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Us & Them Encore: Disconnected Youth

Published
Trey Kay, Kyle Vass
A graphic featuring the silhouette of a person who has several arrows around them pointing in all kinds of directions. Text on the graphic reads, Disconnected Youth. The WVPB and Us & Them logo are also visible.

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There are so many young people in the U.S. who are not in school, working or training for work, that there’s a name for it. They are ‘disconnected youth,’ and while West Virginia’s rate has dropped in recent years, it’s still one of the highest in the nation. 

Just under 12%, or 24,000, young people are in this category, and they can be tough to track down because there’s a stigma attached to this status. However, some programs are trying to bridge the gap – to connect with young people and help them train for a job and a career. 

On this Us & Them episode, we’ll find out why some young people get stuck and the things Mountain State leaders say could help this next generation.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.

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