UCAN’s National Teen Report Card Gives Adults the Worst Grade for Understanding Why Teens Leave Home
CHICAGO (June 15, 2007) – Adults received a disappointing report card from the nation’s youth this week, as results from the ninth annual UCAN Teen Report Card, co-sponsored by the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS), gave the worst grade distributed in the survey, a ‘C-’, to adults and their understanding of why teens leave home. The UCAN Teen Report Card annually surveys more than 1,000 American teens, ages 12 to 19, asking youth to give "A" through "F" grades to the adults impacting their lives, from parents to teachers to politicians. The study evaluates the day-to-day performance of all adults in important areas like honesty, leadership and safety, and provides an outlet for teens to turn the tables and provide grades to the individuals who are traditionally grading them.
"Between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth run from home each year. It’s a national crisis that not many American adults realize," said Maureen Blaha, executive director of NRS. "According to this report card American adults have a lot of work to do in the eyes of today’s teens."
American teens gave adults a "C–" grade for understanding why teens leave home and a "C" grade for stopping teens from running away.
"According to calls handled through our 1-800-RUNAWAY hotline last year, 48 percent of youth called because of family dynamics such as divorce, remarriage, and problems with siblings, and abuse such as substance, physical, sexual, and neglect. It starts at home and adults need to do more," said Blaha.
So what can parents do to prevent their child from running away? According to NRS, parents need to develop strong communication habits with their child early on, which can go a long way toward solidifying a bond and nurturing trust. A few tips offered by NRS:
- Seek to understand your child. Try to look at life through your child’s point of view and think about what you experienced at that age.
- Discuss feelings. Talk about what it feels like to be a parent. When parents are open and honest about their feelings, kids know it’s safe to share their own.
- Use team work. Work together to discuss problems and explore mutually-acceptable solutions.
- Talk with your teenagers about the National Runaway Switchboard. Give them our number. Assure them that you would never encourage them to leave home, but that you want them to know where they can find help if they—or any of their friends—are ever faced with that situation.
Created and sponsored by the Chicago-based UCAN, the UCAN Teen Report Card is an annual measure of adult progress on issues affecting teens, as graded by teens themselves. Conducted in January and February of 2007, the survey is a representative sampling of teens across the country. Teens received the questions via a mail survey, with the results weighted to reflect regional, ethnic and gender distribution across the U.S. The research division of the Child Welfare League of America, Washington, D.C., provided long-term trend analysis of the grades received by the adults and facilitated the participation of its member agencies in N.Y., D.C. and Baltimore.
The survey was conducted for UCAN by the nation’s premier research organization on teenage attitudes and trends, Teenage Research Unlimited, in Northbrook, Ill. The survey carries a +/- 3 percent margin of sampling error. A full copy of the UCAN Teen Report Card, including all grades and ancillary materials and a teen/adult discussion guide, can be found at: www.ucanchicago.org.
The National Runaway Switchboard, established in 1971, serves as the federally-designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth. Recognized as the oldest hotline of its kind in the world, NRS, with the support of more than 150 volunteers, handles an average of 100,000 calls annually – more than 3 million calls since the organization’s inception. NRS provides crisis intervention, referrals to local resources, and education and prevention services to youth, families and community members throughout the country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Over 10,000 youth have been reunited with their families through the NRS Home Free program done in collaboration with Greyhound Lines, Inc. The NRS crisis hotline is 1-800-RUNAWAY. For more information, visit www.1800runaway.org.