The Issues and Assets of African Youth on Staten Island's North Shore:

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Figure 4:Staten Isl<strong>and</strong>'s <strong>African</strong> Community: PopulationEstimates2000Census2007AmericanCommunitySurvey1-yearestimateUn<strong>of</strong>ficialestimatesfromcommunityleadersGhanaian 600 513 2,000Guinean n/a n/a 40-60Liberian n/a 2,120 6-9,000Nigerian 1,433 1,045 n/aSierra Leonean 188 n/a 4,000Other Western Africa 2,042 419 n/aTotal Western Africa 4263 4097 10-15,000While diverse in experience, the histories <strong>of</strong> the West <strong>African</strong>communities represented in Staten Isl<strong>and</strong> also intertwine.West Africa has historically experienced movement <strong>of</strong>people. However, the succession <strong>of</strong> civil wars <strong>and</strong> conflict inthe past several decades mean that many refugees havebeen displaced multiple times <strong>and</strong> lived in several differentcountries.This assessment is focused on the issues <strong>and</strong> assets <strong>of</strong><strong>African</strong> youth up to 25-years-old living in Staten Isl<strong>and</strong>‟sNorth Shore, including: Refugee <strong>and</strong> asylee youth, non-refugee/asyleeimmigrant youth born in Africa, <strong>and</strong> <strong>Youth</strong> born in United States or elsewhere to <strong>African</strong>immigrant parents.<strong>Youth</strong> Survey Basics<strong>The</strong> community assessment youth project interns designed asurvey to find out about the opinions <strong>and</strong> experiences <strong>of</strong> theirpeers, including stress, their community, <strong>and</strong> their interests.<strong>The</strong> survey was implemented in the summer <strong>and</strong> fall <strong>of</strong> 2008.Who participated in the survey?Gender <strong>and</strong> age 110 youth: 54 females <strong>and</strong> 52 males Aged 9 to 24-years-old Mean age: 14.16-years-oldIdentity (option <strong>of</strong> up to 3 nationality identifications) Primary identity (number <strong>of</strong> youth, out <strong>of</strong> 105)o American: 35o <strong>African</strong>: 64• Liberian (primary identification): 52• Ghanaian: 3• Nigerian: 3• Senegalese: 2• Sierra Leonean: 2• Guinean: 1• Other <strong>African</strong> 1o Others: 9 80 youth identified as <strong>African</strong> (at all, out <strong>of</strong> 105)Residence <strong>and</strong> living arrangements 57 reported living in Park Hill 48 reported living with both parents 41 reported living with mother onlySchool <strong>and</strong> work 101 would be in school for the 2008-2009 school yearo 16 reported having reached elementary schoolo 35 reported having reached middle schoolo 37 reported having reached high schoolo 11 reported having some college or more 30 were working in a job or internship10
Findings: <strong>Issues</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Assets</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>African</strong> <strong>Youth</strong>in Staten Isl<strong>and</strong>’s North Shore<strong>Issues</strong> overviewOf 110 survey participants, 107 youth ranked 10 stressfactors in order from 1 to 10 (with 1 being the most stressful<strong>and</strong> 10 the least). <strong>The</strong> graph below shows the number <strong>of</strong> top3 ranks that each stress factor received, revealing thatoverall dealing with anger in positive ways, relationship withparents, trouble in school, living in unsafe conditions <strong>and</strong>lack <strong>of</strong> money cause more stress than various types <strong>of</strong> peerpressure <strong>and</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> opportunities.However, weighting the results (giving the most weightto #1 ranks, less to #2s <strong>and</strong> the least to #3s), shows that thefactors most <strong>of</strong>ten giving survey respondents the most stressare: relationship with parents, lack <strong>of</strong> money, <strong>and</strong> dealingwith your anger in positive ways.Figure 5: Weighted top 3 youth stress factors(most <strong>of</strong>ten giving the most stress)Figure 6YOUTH STRESS FACTORSNumber <strong>of</strong> top 3 ranks35303028 2825232015101916151410950Dealing with Relationshipyour anger with parentsin positivewaysTrouble inschoolLiving inunsafeconditionsLack <strong>of</strong>moneyPeerpressure touse drugs oralcoholLack <strong>of</strong>opportunitiesPeerpressure tojoin a gangPeerpressure tohave sexPeerpressure todrop out <strong>of</strong>school11
Page 11 and 12: have, and designin
Page 13: Figure 3:The North
Page 17 and 18: Issue: Lack of mon
Page 19 and 20: Youth and<
Page 21 and 22: Issue: Living in unsafe conditions<
Page 23 and 24: Asset: Visions for a more empowerin
Page 25 and 26: Asset: Strength of
Page 27 and 28: Figure 17: Peer pressure problem tr
Page 29 and 30: after school. When asked about his
Page 31 and 32: Culture of communa
Page 33 and 34: Issue: Few opportunities for constr
Page 35 and 36: Finally, access of
Page 37 and 38: ConclusionThis assessment was explo
Page 39 and 40: Next Steps and Rec
Page 41 and 42: AppendixList of Or

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