Youths in Crisis: Examining Societal Factors Affecting Adolescents - Essay Sample

Introduction

Adolescents and young people are some of the people who are vulnerable to social problems that plague present-day societies. The struggles of youths vary from one community to another, and there is a need to consider how various factors impact their welfare. Issues such as limited job opportunities, economic disparity, and lack of adequate mentorship programs that cater to the needs of young people are some of the challenges they endure. Due to the effect of community issues of young people, it is essential to develop a community profile and examine the specific problem it faces and efforts made by members to change the situation. Thus, the analysis delves into youth work as the framework for understanding how young people in the African American community endure homelessness and assesses risk factors, portrayal by the media, and the involvement of stakeholders in addressing the problems.

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Youth Work

As adolescents and young adults grow, they take over the mantle in society and have a responsibility to contribute to the development and improvement of their communities. They need to understand their role, value, and contribution to building a better society. To gain the necessary skills, attitude, and perspective needed to become a useful member, young people participate in youth work. Youth work refers to activities performed by young people covering areas such as social, educational, environmental, political, and cultural dimensions (Schwartz, Roman, Nistor, Adina, & Schwartz, 2016). Depending on the youth organizations and projects in a particular community, youths can work as paid workers or volunteers. As a form of social practice, youth work encourages young people to become more actively involved in the affairs of their society and shapes their character. Through youth work, young people experience personal and social growth that prepares them for various roles in the future.

Community Profile

The selected community for analyzing a social need that affects the wellbeing of young people is the African American community. It is a community that has high rates of homelessness due to systemic and institutionalized racism that has marginalized African Americans for years (Paul Jr. Knight, Olsen, Weeks, Yen, & Kushel, 2019). Homelessness is a socioeconomic problem characterized by the absence of secure housing. Homeless young people in the African American community lives in debilitated structures and others on the streets since they cannot afford to stay in the decrypt houses. According to the State of Young America report, problems such as lack of affordable housing, high unemployment rates, high poverty levels, and lack of social support continue to burden the community (“The State of Young America: Facts & Statistics on Young African Americans,” 2011). Due to these factors, it is increasingly challenging for young people to overcome or avoid homelessness as they pursue their life goals.

A summary of the report documents the demographics of young African Americans reveals that factors such as jobs, education levels, and access to healthcare impact their social and emotional welfare. It states that 1 out of 4 African American women and 1 out of 3 African American men between ages 18-24 are unemployed. Similarly, young African Americans earn only 75 cents for every dollar earned by Whites (“The State of Young America,” 2011). Such factors reduce the chances of young African Americans succeeding and affording decent homes. As a result of homelessness, the community experiences significant health disparities with problems such as severe mental illness being high among the population (Weinstein et al., 2013). Young African Americans living on the streets face different health issues that are preventable and treatable. However, research shows that they are least likely to seek professional help to avoid discrimination and humiliation (Amato & MacDonald, 2011). Thus, homelessness is a social need that affects their quality of life.

Risk

Adult members in the African American community, such as teachers and parents, worry about the welfare of homeless youths due to their risky behavior. One of the issues of great concern to them is the indulgence in drugs and substance abuse. It is an issue that develops out of the stereotype that homeless people are drug addicts who spend all their money on illegal substances. Parents and teachers worry about the peer pressure and environmental influence that leads to behavior change and causes youths to live in streets to abuse drugs. Surviving in these harsh conditions requires people to toughen up and join groups to protect one another. As a result, young people spend time with the wrong company and become exposed to drugs. Consequently, adults worry about the risk of homeless youths becoming drug addicts and engaging in dangerous acts.

Besides concerns about drugs, substance abuse, and addiction among homeless young people, adults worry about crimes. People who live in deplorable shelters and on the streets cannot afford decent housing. They live in these areas due to a lack of employment, income, and access to affordable housing. The homeless cannot afford to pay for a decent meal, clean water, or right clothes. Some of them cannot figure out an alternative way of surviving, and they resort to crime to sustain themselves. Out of desperation, homeless people can commit crimes like robbery and assault, hoping to get the money required to meet essential needs. It is a decision that can lead to arrests and getting incarcerated for several years. Adult members worry that youths who turn to crime for survival may get arrested, killed, or imprisoned for a long time.

