Changing The Conditions
On average, a student in the United States will spend approximately 1,000 hours in school each year. During this pivotal time in their lives, students are developing individuality, learning to navigate relationships with their peers, and contemplating their place in society while balancing expectations of loaded school work, high-stake testing, extracurricular activities and their futures.
Every year funding is depleted from schools, particularly those in low-income communities. With limited resources, schools aren’t equip with programs, resources, mental health counselors, or opportunities for their students to be successful. Students are suffering from mental health crisis and are often being pushed out instead of supported. This is particularly true for students living in poverty, residing in dysfunctional living environments, sexual assault victims, or living in communities impacted by violence. Every day in the United States, there is an average of 3,000 suicide attempts by young people in grades 9-12. Suicide has become the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 to 24, with nearly 4,600 lives lost each year. This number is only increasing each year. Black students are reported with the highest rate of attempts at 9.8% with white students at 6.1%. Approximately 2.4% of all students reported making a suicide attempt that required treatment by a doctor or nurse. For those requiring treatment, rates were highest for Black students (3.4%).
This same struggle is being articulated by passionate educators. Educators are finding themselves unable to make ends meet, teaching without resources, and under extreme pressure to meet the requirements of high-stakes testing which limits them from actually getting through curriculum. Schools are underfunded and unsupported.
Our young people are dying. Our teachers are quitting. Leadership within the state legislature is hard at work to ensure our schools are losing more and more funding each year. The limited funding received is being spent on over policing and surveillance with minimal efforts to invest in mental health. In theory, it feels very much like our schools are on fire.
“We value education that invests and prioritizes students and teachers. It is so important we continue to push for quality education, never relinquishing our collective power as a community.”
— James Lopez, Executive Director, Power U Center For Social Change
At Power U Center For Social Change, we believe in holding those responsible for educating our youth accountable for their decisions and choices which directly impact the futures of young people. We want educational institutions to invest in students overall human development so young people can acquire the social, emotional, and civic skills they need to be informed and better prepared to navigate the complexities of life. For over 10 years, Power U has immersed itself into the lives of young people throughout Miami. When young people join our organization, we become not only invested in their education but their overall lives.
What We’re Doing
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Have general questions or want to get your young person involved?
Email us at info@poweru.org