FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jennifer Occean
(202) 776-1732
joccean@nclr.org
Washington, D.C.—Latino youth are one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population, poised to fill the workforce gap as millions of baby boomers retire over the next decade. Yet achieving economic mobility remains out of reach for as much as 42 percent of this group, who are often plagued by high dropout and unemployment rates. NCLR (National Council of La Raza) will host a panel discussion, “Building a Brighter Future: Serving Disconnected Youth,” with representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education, and other nonprofits keyed into this issue to examine the challenges that disconnected Latino youth face and the policies that will promote effective intervention strategies.
The discussion, which will take place on Tuesday, April 26 at 9:00 a.m. at NCLR’s headquarters in Washington, coincides with the release of an NCLR report, Plugged In: Positive Development Strategies for Disconnected Latino Youth. The report addresses the obstacles that young Hispanics face, ranging from pregnancy to tenuous immigration status to language barriers, and it examines the NCLR Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success, a Latino-serving, community-based youth workforce development model. It analyzes the Escalera Program’s disconnected youth pilot, discussing its successes and challenges in serving unemployed and out-of-school youth.
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Panel Discussion: “Building a Brighter Future: Serving Disconnected Youth”
WHO: Delia Pompa, Senior Vice President of Programs, NCLR
Ana Hageage, Escalera Program Associate, NCLR
Gerri Fiala, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Denise Forte, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education
Mala Thakur, Executive Director, National Youth Employment Coalition
Jennifer Brown Lerner, Senior Director, American Youth Policy Forum
WHEN: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 9:00–11:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE: NCLR Headquarters
Raul Yzaguirre Building
1126 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036-4845
TO RSVP: Contact Jennifer Occean at joccean@nclr.org or (202) 776-1732 if you would like to attend the panel discussion.
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