UNDERSTANDING OPPORTUNITY YOUTH
Young people disconnect from work and school for complex, interconnected reasons—systemic barriers like poverty, inadequate educational resources, and limited access to quality jobs combine with personal challenges such as family responsibilities, mental health struggles, or involvement in the justice system.
Our mission recognizes that reconnecting opportunity youth requires addressing the root causes of disconnection by breaking down structural barriers, creating accessible pathways to success, and building supportive systems where all young people can thrive, beyond their challenges.
BY THE NUMBERS
More than 100,000 opportunity youth have fallen through the widening opportunity gap in New Jersey
Since its inception in 2016, NOYN has received about 4,300 applications for its programs and served more than 700 opportunity youth across Essex County
Nationally, 20 percent of opportunity youth re-engage and earn their high school diplomas, while LEAD students exceed expectations, achieving a combined 75 percent graduation rate.
LEAD also touts an overall recidivism rate of 12.2% (2019), compared to the state’s most recently reported rate of 52.4% (2016)
New Jersey annually spends $16,000 (2020-21) in LEAD’s per pupil funding compared to the annual $289,287 (2019) spent per youth in state youth prisons
The population includes:
90% Black/African American
10% Hispanic/LatinX
56% Male
44% Female
70% Economically Disadvantaged