Essay on First Steps 1

Submitted By Boom1999
Words: 1071
Pages: 5

Research on Community
Within the community demographics there are 9,535,483 people; with 68.5% being whites, 21.5% African Americans/Blacks, 8.4% Hispanics/Latino and the other 1.6% not Hispanics. Family households are 66.7% with 45.1 being male householders and 21.6% being women householders. However there are more 2 person families averaging at 34.4%. Yet 44.4% have children under the age 18 living in these households. Overall in this community 56.4% are employed and 6.6% are unemployed. On the commute to work 10.7% carpool and 80.9% drive alone. In this community 18.3% have an income that range from 50,000 to 74,999.

Youth Related Issues
After reviewing the research based on the community important detailed knowledge was gained about the support that has been created for the youth in the community. Under the impression of not having a recreational center within the community there was a thought of not having enough community resources to help support students. However many students have a support team that love, care and appreciate them. Many of the students in the area have family and community support. The school environment is very encouraging due to active leaders helping students to achieve many goals.
In North Carolina education have adapted the new common core standards this is a major change for students as well as the teachers and parents. This has become an issue that the teachers and parents must address and take action in order for the students to continue being academically successful. North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest told The Fayetteville Observer (2014), “As a believer in local and parental control of education, I am unclear how education with a national one-size-fits-all standard will serve our students well and allow our parents the ability to be engaged in education decisions”. Being a parent it has become difficult to help assist the kids with their homework assignments because the teachers are teaching the kids different techniques that the older generation are unaware of.
Another issue is there is not enough engagement with special needs students within the community. This is because parent support groups lack to involve themselves with assisting students which makes the student lack in social opportunities with their peers. Parents of students with special needs lack a level of support that is difficult to give to the student. According to Heller (2012), these parents are very isolated and despite information that may be available, still end up feeling as if their struggles are unique and represent their failures as parents. However, these students do not have an advocate to speak on their behalf within their community so they are unable to engage in programs or extra curriculum activities after school hours; It has been said that there is not enough expertise to deal with special need students in the environment and that it is a big liability to risk working with them. How can the community better serve the special need students?
Resources in the Community Program Mission Engages Developmental Assets
Partnership for Youth Opportunity
This organization has been establish to help empower the youth so they can have the opportunities to connect, progress, and contribute through mentoring, employment and educational support.
This program helps low income families as well as immigrant families establish strong skills that will help them be successful in any school setting and careers. This program is partners with adults in the community.
This program focus on establishing innovative youth programs that help demonstrate positive adult role modeling as well as positive peer influences.
Safe Kids of Durham County
This organization mission is to accommodate the needs of kids within their community with loving and caring staff.
This program engages with the youth by establishing no cost programs such as having