Meeting the Needs of High Risk Students in Los Angeles

Education and Counseling for at-Risk Youths in Los Angeles

The challenges of addressing the needs of youths leading critical/high risk lifestyles in Los Angeles are essential in the role of educators and counselors. Educational and community resources exist but in terms of addressing the demographic they may not always be in the most efficient or adequate condition. This can be caused by a failure of leadership (both in terms of style and theory) within the educational system and/or the community. It can also be caused by a failure of an adequate family support or home life structure to facilitate the needs of the at-risk youths. Likewise, social situations and theories such as Social Strain Theory can play a part in the development of youths and in identifying what needs to be done to address their needs on a more effective front.

In Los Angeles, the challenges facing youths leading high risk lifestyles include drug abuse, crime, delinquency, alcoholism, gangs, sexual assault/abuse, theft, and murder. Gang violence and gang attractions play a significant role in appealing to at-risk youths as gangs can fill a gap in the community life of the young, who otherwise have no sense of community, place, family or guidance. They look up to the leaders of gangs as ones who should be followed.

For this reason, educators and counselors need to supply a more effective form of leadership that can appeal to such youths and deter them from following gang leaders into a life of crime. Thus, the role of education and counseling in the lives of at-risk youths in Los Angeles is to consider the community in which these youths live and the dangers and pitfalls that lay waiting for these youths. Gangs and criminal activity have a strong appeal because they provide a pathway for youths looking for a mode of self-expression and for a place where they can fit in and be made to feel part of something. They earn praise and laurels from such places if they engage in the kind of behavior that their leaders want to see.

Educators and counselors should be aware of how gang leaders lure youths to their side. Educators and counselors should also employ a style of leadership that can be transformational, servant, democratic or directional -- just so long as it aims to provide a number of goals and aims that can have a positive impact on the lives of the youths in Los Angeles and deter them from embarking on journeys into careers on the street that will negatively impact their likelihood to develop meaningful lives or to make contributions to society.

One large challenge that educators face in Los Angeles is addressing the sexually risky behavior of teens that can lead to the spread of disease, pregnancy and poverty. Marques and Ressa (2013) show that an education policy that addresses sexual education in Los Angeles can have a positive effect on mitigating risky behavior in teens and that by incorporating the assistance of parents, sexual health providers and services and the community at large, educators and counselors can help to support the overall community structure oriented towards generating positivity, stability and sociality.

Another challenge is overcoming the disparate cultural influences that can cause social strain within the lives of the younger persons who are at risk. In Los Angeles, a number of cultural influences are evident in the push-and-pull of loyalties of youths. Understanding these cultures and identifying an appreciation for each one and communicating this to the youths via education and counseling can be an effective way in cutting down the obstacles to overcoming adverse cultural influences and emphasizing positive cultural cues. By acknowledging where cultures can be positive in one's life, it shows to the youths that the educator/counselor is aware and able to observe the world from the youth's perspective. It gives the counselor/educator an "in" to the student's world view so that he/she can more readily identify with the student and pinpoint the student's needs.

The arts can also be used to assist in the expansion of the horizons of at-risk students in Los Angeles. Emphasizing the humanities is an effective strategy of utilizing culture and cultural aims to draw on positive experiences and reinforce positive traits that can help at-risk youths to abandon risky behaviors.