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Frontier Youth: Living on
the Edge April 2003 Frontier Education Center
National Clearinghouse For Frontier Communites723
Don Diego Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87505 Phone: 505-820-6732 *
Fax: 505-820-6783 E-mail: frontierus@frontierus.orgWebsite:
http://www.frontierus.org/Supported in part by the Federal Office of Rural
Health Policy, HRSA, DHHS
For Complete
Document: MS
Word 29 pgs, 356k or PDF
file 29 pgs, 303k
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CONTENTS |
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| Executive
Summary |
1 |
| Introduction |
2 |
| Behavioral Health Risks |
3 |
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Serious Emotional Disturbances |
3 |
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Self-Reported Risk Behaviors |
4 |
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Alcohol and Drug Use |
4 |
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Weapon Carrying |
8 |
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Outcomes of Sexual Activity |
9 |
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Violent Behavior and Victimization |
9 |
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Suicide |
10 |
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Education, Drop-Out Rates, and Future
Earnings |
12 |
| Prevention Principles and
Strategies |
13 |
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Community-based Prevention
Strategies |
14 |
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Family-based Prevention Strategies |
14 |
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School-based Prevention Strategies |
15 |
| Conclusion |
16 |
| Recommendations |
17 |
| Resource Links |
19 |
| References |
22 |
| Appendix A |
26 |
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Estimates of Children &
Adolescents with Serious Emotional Disturbance by State |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Many Americans
believe that rural and frontier youth and their families live
relatively uncomplicated lives, free from the stress and
temptations of urban and suburban life. However, the reality
is far different. High poverty rates, the nation's highest
suicide rate, increasing illicit drug use and other data paint
a picture of communities in need of access to comprehensive
services for all youth and their families and prevention
programs to reduce high risk behaviors.
Support for
existing and new programs is essential to meeting the health
and human service needs of the people who live in frontier
America, and to address the special needs of frontier youth.
Little research or data has been generated
specifically on frontier populations. This paper, Frontier
Youth: Living on the Edge, provides the latest information
on frontier youth and provides recommendations and resources
for further study. It is an attempt to start a dialogue and
spur action to address the needs of frontier communities. Due
to the lack of research, rural data has been used where
frontier data does not exist.
The first section,
"Behavioral Health Risks," summarizes high-risk behaviors that
are increasing among rural and frontier youth and presents
some of the differences between rural and urban youth. Current
research on teen alcohol and substance use and abuse, weapons
carrying and violence, sexual activity, violent behavior and
victimization, suicide, and educational attainment and drop
out rates is presented.
The second section,
"Prevention Principles and Strategies," discusses the
effectiveness of community-based, family-based, and
school-based prevention techniques in small communities.
The third section of the paper discusses the need to
specifically address the challenges facing frontier youth
today and the fourth section provides recommendations to
increase both research and resources for programs that target
this unique group of young people.
The paper ends with
"Resource Links" to foster research and sharing of ideas in
order to create and improve programs in frontier schools and
communities.
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"I had talked with rural teachers before and they often
told me how angry their kids were, especially during the
height of the recent farm crisis. Those rural kids were
resentful, and I think a little hurt, that the rest of the
country seemed so indifferent about their plight. Some of
them felt betrayed that the folks for whom they grow food
seemed not to care about them, their families, and what was
happening to them. "
Rural Matters, Peter
Beeson, 2002
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For Complete
Document: MS
Word 29 pgs, 356k or PDF
file 29 pgs, 303k
|
| |
