Embassy of Liberia Selects KPScholars Program to provide Mentorship to Liberian Youth

...structure, expectations of children and intergenerational conflicts regarding cultural identity have also lead to family schisms. John A. Arthur examines African Immigrant Diaspora in the United States in his book Invisible Sojourner where he captures the tension that exists in the following exerts: “The immigrant parents are adopting a viewpoint about urban native-born minority children that is based on the negative media portrayal of urban black and Hispanic families. The immigrant parents associate urban-born minority youngsters with crime, gang subcultures, dropping out of school, drug use, lack of respect for parents and authority figures, and teen pregnancies. African parents see the social, cultural, and economic conditions associated with American-born urban minority populations as inimical to the values that African parents try to teach their children.”

In October 2007 we launched our initial data collection with Liberian youth in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States and unveiled many of the same early warnings signs that lead to negative youth outcomes with American youth. Specifically the following concerns were raised that are known to place youth at increased risk:

• Feeling of isolation and acceptance
• Desire to belong to a group
• Learning how to assimilate into American society
• Lack of role models and mentors
• Tension between parents and Liberian youth
• Single parent households