Profiling Risk and Effective Practice in Communities with High Youth Distress

What is a community?

We believe that many of the solutions to effectively reach and serve young people rest in the communities in which they live. By increasing the capacity of communities to serve their youth, we empower them to create change in meaningful ways based on the particular youth in their locale. Thus, it is important to understand what we mean when we say community. The definition of "community" encompasses several things - the physical geographic space in which people live, the people who live there, the leadership (i.e. Mayor or other elected officials), the public systems (i.e. workforce development, juvenile justice, education and child welfare) which provide services, community- and faith-based institutions, businesses, etc. It is the collaboration and partnership among all these entities that is the key to developing effective strategies that improve the life chances of our most vulnerable youth.

Profiles of Youth Distress

To promote greater understanding of the scope of youth distress in high poverty, urban areas, we analyze data on indicators related to education, crime and victimization, employment, and family stability.  This ongoing project will highlight the data in communities where some of the nation's largest school districts are located, and which have high rates of child poverty and/or large minority populations.  These data profiles seek to document the major school, community, family and peer factors that impede a young person on the path to completing high school.  Communities and advocates can use this data to galvanize support for needed interventions, and to benchmark and track progress on achieving positive outcomes as a result of preventive services and interventions.  Select a community below to view its profile.

Atlanta, GA                         Cleveland, OH                      Minneapolis, MN

Boston, MA                         Detroit, MI                             Philadelphia, PA

Chicago, IL                         Oakland, CA                         Washington, DC 

Profiles of Effective Practice

There are several communities that are working effectively to address pressing youth issues. Their approach and lessons learned can be a guide for other communities seeking to improve outcomes for their youth populations.  CLASP is committed to highlighting these effective practices in particular communities around the country.  We have recently initiated a series focused on youth employment service delivery. Below are examples of approaches used in selected communities.

Baltimore, MD                         Indianapolis, IN                         Philadelphia, PA

Boston, MA                             Kansas City, MO                       San Diego, CA

Brockton, MA                          Los Angeles, CA                       Seattle, WA

Hartford, CT                           New York, NY                            Southeast AR

To learn about additional innovation and effective practice in communities across this country visit the Communities Collaborating to Reconnect Youth (CCRY) Network website.