Media

The media is an integral tool of information in a society that draws attention to social problems and the needs of disadvantaged communities. Through the media, leaders, and policymakers learn about the extent of issues that affect specific groups and ethnicities. Since it shapes public opinion and response to social problems, the portrayal of media must remain objective and ethical. Homelessness is an issue that persists due to inefficiencies in structures and systems established to serve the population. Documenting homelessness among young people of African American descent exposes the burden that the community endures and calls for action. The representation of the situation and the plight of youths can serve as an advocacy tool for encouraging responsible stakeholders to remedy it. Therefore, media coverage on homelessness in the community tells a story that reveals the sad state of affairs.

A story in the New York Times published on 23rd December 2019 documents tells the story of homelessness among African Americans in Los Angeles and the burden of racism on the community. The authors narrate the experiences of homeless people in the region and the struggles they face trying to survive the harsh conditions. Some of the factors that they identify that affect the quality of life in the African American community include income inequality, shortage of proper housing, inadequate mental health services, and drug addiction (Patel, Arango, Singhvi & Huang, 2019). The story indicates that these factors have pushed more African Americans into the streets at more than eight times compared to other races in California. Thus, the article underscores the effect of racism that has perpetuated discrimination against African Americans and left several families and young people homeless.

Stakeholders

One of the most relevant stakeholders whose work is vital to the young African American community is community groups and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Lack of affordable housing for youths is a problem that persists due to the failure of policies and leaders chosen to represent the needs of the African American community. The input of community organizations and NGOs in areas with high rates of homelessness is critical to bridging the gap in access to affordable housing. The general objective of these entities that work with homeless people is to improve their quality of life by changing structures and empowering young people to overcome the restraints of racism. Thus, community organizations and NGOs are critical stakeholders whose work lessens the burden of homelessness.

The services provided by the stakeholders help homeless young people to gain access to housing opportunities and improve their quality of life. One of the essential services that these groups offer is connecting homeless individuals who have various skills to better jobs and affordable housing projects. The objective of working with homeless youths is to empower them and equip them with skills that will enable them to lead decent lives. Community organizations and NGOs develop partnerships with other entities, and charitable groups get job offers that require semi-skilled and unskilled labor. They create networks and partner with organizations to share knowledge and resources that young people need to change their situation. Through these efforts, the organizations help address homelessness among African American youths.

Youth Work Application

Youth workers play a critical role in organizing and supervising community programs designated to impact the lives of young people. They plan and work with youths to empower and educate them on how to become useful members of their communities who have skills and access to relevant job opportunities. A youth worker can engage a young person from the African American community to prepare the individual for various work opportunities that they can exploit. The youth worker can approach homeless young people who possess specific skills relevant to the current job market by interviewing them and enrolling them in career guidance sessions. Based on the information that the youth worker gathers, they can direct the youths to specific organizations.

The youth worker needs interpersonal and communication skills to interact with young people and convey the essence of youth work in changing their lives. Issues such as distrust and ineffective communication can affect how the youths perceive community organizations and NGOs that engage them. If the youth worker cannot relay the message appropriately, it can become hard to convince them that youth work is productive. The aim of engagement between the youth worker and a young person is to motivate them to exert themselves and utilize their potential to change their situation. Therefore, interactions between them should lead to increased access to better job vacancies that can sustain them and housing opportunities for the homeless person.

Conclusion

Youth work enables young people to gain skills and work experience that can change their perspective on society and prepare them for various roles. Young people have creativity and energy that youth workers and community organizations can utilize to shape them into active members of society. Youth work imparts knowledge and attitudes in youths that allows them to participate in social, political, and economic activities. Through the input and resources of community organizations and NGOs, youth workers can address critical problems that burden specific communities. Thus, the effort of youth workers can help lessen the effect of homelessness among young African Americans who suffer in poverty due to dysfunctional policies.