New Jersey’s leading advocate for opportunity youth

There is no single story of youth disconnection.

New Jersey is home to more than 100,000 opportunity youth - young people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school or working.

Despite common misconceptions, youth disconnection is not consigned to a singular geographic region or racial/ethnic group; in New Jersey, youth disconnection rates are high across all counties and racial and ethnic groups. Although Latino and Black youth are disproportionately represented in the number of opportunity youth in New Jersey, rural opportunity deserts in the state also show high youth disconnection rates across racial and ethnic groups. 

In Newark, 1 in 5 young people ages 16 to 24 are neither working nor in school. According to the latest Opportunity Index, the rate of youth disconnection is highest in Cumberland County (23%). Essex County has the second highest rate of opportunity youth in the state - 17% of young people between the ages of 16 and 20 are disconnected from school and work. This is well above the national average of 10.7% or New Jersey’s average rate of 10%.

Bridging the equity gap across the state requires a disruption to the status-quo, led by collaborative thought-leaders, mission-drive partners and tested strategies with clear outcomes.