Who We Serve

SPA serves disconnected youth, ages 16-24, who have dropped out of school, and are under/unemployed. Sunset Park is predominantly Latino (54%) with significant Asian (17%) and White (24%) populations, including a growing Middle Eastern community, for a total of 120,000 residents in three square miles. The neighborhood experiences a constant influx of newcomers divergent in language, religion, and race. According to Census 2000, 28% of Sunset Park residents earn an income of less than $15,000. Nearly 50% of community residents report that they were born outside of the United States.

The NYC Department of Education reports that Latino students citywide had a significantly low 4-year graduation rate (46.0%) and the highest dropout rate (20.6%) in 2004. According to Out of School, Out of Work…Out of Luck?, published by Community Service Society (January 2005), the most prevalent indicators for youth at risk of becoming disconnected are: race, place of birth, education level, poverty status, and prior work experience. Youth in Sunset Park are at risk in each of these areas. Many of our youth struggle with issues of truancy and academic failure, and confront challenges including teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and gang violence with their peers and in their home environment.

Of particular concern is the disproportionately high number of youth, age 16 to 19, who are out of school without a diploma (22.6%). Sunset Park’s total disconnected youth population is estimated to be as many as 8,000. Research reveals substandard statistics regarding disconnected youth who obtain their GED and enroll in community or four-year colleges. Statistics rom the Mayor’s Office, as well as from the City University of New York (CUNY), show that GED students are less academically proficient than their peers (NYC high school graduates) upon enrollment at CUNY. This impairs their path through college, where they, as a group, are only 13% proficient in reading, writing and math.