About 53% of high school students think voting is important, according to a survey out today from the nonprofit Youth Truth.
Researchers polled 115,000 American high school students, including Californians, on civic engagement and found 60% believe "helping others is important," but only 44% feel confident in their ability to make a difference.
Jennifer de Forest, interim vice president of Youth Truth, said 30% of students translate their intentions into meaningful action.
"They say, 'We don't know where to start,'" de Forest explained. "And that's the best-case scenario, because for many students, they've actually internalized the message that the system is broken, and that what they have to say doesn't matter."
Latino students report feeling the most disempowered. Only 26% have taken civic action and just 46% believe voting is important. Many students said they are more focused on academic success and college acceptance. But they say extracurriculars like scouting, band and sports do make them feel more civic-minded.
Kate Snow, coordinator of school climate for the Davis Joint Unified School District, which brought diverse student groups together for a youth empowerment workshop, said districts need to build young people's confidence in the importance of their voices.
"There's a link between how schools are engaging students and helping students see their own power and use their power, with how they see and use it in the public arena," Snow pointed out.
The report encouraged schools to promote the importance of voting and students getting involved in their community.
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New research by social scientists showed children who suffer traumatic experiences growing up are more likely to use firearms defensively as adults.
Iowa mental health experts said early intervention is key to addressing the problem. The research, done by social scientists are Rutgers University, asked respondents about abuse and neglect they suffered as kids, depression, their levels of social distrust and sensitivity to perceived threats. Then they asked them about their use of guns when they feel threatened.
Lisa Cushatt, executive director of the nonprofit Iowa ACEs 360, an organization working with kids who have experienced childhood trauma, said recognizing a child's triggers early on is critical.
"You and I may not perceive threats that another person does because that's based off of our own perspective and experience," Cushatt explained. "A person who has experienced significant trauma may see threats in setting or ways that you and I don't anticipate or understand."
Cushatt emphasized once people recognize triggers among youth who have been traumatized, it is easier to de-escalate a potentially dangerous situation, reducing the chances the child will use weapons when they feel threatened as adults.
Cushatt added the early intervention not only shortcuts potentially dangerous situations for children and those around them but reduces the cumulative effect of traumatic experiences over time. She noted while the field of research is fairly new, social scientists are learning there are lots of factors bearing on what children carry with them into adulthood, and school settings are critical.
"In Iowa, I think schools are increasingly doing more to understand the science behind adverse childhood experiences and trauma, and understanding how things in the school setting may impact kids who've experienced trauma," Cushatt observed.
Cushatt stressed because school officials better understand triggers, they can develop response strategies and de-escalation techniques to handle potentially dangerous situations. The research was published by the National Library of Medicine.
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January is National Mentoring Month, and organizations like MENTOR Indiana are making a difference in young lives.
MENTOR Indiana is part of the Indiana Youth Institute. For nearly 20 years, it has connected young Hoosiers with caring adults.
Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the institute, said mentoring changes lives and there is research to prove it.
"When a young person has a mentor, they're 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer in their home communities and they're twice as likely to hold a leadership position," Silverman outlined.
She pointed out their work ensures young people get the support they need to succeed. Despite the benefits, one in three young people lacks a mentor outside their family. Silverman stressed the gap leaves millions without the guidance they need to thrive.
To help close the gap, MENTOR Indiana follows proven practices to build strong and lasting mentor-mentee relationships. The organization partners with schools, nonprofits and community groups to meet the diverse needs of Indiana youth.
"That can translate into helping them talk through difficult things in their own life," Silverman added. "Whether that's friends' interactions or school, or trying to find work or thinking about what they want to do when they grow up."
She emphasized their efforts also address broader challenges like education gaps, mental health struggles, and community violence.
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Changes to Indiana's child labor laws went into effect Jan. 1 which could affect teens who have or are looking for jobs.
Employers are now no longer required to schedule around a teen's school hours or adhere to daily and weekly hour limits. For example, 16- and 17-year-olds no longer need parental permission to work longer or later, and an adult no longer has to be present at public establishments when juveniles work past 10 p.m.
Germaine Willett, an employment law attorney at the firm Ice Miller in Indianapolis, sees the changes as less administrative burden for employers who hire teens.
"What could be small violations, just a few minutes over a shift, for example, to not have employers be so constrained as they were to get workers ages 16 and 17 out the door exactly at the prior hour's limits," Willett outlined.
Willett noted now, a student has to self-advocate if a time conflict arises between an employer's work schedule request and their school hours. Supporters of the changes said longer hours on the job mean more money, and work better prepares them for the real world. Critics argued tighter work restrictions allow teens to focus more on their education and activities with their peers.
The modifications were made to more closely align Indiana law with federal requirements. Willett emphasized some of the biggest revisions extend exemptions to certain 14- and 15-year-olds.
"Those who have been excused from, or perhaps prohibited from, attending school under certain circumstances -- perhaps quit school after finishing 8th grade, or quit school to support their child -- those individuals would not be subjected to the same limitations, and instead be treated as if they're 16 or older," Willett explained.
Willett added it did not make sense for teens with such obligations to have the same work limits others had to follow under the old law. The Indiana Department of Labor said 14- and 15-year-olds may work until 9 p.m. on any day of the week between June 1 and Labor Day, with some exceptions.
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