We're breaking some records, but it's not the kind to be proud of. A new USDA report finds that in 2008, a record number of households experienced some level of food insecurity. And this month's unemployment figures hit double-digits at 10.2 percent -- the highest rate in 26 years.
If there's a silver lining, it's that these data may have helped spark a White House jobs summit and Senate
passage of the unemployment benefits extension. This week's resources indicate the economic numbers have a grim, real-life impact on state and city budgets and on families, children and youth.
If this is what a "bottom" looks like, it's nice to think about a rebound. After all, in times like these, our efforts matters even more. So in this Update, we've also included a lot on what is working: successful strategies for connecting low-income youth to work opportunities and community success stories.
As the holiday season approaches, we are mindful that giving to others can take many forms -- from donating money to your local food bank to using your time to let lawmakers know where you stand on issues that affect the public good, like health care reform, climate change, teen literacy and more.
Finally, a couple of corrections: We have several steps for quality control, but that doesn't mean we don't make mistakes! Here are two corrected links from last time:
Thanks to those who pointed these out and we apologize.
With that said, have a healthy, family-friendly Thanksgiving, everyone!
Jan Richter, editor emeritus and the CFK team
jan@connectforkids.org
Coming soon! CFK is merging with the Youth Policy Action Center and National Youth Development Information Center to bring you
SparkAction: for children, for youth, for change.
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CFK gathers, synthesizes and promotes news, research, and stories from the child and youth field. To suggest content, email weekly@connectforkids.org.