World Vision (WV) identifies and then rewards youth across the U.S. who have experienced hardship; family breakdown; parental incarceration; neglect and abuse; and homelessness by providing them with post-secondary scholarships to encourage them to enter college and stay in college! The majority of scholarship recipients are the first in their families to attend college. The recipients must exhibit academic promise, been active in a WV program; and be willing to give back to their community.
Today in the U.S., one in five children under the age of 18 lives in poverty. A recent study links childhood poverty with lower educational attainment, a higher rate of teen pregnancy and incarceration, and a greater chance of health and behavioral problems. "Growing up in L.A., I was infuriated with the poverty, boredom, gang culture, and domestic violence. Then I realized that all along it had been my community suffering from poverty and a lack of education," said Sinnai Avila, YEP alumni.
World Vision identifies and then empowers vulnerable youth across the U.S. to attend college. The majority of scholarship recipients are the first in their families to attend college. The recipients must exhibit academic promise and be willing to give back to their community. The scholarships are renewable for four years allowing the recipeints to complete college. Increasing the numbers of youth living in poverty to earn their college degrees will directly solve for poverty in the U.S.
Scholarships to vulnerable youth will enable them to earn their college education and improve the quality of their lives. The long-term impact of education on individual economic status is significant. There is an estimated $65,000 gap in household income between those individuals who have earned a high school degree or attended only a few college classes and those with a Masters degree. Even more importantly, it will empower these young people to create a "ripple effect" of helping others.
