Us & Them Encore: Disconnected Youth

There are so many young people in the U.S. who are not in school, working or training for work, that there’s a name for it. They are ‘disconnected youth,’ and while West Virginia’s rate has dropped in recent years, it’s still one of the highest in the nation. Just under 12%, or 24,000, young people are in this category, and they can be tough to track down because there’s a stigma attached to this status. However, some programs are trying to bridge the gap - to connect with young people and help them train for a job and a career. On this Us & Them episode, we’ll find out why some young people get stuck and the things Mountain State leaders say could help this next generation.