Us & Them: Reconnecting West Virginia’s Disconnected Youth

There are so many young people in the U.S. who are not in school, or working, or training for work, that there’s a name for it. They are ‘disconnected youth’ and West Virginia has one of the highest rates in the nation – 17 percent. It’s a tough group to track down because there’s a stigma attached to this status. However, a few programs are trying to bridge this gap – to connect with young people and give them a pathway and support to train for a job and a career. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores why some young West Virginians struggle so much to move forward, and we’ll hear from a few Mountain State leaders who talk about how we might help them.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting |
By Trey Kay, Kyle Vass
Published May 27, 2021