ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
Editorial from Cathy Tisdale, President and CEO, Camp Fire USA
August 2011
America’s New 5 Percent: Strengthening the Formerly Strong
Americans have always believed our nation’s most vulnerable deserve a safety net. The recession of 2007–2008, however, changed everything. There is a “new normal” and it’s frightening.
What does it say to our youth and families when economists forecast an unemployment rate that may not dip below 8 percent for the next seven-plus years? Or the political "noise" coming out of Washington represents nothing but “brinksmanship” and a complete unwillingness to genuinely and openly negotiate to reach a shared outcome?
As individuals, we continue to volunteer, donate money, and yes, negotiate to reach outcomes that are good for all. Philanthropists and the private sector continue to invest in causes they believe in and as taxpayers, a portion of our taxes helps underwrite core safety net programs, such as Medicare, Social Security, veterans’ benefits, and Head Start—just to name a few. What’s interesting is that we’ve always been pretty clear about who these programs help. In some cases, they’re multi-generations of kids and families living on the edges of society or vulnerable seniors living on fixed incomes. Our perception has been that these “unfortunates” landed where they were because of family or health- related circumstances, or language and other cultural barriers, or limited educational opportunities that narrowed job prospects.
However, we may need to rethink those assumptions. Let me preface what I’m about to write by stating what you know—I’m not an economist and, like most people, I don’t pretend to understand the entire complexity of America’s economic struggles. However, sometimes data tells a story or at least points us in a direction worthy of further consideration. Thus, for the past year, I have put forth the concept of the “new 5 percent”—the approximate difference between the 2006 unemployment rate of 4.6 percent and the current rate of 9.1 percent. (And we know that the real figure is higher, since the rate only represents those filing unemployment claims, not those who are no longer eligible or who have simply given up.) I've advanced the notion of a new and expanded face of vulnerability in this country, adding to all those we've always known were vulnerable, all with deep and pervasive needs.
The hypothesis is that this new 5 percent appears to be disproportionately comprised of those who heretofore were fully employed in well-paying jobs. To test that idea, we looked at some statistics. Based on 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, here’s what we found. From 2006 to 2010, America suffered:
• A 141-percent increase in unemployment within the management, professional, and related occupations (1,500,000 people).
• A 128-percent increase in unemployment within the community and social services occupations (64,000 people).
• A 104-percent increase in unemployment among government workers (496,000 people).
• A 98-percent increase among those with no previous work experience (604,000 people). Within that group, 175,000 young adults aged 20–24 are unemployed—an increase of 194 percent over 2006. That includes all those high school and college grads who can’t find jobs—let alone those who’ve never been able to achieve full employment!
We know these people. We stand in line together at the grocery store; our kids go to school together; we’re next-door neighbors. Until now, they’ve represented the “fortunate,” donating money to their employer’s United Way Campaigns, contributing time and money to causes they cared about, taking their annual vacations. They thought they had college tuition covered. Bills were paid on time, and disposable income allowed for a bit of the “good life.”
This new 5 percent has now been un/underemployed for as much as two years or more. Their benefits have run out or will. They’re losing their homes, living on credi,t or counting on the generosity of friends and family. Recent college grads are turning their parents’ basements into bachelor pads. Families who were living well are now hanging on for dear life. And the circumstances of the un/underemployed will soon start trickling down to those still working. Next year we’ll start paying more for health care to support insurance premiums for young adults up to the age of 26 because they can’t get jobs or jobs with coverage.
So what does all this have to do with Camp Fire USA and our theme of “Strengthening” for this issue of Campfire? Simply this—never has it been more important to ensure our capacity to dig deeper and reach more youth and families. We cannot allow the community dialogue to focus solely on the kids who are typically branded “at risk” as though they alone are vulnerable—though they surely are and likely will remain so. As a united Movement, we must lift our voices to inform and educate community leaders around this issue. We need to have accurate data relevant to our respective communities at our fingertips and together help pry open a few more pocketbooks. We need to cast our net wider because more need what Camp Fire offers. And we need to be the light that shines, even in the toughest of times, and strengthens every kid and every family joined together around our campfire.
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
Editorial from Cathy Tisdale, President and CEO, Camp Fire USA
July 2011
Onwards and Upwards
When words like “overwhelming numbers of statistically reliable,” “consistently related to better outcomes” and “positive implications” are linked to one-on-one relationships between caring adults and children, society had better pay attention. At Camp Fire USA, we do. We have for over 100 years.
Yet, although we know the value of relationship building and nurturing—knowledge supported with literature across the board—how can we continue to advance the relationship that can flip a child from “at risk” to “healthy contributor?” We continue to talk between us, for one thing. What is one council doing that another could benefit from? How do our individual differences (between councils), such as geography, demographics, financial resources, and other variables, impact our mission? How can we most efficiently share best-practices and meet needs? What are our youth telling us? How can we more effectively listen?
When Luther and Charlotte Gulick first conceived of a youth development organization that would serve our nation’s youth, life was less complex and expectations more defined. Over the decades we have seen dramatic change in many of our traditional support systems—definition of a family, community cohesion, economic security, and others. At Camp Fire USA, we do not judge the inherent right or wrong of how our youth and families function. We meet them where they are, with programs that enhance their lives, no matter how a family is configured or in what circumstances they find themselves living.
The work we do as a Movement is work that will underpin a viable future for all of us, across all definitions of a family. The public policy we continue to monitor—and increasingly influence—will help create a new framework for civil commitments. The development we engage in as Camp Fire USA leadership is worthy; it helps us walk our talk.