied for a trip. During spring break, I went to Charlotte, NC for a trip focused on Education Access and Advocacy. Although I was initially nervous, it was an incredible experience, during which I learned so much about sustainable service, social justice, and about myself.

Why am I interested in Youth Empowerment?
Youth Empowerment is such a broad, diverse topic that interests me as someone who is really passionate about childhood development. I work teaching art to youth every summer and have witnessed firsthand the impact a single person can have on a young life. People are unable to choose the circumstances they are born into, and childhood is such a critical period of development. I strongly believe that everyone should have the same access to resources and a peaceful environment to grow up in. Youth are the foundation of any society, and I am excited to learn exactly how we can do our part to invest in their futures.

Fun fact?
Ask me my favorite band/movie/book/etc! I love lists, and I’ve probably picked out a favorite of everything I’ve ever thought of.

3rd Year Criminal Justice and International Affairs Major
Contact: jessicameaders@uga.edu
she/her/hers

How did I get involved with IMPACT?
I got involved in IMPACT because I felt like I wanted to do more with my spring break during my freshman year of college. IMPACT felt like a good way for me to go to a new place while also being able to actually do something while on spring break. My freshman year I ended up going to Memphis, TN for the HIV/AIDs Advocacy and Awareness Trip and ended up having the most impactful week on both myself and the community, which is what made me want to go on another trip my sophomore year. I think the fact that I consider both of my trips to be huge milestones of growth in my life speaks volumes about IMPACT as a whole.

Why am I interested in Youth Empowerment?
I think Youth Empowerment is so interesting because of how dynamic it is and how it relates to so many other things. Youth empowerment consists of a two part process in many communities in that first we must seek to empower the youth to be the best version of themselves before we can empower them to do the best for others. Our communities are built upon the younger generation as they set the tone for the future to come and being able to work with young people allows me to invest in the future of our world. Young people are incredible in the way they think and act about and in the world, which allows for so much to be learned from them in the process of helping them reach their full potential.

Fun fact?
I have lived in the Washington D.C. area for the past 8 years of my life and I can give a pretty great monuments tour!

Key Terms

Empowerment: to give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means
Youth Empowerment: refers to the process in which young people are encouraged to take charge and make positive changes in their own lives as well as within their communities

Intersectionality: coined by scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, this term addresses the way that different forms of marginalization (race, gender, class, ability, sexuality) combine and overlap

Adolescence: a transitional period between puberty and adulthood in human development, extending mainly over the teen years, preceding maturity

Youth Marginalization: when people are treated as insignificant or less important due to their young age

Equity: fairness in the treatment of people; differs from equality in that equity focuses on giving individuals what they need to succeed, rather than treating everyone the same

Self-concept: a collection of beliefs about one’s self
Self-esteem: the regard or respect a person has for themselves
Self-efficacy: a person’s belief in their ability to complete certain tasks

Learned Helplessness: a condition in which an individual begins to feel powerless after repeated failures; they often begin to believe that their situation is unchangeable

Critical/Sensitive Period: in developmental psychology, the time window thought to be crucial for acquiring a mental ability (such as language development)

Ephebiphobia: the extreme fear of youth and full blown media panic

Title I Schools: schools that receive additional federal aid because of their high populations of low-income students (to receive funding, 40% or more students must qualify for free or reduced lunch programs)

School Tracking: separating students by academic ability within a school

Achievement Gap: refers to significant, persistent disparity in academic performance among American students, usually along racial, gender, or socioeconomic lines

School to Prison Pipeline: the process through which minors and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds are pushed out of schools and into prisons, in part because of harsh disciplinary school policies

Key Facts about Youth Empowerment

Youth today in the United States face a wide variety of social issues.

The percentage of children, defined as those under 18, living below the poverty line is as follows:
in the US: 17.5% (2017)
in Athens: 25.2% (2010)
in Greenville: 21.0% (2010)

Education
Education is central to development and to the improvement of the lives of young people. Education is important in eradicating poverty and hunger and in promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development.

In America's public schools there are almost 50.8 million students, based on federal projections for the fall of 2019.
The national graduation rate is 84.6 percent, according to the latest data

Marginalization
Many marginalized young people have weakened or severed family ties, are subject to social stigmatization, and are not connected to institutions such as schools, youth clubs, or the formal workplace. These youth—whom we refer to as "socially marginalized"—are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and are at a disproportionately high risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS. They often lack access to reproductive health information, counseling, legal protection, and health and other services, so reaching them requires special planning, advocacy efforts, and supplemental resources.

8.7% of youth in America (over 2 million youth) cope with severe major depression
2.9 million cases of child abuse are reported every year in the United States

Community
Young people often occupy several statuses within their communities and have to balance their home life, school, and community all at once. Youth involvement in community organizations can benefit organizations and their programs as well as the youth themselves. Meaningful youth engagement views youth as equal partners with adults in the decision-making process. Programs and activities are developed with youth, rather than for youth. The community surrounding a young person is incredibly important as they continue to mature and develop.

Research definitively sows that youth who have sufficient support from their families, schools, and communities develop the assets necessary to do well in life
In Brooklyn, NY, a youth empowerment program that provided comprehensive nutrition curriculum and an intensive regular exercise regimen resulted in an average weight loss of 20 pounds, bringing participating students into a healthy average BMI range
10th grade girls involved in 4-H programming are 2x more likely to take part in science programs. 12th grade girls involved in 4-H programming are nearly 3x more likely to take part in science programs

The positive outcomes to youth empowerment programs are improved social skills, improved behavior, increased academic achievement, increased self-esteem, and increased self-efficacy

Youth Empowerment in Athens

Youth in Athens, GA are surrounded by one of the largest universities in the country while living in one of the poorest counties in the state.

Athens-Clarke County Statistics

64% of Students at Clarke Middle School qualify for free and reduced lunch
In 2017, the Clarke County School District reported a graduation rate of 80%
In 2016, the poverty rate in Clarke County was 35%
8,121 of those in poverty in 2016 were under 18 years old
The state of Georgia has the lowest minimum wage in the country at $5.15
According to a 2015 report from The New York Times, it is estimated that growing up impoverished in Clarke County takes away $4,240 from a child's income

Athens-Clarke County Youth and the University of Georgia

Of the UGA student population in 2016, there were only 24 students from Clarke Central High School
Government Housing on Baxter street sits less than 500 feet from freshman dorms

Community Organizations for Youth in Athens, Georgia

Chess and Community - a youth mentoring organization that uses the analogy of chess to help low-income children how to make a plan for their lives
Clarke County Mentor Program - Recruits and trains volunteers to serve as mentors to students in public schools, K-12 grade
Oasis Tutors - Sponsors an after-school program for students in grades PreK-3 for Latino children of the Pinewood Estates community
Youth Leadership Athens - A program dedicated to providing civic education and leadership development to Athens area high school juniors