More and more young people are disengaging from society with up to 2000 school aged Gold Coast youth not regularly attending any form of education, training or employment.

There is good reason as to why young people are disengaging from school and the facts may shock you. The blame shouldn’t always be pointed at our young people because in many ways we are failing them.

One in four children are exposed to domestic violence, 44,000 young people are homeless, 30% of our children are sexually abused, 13% of our youth are unemployed, and youth suicide is the highest it’s been in 10 years.

The Australian education system is struggling to engage young people. The United Nations ranks the Australian education system 39 out of 41 countries in delivering basic measures of teaching and learning. The Australian Journal of Teaching Education showed that only 55% of year 9 students found school engaging.

Research from the Mitchell Institute shows 1 in 8 Australians will never complete grade 12 and sadly many go on to remain disengaged from society and full-time work. The cost to the individual, their families, the economy and country are huge as taxpayers bear the social and fiscal brunt. It costs society almost $1 million per disengaged individual over their lifetime to pay for welfare benefits, medical bills and judicial system.

With an average of 40 students completing grade 12 each year it is estimated
Arcadia College saves taxpayers up to $40 million over the cohort’s lifetime.

Isolation, bullying, depression, anxiety, violence, substance abuse, eating disorders, self-harming and suicide are just some of the terrible consequences our young people face if help isn’t attained.

We need your help to invest in our young people to ensure Australia’s future is in good hands.

Addressing the issues early to break the cycle of these crippling personal situations is the key. With your donation, we can build a school to educate 300 Gold Coast youth per year to ensure they live healthy lives. It will allow Arcadia College to increase the number students graduating each year from 40 to 50 saving up to $50million for taxpayers – making your local community a safer and a more inclusive place.

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