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Tuesday, October 25th, 2016

America, land of opportunity? Not for young people, study says

Author:     Teresa Welsh
Source:     McClatchy DC
Publication Date:     October 21, 2016 4:39 PM
Link: America, land of opportunity? Not for young people, study says
Stephan:   Upward mobility is one of the central myths of America. Each generation will do better than the one before it, and the U.S. is uniquely supportive of this process, so it goes. And for many generations it was true. Unfortunately it is no longer true and that has been the case going back to Reagan. Like most of the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves today it is complete twaddle. Here are some facts.
The U.S. ranks 23 when it comes to youth development in the world. Credit: Creative Commons

The U.S. ranks 23 when it comes to youth development in the world.
Credit: Creative Commons

The United States is supposed to be a land of opportunity where young people can expect their quality of life will be better than their parents’. But the U.S. isn’t even in the top 20 countries when it comes to opportunities for young people.

The U.S. ranks 23 on a list of 183 countries based on 18 indicators that measure progress for youth ages 15 to 29. Eight of the top 10 countries are in Europe, plus Australia and Japan. (emphasis added)

The index from the Commonwealth Secretariat defines youth development as “Enhancing the status of young people, empowering them to build on their competencies and capabilities for life. It will enable them to contribute to and benefit from a politically stable, economically viable, and legally supportive environment, ensuring their full participation as active citizens in their countries.”

Youth development was […]

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