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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Youth Meet to Discuss Poverty Among Peers

15 per cent of young adults in Saint John do not have a high school diploma according to the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative. Co-chair of the employment working group Kelly Duplisea tells CHSJ News, the fact there are so many young people in the city who have not graduated high school is making it harder for them to escape poverty, and to even find a job. Duplisea says this problem is not Saint John specific, she says nationally it is hard for someone without a university diploma to find work.

Duplisea says this city has 35 per cent higher poverty rate than the rest of the province, and it is time to get initiatives in motion to help decrease those numbers. She says the challenge in trying to get at-risk youths to finish high school is that every child has specific issues that need to be dealt with.