National Youth Leadership Council Supports Senator ColemanÂ’s Federal Youth Coordination Act: Legislation Works to Coordinate and Improve Federal Youth Programs
(St. Paul) The National Youth Leadership Council™ praises Senator Norm Coleman’s (R-Minn.) introduction of bipartisan legislation to improve coordination of federal programs that assist the nation’s youths. The legislation, the Federal Youth Coordination Act of 2005, was outlined February 16, 2005, at a Capitol Hill news conference. The Act would improve communication among federal agencies serving at-risk youths, assess the needs of this group of young people, set goals for helping them and establish best practices for improving services.
St. Paul, MN (PRWEB) February 20, 2005
The National Youth Leadership Council™ praises Senator Norm Coleman’s (R-Minn.) introduction of bipartisan legislation to improve coordination of federal programs that assist the nation’s youths. The legislation, the Federal Youth Coordination Act of 2005, was outlined February 16, 2005, at a Capitol Hill news conference.
The Act would improve communication among federal agencies serving at-risk youths, assess the needs of this group of young people, set goals for helping them and establish best practices for improving services.
The Act grows out of recommendations from the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth, which found that about 10 million teens in this country are at serious risk of not becoming productive adults. The Task Force also found that programs addressing the problems of these young people are spread across 12 federal departments, with little communication or coordination among them.
“The only thing more complex than the challenges facing young people is the federal government’s effort to support them,” said Dr. James C. Kielsmeier, NYLC’s President and CEO. “This bill will bring efficiency and accountability to federal youth policy. I thank Senator Coleman for his leadership on this legislation.”
In Minnesota, more than 20 percent of high school students will not graduate. Some 43,000 young people, 18-24, are neither in the workforce nor in school. Strategies should be in place to identify youths who are disconnected from their communities, and coordinate educational, vocational and other opportunities so they can reach their potential.
Many of the nationÂ’s youths, especially those already in public systems, have multifaceted needs. In Minnesota, more than 3,100 youths, 15-19, are in the foster care system. National research shows that 55 percent of them will leave the system without a high school diploma, 44 percent will have trouble obtaining health care, and a quarter will be homeless. Supports are in place to meet these needs, but there is little coordination to guide youths through the maze of these systems. The Federal Youth Coordination Act will help to unravel this tangled web.
The legislation would create the Federal Youth Development Council to evaluate, coordinate and improve federal programs serving youths, and hold federal departments accountable for achieving results.
The Council would be charged with additional duties, including:
· Setting quantifiable goals and objectives for federal youth programs, and developing a plan to reach these goals.
· Developing demonstration projects to focus on special populations of youths.
· Conducting research and identifying model programs that can be replicated.
· Supporting state councils which coordinate services for youths.
For more information about the Federal Youth Coordination Act, visit www. youthcoordinationact. org.
About NYLC: NYLC has been at the center of service-leaning program and policy development since 1983. It convenes the annual National Service-Learning Conference, offers adult and youth trainings, and develops service-learning resources. For more information, please visit www. nylc. org.
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