Study: Rural Georgia County Has Nation’s Highest Rate Of ‘Youth Disconnection’

A new report from Measure of America, a project of the Social Science Research Council,  finds Hancock County, located in central Georgia, has the nation’s highest rate of “youth disconnection” — young adults out of school and work.

And, despite recent gains in disconnection rates following the Great Recession, the report predicts the COVID-19 pandemic will cause disconnection to “spike dramatically.”

The organization noted, “the number of disconnected youth will easily top six million and could swell to almost one-quarter of all young people.”

On Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Kristen Lewis, director of Measure of America, joined host Rose Scott to discuss the findings of the report, “A Decade Undone: Youth Disconnection in the Age of Coronavirus,” and solutions for helping disconnected youth during this time.

Guest:

• Kristen Lewis, director of Measure of America, a project of the Social Science Research Council, 

To hear the full conversation, click on the audio player above.

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