The North Shore of Staten Island: Community Driven Solutions to Improve Child and Family Well-Being, a report by the Citizens’ Committee for Children, says families are experiencing wide social and economic disparities, both district-wide and within neighborhoods. “The North Shore is a microcosm reflecting both the rich diversity as well as the profound disparity in conditions that we see in New York City as a whole,” the report states.
- The North Shore has the eighth lowest labor force participation ratio out of the city’s 59 community districts, and the 10th lowest employment rate.
- The North Shore has a higher share of households experiencing severe rent burden compared to the city overall, even though rents in the community district have not increased on the North Shore at the same rate as they have citywide.
- Rates of enrollment in early educational programs for 3-and 4-year-olds on the North Shore are lower than for the city as a whole, which may be partly attributable to a lack of subsidized child care.
- Despite having higher rates of youth employment than 16- to 24-year-olds citywide, North Shore youth are more likely to be disconnected than youth citywide, meaning that greater numbers are both out of school and out of work.
Equity for Children and A Chance In Life partnered to produce a video series about The Village, a Drop-in Youth Center in Staten Island, where adolescents who are disconnected from school and employment receive college readiness training, recreational activities, meal packages, legal counseling, psychological support, and leadership development training. The learning methodology is Positive Youth Development (PYD), which focuses on helping students build competencies and skills to overcome poverty and have a chance to succeed. Dive into the video series and discover how young people are expressing their views through video stories.
