Urge Congress to increase funds for youth prevention programs: NRPA members need to educate federal legislators about youth programs - Advocacy Update

Parks & Recreation, Oct, 2002

Funds for many federal youth prevention grant programs haven't increased in several years, are insufficient relative to need and are often earmarked (that is, they're set aside for specific programs). The estimated average cost of incarceration of a youth offender for one year is $40,000, whereas the cost for a youth participant in a prevention program is often less than $1,500 per year. Youth offenders are four times more likely than non-offending youth to commit suicide; approximately two-thirds of them suffer from mental health problems.

Yet we know that higher levels of physical activity in youth are associated with lower levels of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression and stress. Further, we know that implementing recreation programs in urban areas is often correlated with reductions in youth arrests, as observed by police officers in those jurisdictions. On top of all this, there's the efficacy with which park and recreation agencies offer comprehensive youth programs when working with multiple partners.

Park and recreation agencies are eligible for a number of federal grant programs that aim to prevent risky behaviors and delinquency in youth. Among them are programs of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974. It hasn't been reauthorized since it expired in 1996, yet legislators continue to allocate funds for its programs. Public park and recreation agencies need to advocate for reauthorization of the JJDPA and federal funding for prevention programs that equals or surpasses funding for juvenile incarceration. Such funds should be appropriated with minimal earmarks. These messages are important in the 107th Congress and will remain so when the 108th Congress begins in January.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed the following levels of funding for fiscal year 2003 youth prevention/development programs:

* Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Center Program (now through the states), $1.09 billion (an increase of $90 million).

* Department of Education's Recreation Program for Individuals with Disabilities (therapeutic recreation), $2.6 million (restored to FY 2002 level).

* Department of Education's Community Technology Centers Program, $32.5 million (restored to FY 2002 level).

* Department of Labor's Youth Opportunity Program, $225 million (restored to FY 2002 level).

* Department of Commerce's Technology Opportunities Program, $15 million (restored to FY 2002 level).

* Department of Justice's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Program: $95 million for the Title V delinquency prevention program (same as FY 2002 level with fewer earmarks); $12 million for the Title IID gang-free schools and communities program; and $16 million for the Title IIG mentoring program.

Public parks and recreation have been active advocates for these programs for many years. Let's continue to act on behalf of the youths and communities we serve and ensure that there are adequate funds to carry out important youth prevention and development programs.

If you have questions about how to advocate on these issues, contact Erica Hamilton in NRPA's Public Policy Division at 202-887-0290 or ehamilton@nrpa.org.