| Abstract: | The National Capital Region (NCR) is home to more than one-and-a-half million children and youth (ages birth through 24 years). Although the NCR is known as a place with a highly transient population, if history is any guide, many of these young people will remain in this region and fundamentally shape the quality of life--not only for themselves, but for the region's economic, political, social, and cultural life for years to come. On the other hand, many young people in the Region face enormous challenges--barriers that not only threaten their chances of personal success and undermine their contribution to the future vitality of the Region, but that will surely (if not addressed forthrightly) act as a heavy brake on the Region's progress. A comprehensive, baseline assessment of the status of children and youth in the NCR is a prerequisite for identifying needs, making the case for investing in youth, determining specific priorities (for example, by age-group, well-being domain, geographic sub-region, or demographic sub-group), and tracking progress over time. This report is unusually comprehensive, along several dimensions. Its geographic scope includes three independent cities and six counties, in two states. Indicators reports focusing on children have, in the last couple of decades, become widespread, from a national level, to states, counties, and cities. However, far fewer have attempted a regional approach that encompasses multiple political jurisdictions. From a developmental perspective, this report treats children and youth from birth through 24 years of age. Additionally, it encompasses a number of important well-being domains, including health and safety, family life, education, economic security, and more. Any one of these life-stages (for example, infancy, early childhood, adolescence), any one of these domains, or indeed any one of these civic jurisdictions, could easily be the subject of a separate report. This breadth is strength of the report. It highlights the reality that, despite the geographic, economic, and cultural differences across the Region, residents' current lives and their future well-being are intertwined. Like it or not, nearly all who live in the NCR are tied, to one degree or another, to the resources, the problems, and the aspirations of their Regional neighbors. Families and young people, in particular, will make important decisions--including whether to remain in the NCR or not--based upon how well the Region functions as a setting promoting a widely shared quality of life. Accordingly, the authors need to examine the strengths and challenges of the Region as a whole, so that it may prosper. Appended are: (1) Additional tables; and (2) Reports consulted. (Contains 60 figures, 90 tables, and 31 footnotes.) [This report was prepared for Venture Philanthropy Partners.] |
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