At Risk Youth

Part 3 - At-risk Youth

How at-risk youth can develop a productive life style.

The At-risk Student may be a Genius: Today, pressure is on all students to stay in school no matter how strong the failure label becomes. Students being told they are a failure five times a day, five days a week, will develop low self-esteem that will do more harm than a diploma will do good. Self-fulfilling prophecy will seal their fate. Dropouts that become achievers, will spend ten to fifteen years of persistent effort to overcome their negative self-esteem. Most adults can't escape negative self-esteem because they accepted the failure label that was placed on them as teenagers.

At-risk Students Who Find Success How & Why?: There is a small percentage of at-risk teenagers who fall through the education system cracks, dropout and succeed, some becoming self-made millionaires. To rise above the crowd requires the ability to acquire and process knowledge. Successful people, who were labeled at-risk by the education system, use projects to develop valuable skills.

Teenagers Dilemma: Thomas Edison's short stay in the classroom was a disaster. His mother pulled him out and gave him a workshop so he could develop his natural talent at his own pace; she was not concerned about academics.

Barriers to Motivation: Parents that build barriers compared to parents that remove barriers.

Starting a Career at the Bottom: The blue-collar world offers high paying careers for high school dropouts - $40,000 to $70,000

Employee Wealth and Workplace Leadership: Employee wealth is not based on education level; it is based on the leadership style they work under.