20 11 PROFILE OF YOUTH IN GREATER BRIDGEPORT

1. 2011PROFILE OF YOUTH IN GREATER BRIDGEPORT Presented By RYASAP Catalyst for Community Change Bridgeport, CT In Cooperation With Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN November 2011

2. 3,453 youth surveyed, an 18% sample of youth, grades 7-12 in Greater Bridgeport Participating public school districts:Bridgeport, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull, CT Racial and Ethnic Breakdown 50% White 13% African American 18% Hispanic 15% Multi-racial 3% Asian/Pacific Islander <1% Native American 2011 PROFILE OF YOUTHOVERVIEW

3. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETSEXTERNAL ASSETSPositive experiences and support a young person receives fromformal and informal connections to the community

4. EXTERNAL ASSETScontinued DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETSINTERNAL ASSETSThings a community and family nurture within youth sothey can contribute to their own development

5. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETSINTERNAL ASSETSThings a community and family nurture within youth sothey can contribute to their own development

6. INTERNAL ASSETScontinued

7. Individuals do not need the entire range of assets to thrive. Combinations of assets across domains reflect equally positive adolescent development. Having more assets is better than having a few. Having strong assets in one category can offset weak assets in another. However, life is easier to manage if one has assets in all domains. Continued exposure to positive experiences, settings and people, as well as opportunities to gain and refine life skills, supports young people in the acquisition and growth of these assets. ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ASSETS

8. Students in the greater Bridgeport region had 19.4 of 40 developmental assets on average. This is an increase from 19.1 in 2008 and 17.5 in 1998. Assets fluctuated across the board with decreases in 8th,9th and 11th grade and increases in 7th, 10thand 12th. REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS1998~2008~2011ASSETS

9. ASSETS1998~2008~2011

10. ASSETS BY GRADE LEVEL

11. THRIVING INDICATORSThose assets that predict future thriving behaviors

12. THRIVING INDICATORS

13. SUPPORT

14. SUPPORTMUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

15. EMPOWERMENT

16. BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS

17. CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME

18. COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

19. POSITIVE VALUES

20. POSITIVE VALUESMUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

21. SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

22. SOCIAL COMPETENCIESMUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

23. POSITIVE IDENTITY

24. POSITIVE IDENTITYMUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

25. Only 8% of teens in greater Bridgeport smoked tobacco in the last 30 days with less than 1% smoking more than half a pack a day or more. This represents an increase of 1% over 2005. 32% of young people drank alcohol in the last 30 days and 17% used marijuana. 19% of young people had 5 or more drinks in a row over the last two weeks, which included 33% of high school seniors and 32% of juniors. Parental and peer disapproval of substance using behavior makes a difference as indicated by disapproval being highest in Bridgeport and use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana being the lowest. Violent Behavior in the greater Bridgeport area represented wide differences between municipalities with all forms of violent behavior – used a weapon, carried a weapon, hurt someone, been in a group fight and bullying behavior all being much higher in Bridgeport and Stratford and being the lowest in Monroe. 29% of area youth participated in sexual intercourse. 12% of young people had attempted suicide in their lifetime and 13% reported being sad or depressed most of the time. 21% of young people skipped school 3 or more times without permission, a 4% increase over 2005. HIGHLIGHTS1998—2008RISKY BEHAVIORS

26. YOUTH REPORTING RISKY BEHAVIORS1998-2008

27. RISKY BEHAVIORSMUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

28. RISKY BEHAVIORS

29. PREDICTIVE DEFICITSThose behaviors that make youth most at-risk of future problems

30. PREDICTIVE DEFICITSMUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

31. TOBACCO USEAGE OF ONSET

32. ALCOHOL USEAGE OF ONSET

33. MARIJUANA USEAGE OF ONSET

34. TOBACCO, ALCOHOL & MARIJUANA30 DAY USE

35. TOBACCO USEPARENTAL APPROVAL

36. ALCOHOL USEPARENTAL APPROVAL

37. TOBACCO USEPEER APPROVAL

38. ALCOHOL USEPEER APPROVAL

39. MARIJUANA USEPEER APPROVAL

40. Many natural partnerships have occurred between communities over the years. However there is a much greater need for more collaboration in Bridgeport and Stratford with the rest of the region. Young people in Bridgeport place much higher than their suburban counterparts in the area of Positive Values and Positive Identity and yet, they perform much more poorly academically. Regional collaboration may pay strong benefits in closing the achievement gap. Binge drinking remains a serious problem in greater Bridgeport. RYASAP should join with its municipal partners, Strategic Prevention framework grantees and with national experts to address this issue. In addition, parental and disapproval of young people’s substance using behavior make a difference as evidenced by much higher disapproval ratings from Bridgeport and much lower substance use. Peer and parental based initiatives should be implemented. CONCLUSIONS

41. Great progress has been made in instituting strength-based approaches to dealing with youth and community problems. However, we must remain diligent in continuing to foster positive approaches to working with youth Through community conversations, focus groups and community forums. Peer based models such as those utilized in Monroe and Fairfield for teen gambling education, PARTY for teen alcohol abuse and the Central High School substance abuse support groups have all been successful in addressing major problems among youth. These models need to be extended to other areas of concern. They increase teen’s sense of self and they successfully address social problems. Trumbull’s TPAUD model of collaboration including all sectors of the Trumbull community to reduce underage alcohol use/abuse has had great results in the last three years of both reducing underage alcohol use/abuse and increasing developmental assets. Other communities could benefit from such an approach. CONCLUSIONS