Montgomery County, Md., Urged to Help At-Risk Latino Teens

Community leaders are warning of a crisis among Latino teens in Montgomery County and calling for a broad effort to improve the odds for those at risk of joining gangs, dropping out of high school and other troubles.

Leaders of a newly formed Latino Youth Task Force have met in recent weeks with county and school district officials to present the findings of a recent teen survey and to draw attention to the county and state's "very troubling" statistics on Latino youth.

Last year, for example, 78.13 percent of Latinos received high school diplomas, compared with 94.5 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 83.94 percent of African Americans and 95.45 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders, state education figures show.

State health data also suggest that Latinas in Montgomery have a higher incidence of teen motherhood, with the birth rate for girls ages 15 to 17 nearly three times that for African Americans and nearly four times that for non-Hispanic whites.

Latino leaders say the numbers suggest the same "worrisome picture" that has emerged from interviews with more than 1,000 Latino teens done by Identity Inc., a community organization in Gaithersburg that works with Latino youths.

Among those who participated in the survey, which included only Latinos, half said they had a friend who is or has been part of a gang. Ninety-four percent said they spend no time talking with mentors. More than 40 percent were involved in physical fights the previous year, and more than 60 percent did not participate in activities outside school.

"We're concerned that we are losing a generation," said Diego Uriburu, a task force leader and deputy executive director of Identity, which received a county grant to conduct the survey. "What the data show us are that we are losing 50 percent of our Latino youth. Fifty percent are doing well, and 50 percent are not."

The survey was done in 2006 at county malls, soccer fields, fast-food restaurants and other teen gathering spots, and the results are not necessarily representative of all Latino teens in Montgomery.

But its findings resonated with leaders who say they see such problems every day. "A lot of our Latino youth do not have a strong sense of future that would keep them from engaging in risky sexual behavior," said social worker Molly Love, a task force member and director of outreach for the Teen And Young Adult Health Connection in Silver Spring.

The troubles of Latino teens "have been brewing for 10 years," said Uriburu, who noted that the survey pointed to gaps of support at home, at school and in the community faced by some teens. Often, he said, Latino children struggle in isolation with trauma from prolonged family separations or other immigration hardships. "It will take an entire community to reverse this trend," he said.

His appeal did not go unheard.

"I really do think we've got to take this very seriously," said County Council member George L. Leventhal (D-At Large), who said he was struck by the disconnection experienced by so many teens. For example, he noted that most Latino teens surveyed did not report encouragement at school from guidance counselors or principals. "Why?" he asked.

County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said in a recent interview that although the county has been aware of problems, "the numbers and the challenges we face clearly are disturbing."

After a meeting in late February, Leggett asked Uriburu and other members of a newly formed Latino Youth Task Force to work with his office's Latin American Advisory Group to come up with recommended actions.

A major problem is the county's projected budget shortfall for fiscal 2010 -- more than $500 million -- which makes any new programs a hard sell. "It's going to be harder and more challenging because of the economic times we're in," Leggett said.

Three weeks ago, Latino community leaders went to a committee of the school board, and the board president, Shirley Brandman (At Large), said she found the session "quite sobering."

"We have got to see this as an entire community wrapping their arms around these kids," she said. "Kids need to feel safe, they need to feel valued and they need to know we have high expectations for them and we will support them as the try to meet their goals."

Uriburu said discussions with government officials have produced consensus that action is needed. "Not doing anything is not an option," he said. Because of the "sheer magnitude of this problem, everyone needs to come to the table, and even then, it will be a very long-term process, and we will lose some children along the way."