There is a continuous cycle in the low socioeconomic class of past high school dropouts raising families in poor economic conditions and whose children are also dropping out of high school and repeating the cycle. These at risk and economically disadvantaged students tend to have high dropout rates, contributing on average a net negative fiscal contribution of $5,200 to their community from the ages of 18 to 64. It has already been shown that keeping students engaged in positive activities outside of school correlates with those students developing positive and successful life skills. More effort needs to be invested in providing activities that engage students.
Their proposed solution is to develop an outreach program for high school underclassmen where they can facilitate teamwork, goal-setting, and other positive life skills through sustainability initiatives. They plan to create a 12-week program similar to Grand Challenges where students analyze a sustainability problem provided to them. Students will have a trained Georgia Tech student as a facilitator as they learn about their problem space, develop a solution, and create a proposal for their school’s administration.
