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Politics

Looking for Youth Opportunity? Avoid Florida

October 29, 2013 - 7:00pm

Breaking into the workforce as a youth can be a difficult task, and according to a new study from The Opportunity Nation, almost 15 percent of young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 -- that's 6 million people -- are neither in school nor working.


Researchers said the study highlights a dim outlook for these adults, who could eventually become an economic drain on their communities because they havent learned the skills or attained the experience necessary to command higher salaries.

But dont think that just because theyre not in school or working that the youth of today are lazy and hopeless, says Mark Edwards, executive director of Opportunity Nation."This is not a group that we can write off. They just need a chance," he said. "The tendency is to see them as lost souls and see them as unsavable. They are not."

Opportunity Nations study tracked several factors including Internet access, college graduation rates, income inequality, and public safety -- to identify the quality of life for youth in America.

Communities often have large effects on the successes of the young. According to the study, the most supportive states in providing opportunity for youth are Vermont, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The least supportive are Nevada, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

Florida ranked 40th overall on The Opportunity Nations list. The Sunshine State scored lower than the national average in every category on the survey.

While the overall unemployment rate in Florida was lower than the national average, the same couldnt be said for the unemployment rate of youth in the Sunshine State.

The number of young people in Florida who are neither working nor in school is slightly higher than the national average at 16 percent.This number is half a point lower than 2012s statistic, but slightly higher than 2011s figure of 15.8 percent. That number is even higher in several large cities like Miami and Jacksonville, where youth unemployment rates stand above 16 percent.

Several factors can influence the overall opportunity for youth:

-- When it came to education, Florida had lower numbers for on-time high school graduation rates at 70 percent. The national average was just above 78 percent.

-- Floridas poverty rate, which is nearly 3 points higher than the national average, and the violent crime rate per 100,000 people which was nearly one-third higher than the national average, brought Florida's score down even further.

This means if Florida wants to improve its opportunity index, theres lots of work to be done across the board. Organizations in some parts of the country are striving to put together programs to help students as young as 14 find summer work, but its unclear whether or not Florida will follow the same path.

Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter at @AllisonNielsen.

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