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

Table 3: Status <strong>of</strong> <strong>African</strong> <strong>Youth</strong> <strong>Assets</strong> in Staten Isl<strong>and</strong>’s North ShoreTypes <strong>of</strong><strong>Assets</strong>Based onassessment,level <strong>of</strong> youthExplanationSafety & basicneedsPreparednessfor work <strong>and</strong>adult lifeassetsLow Many youth have little parental supervision;some youth do not eat properly when parentswork long hours or overnight(s) <strong>Youth</strong> do not feel safe in the community Crime rates are high Apartment buildings have no or little security Apartments are overcrowdedLow <strong>Youth</strong> are unprepared for American school;schools are not meeting youth academicneeds to catch up <strong>The</strong>re are few opportunities to gain marketableskills, especially for out-<strong>of</strong>-school youthConnectedness Low <strong>Youth</strong> have strained relationships with parentsto family <strong>and</strong> <strong>Youth</strong> have few sources <strong>of</strong> emotional supportcommunity Tensions between <strong>African</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>African</strong>Americans create an unsupportive atmosphere <strong>Youth</strong> value rich culture, but have conflictedrelationship with it as part <strong>of</strong> their identity Community sees youth as a problemEngagement Low <strong>Youth</strong> have poor access to meaningful nonschoolactivitiesAsset-building ideasCreate/enhance collaborative community safetyinitiativesIncrease adult literacy <strong>and</strong> economicdiversification initiativesExp<strong>and</strong> immigration assistance <strong>and</strong> outreachServe youth healthy snacks <strong>and</strong> mealsDevelop school capacity to assist <strong>African</strong> youthExp<strong>and</strong> youth leadership opportunitiesExp<strong>and</strong> vocational <strong>and</strong> job training programstargeting North Shore youthMediate parent-youth conflictsCelebrate multiculturalism <strong>and</strong> unityDevelop participatory cultural history <strong>and</strong>traditions programsCreate <strong>and</strong> celebrate youth opportunities to leadcommunity improvement <strong>and</strong> unity projectsDevelop programs that <strong>of</strong>fer non-schoolactivitiesStrategize on how to provide free/low cost, safetransportation to youthHelp youth to access opportunities outside thecommunityEducate youth <strong>and</strong> families about non-schoolopportunitiesTake action to improve after-school programquality <strong>and</strong> address negative parent perceptionsCreate plans to hire <strong>and</strong> retain quality youthprogram staff34