Back to School
It’s that time of year when excitement is in the air about kids returning to school! For some, that means a quieter house during the day. For others, it means increased traffic, going back to work (for teachers), and homework – how fun! Regardless, education is incredibly integral to people’s growth and is paramount for a functioning society. Unfortunately, some marginalized youth are unable to join in this season of excitement and progress, and their self-concept takes a hit.
Enrollment and drop-out statistics shed a positive light on how we are doing with high school education in the United States. The drop-out rate is at an all-time low of 6%. The opportunity is available for teens to get their diploma and live their lives as adults! However, that 6% are often disadvantaged youth from the beginning. The stat on Foster youth graduation paints a much different picture. Their high school graduation rate in California is 64%, not 94%. Let’s not forget about the 36%, which is a LOT of teens.
Additionally, attaining a college degree is an arduous task. Out of the 16.2 million undergraduate students in the 2019-20 school year, only 2,038,000 completed bachelor’s degrees - a tiny percentage for a program that should ideally take four years. The data means more young people with debt and nothing to show. It means more hardship for young adults during a time in their lives that is scarily difficult already as it is. Now, add the element of many young adults that have gone through foster care or the juvenile justice system. Chances are they do not have the familial support they need to get through such a time with a degree on the other end.
Here at Koinonia, we find every opportunity to guide our teens through high school and set them up for success in graduating from high school, college, or other post-secondary education and the trades. We encourage our students to take advantage of all the educational opportunities we have to offer.
We accept "transitional living" donations that will go to each teen as they transition from our program into their next phase. Some of our aged-out youth's transitional living expenses include college fees, trade programs, or a laptop; so this back to school season, there are foster youth and under-served youth that feel a diploma is out of reach, who feel hopeless when trying to figure out how they will succeed. Be a Koinonia Community Partner donor, and together we will build a bright tomorrow for our community's marginalized youth.
Build the Future by Giving Today
Koinonia refuses to send young people away with a trash bag full of belongings. We accept donations that go 100% to a young adult's transitional living expenses.