Legislative District One Pagers

Opportunity Youth & Young Adults

Welcome to CHILDREN AT RISK’s Opportunity Youth & Young Adults Policy Resource hub, where you can

explore the economic and data landscape of each Texas House and Senate district.

Texas’ youth have the power to drive a thriving economy and vibrant communities. Yet, too many are left without the support they need to pursue education or careers. Opportunity Youth and Young Adults (OYYA) are a subset of the population, ages 16-24, who are neither in school or working.

This group represents a vital part of our future, and they deserve accessible pathways to reconnect and realize their potential. By working together and leveraging resources effectively, we can open doors for OYYA, helping them build brighter futures and contributing to Texas’ long-term prosperity.

KEY FACTS

Young Texans aged 16-24 are crucial to not only our workforce but our economic future, yet 13.1% are neither in school nor working. These opportunity youth and young adults (OYYA) need support to reconnect and become college or career ready.

In 2025, the Texas Workforce Commission plans to allocate over $80 million in WIOA funds—the primary
resource for OYYA—to youth programs. To secure Texas’ prosperity, we must efficiently use these funds and improve coordination among stakeholders to help over one million OYYA reengage in education or employment.

 

 

Learn more and take action in your district!

Sign up for our advocacy alerts, or get in touch with our policy team by contacting Caroline Roberts at croberts@childrenatrisk.org.

READ MORE FROM C@R

CHILDREN AT RISK Hosts The Future of Children Summit

CHILDREN AT RISK Hosts The Future of Children Summit

The 2023 Future of Children Summit was introduced by Dr Robert Sanborn, President & CEO at CHILDREN AT RISK with Welcome Remarks    The summit was broken down into seven sections that lasted 11 minutes followed by a brief Q&A led by Dr Bob and the speaker....

Access to Affordable High-Quality Child Care is Scarce

Access to Affordable High-Quality Child Care is Scarce

By Neomi Fletcher, Early Childhood Education, and Jacob Westjohn, Early Childhood Education (Note: Data sources are all publicly available from the Texas Workforce Commission, TEA, and Family Service. This report uses data from October 1st, 2021-September 30th, 2022.)...

2023 Kroger School Food Rankings

2023 Kroger School Food Rankings

Across Texas, over 5.4 million students were offered free school meals through federal programs, such as the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.  For many of these children, meals eaten at school are the only substantial meals they receive...