U.S. Society > Youth & Family Life A Nation of Immigrants I Native Americans I African Americans | Asian Americans I Hispanic Americans I Demographics | Social Welfare | Health Care | Education | Religions I Women I Crime & Justice

What kind of information materials are available?
Background · Administration for Children and Families. US Dept. of Health and Human Services · The American Family CD  · American Teenagers CD  · Child, Youth and Family Policies: United States · Growing Up Healthy CD · Harvard Family Research Project · KIDS COUNT · Snapshots of America's Families III: Tracking Change 1997 - 2002 · United States: Family Life Statistics · America's Children 2007 CD · America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being (full annual report) · America's Children in Brief 2006 CD · America's Families and Living Arrangements 2003 · Changes in the Lives of U.S. Children: 1990-2000 · The Child Population · Child Trends Databank · Children and the Households They Live In: 2000 CD  · A Child's Day 2003 · ChildStats · Kids Count Data Center · Living Arrangements of Children 2004 · Monitoring the Future. Annual Survey · Statistical Abstracts of the United States · Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 2003 (Chapters: Child Population I Characteristics I Family Structure I Poverty and Income I Social Development I Behavioral Health: Smoking, Alcohol and Substance Abuse CD  · Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth, 2003 (Dept. of Health and Human Services) Full Report · U.S. Census Bureau: Children · U.S. Census Bureau: Families and Living Arrangements · We, the American Children   CD  · Youth Indicators Teacher Resources · Child Labor in American History Link Lists · Child and Family Webguide · Institute for Child and Family Policy: Links · Youth in America   Photo by Lloyd Wolf for the U.S. Census Bureau Belonging to a family is one bond almost everyone in the world shares, but family patterns vary from country to country. The United States has many different types of families, but the traditional structure of the American family -- mother, father and children -- continues to prevail for the most part as a new century unfolds. Yet, over the past several decades, US society has witnessed an evolution in family structure and daily life in many respects, because of myriad factors, running the gamut from advancements in science to the composition of the workplace. Single parenthood, adoptive households, step-parenting, stay-at-home fathers, grandparents raising children are but a few of the newer tiles in the mosaic. What is it like to be a young person in the United States? The typical American child spends six hours a day, five days a week, 180 days a year in school. Children in the US start preschool or nursery school at age four or under, kindergarten at five years of age. Schools provide American children with much more than academic education. More than 80 percent of all students participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, student newspapers, drama clubs, debate teams, choral groups and bands. During their leisure time, American kids spend much time watching television, listening to music or playing computer games, but many also have after school jobs. One recent poll indicated that nine out of 10 teenagers polled said they either had a job or would like one. Child labor laws set restrictions on the types of work that youths under 16 years can do. Many youths work part-time on weekends or after school at fast-food restaurants, baby-sit for neighbors, hold delivery jobs or work in stores. Many youths are also involved in community service organizations or are active in church and religious-group activities. Other belong to youth groups such as Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts,were they learn about citizenship, crafts, arts, camping and other outdoor activities. Teenagers talking in front of their high school Thousands of young Americans volunteer to help take care of the elderly, the handicapped and hospital patients, or help clean up the environment. While for most American children and teenagers life today is nearly free of serious conflict, young people are still under many types of stress. Peer pressure, changing family conditions, mobility of families, unemployment and problems at school may lead to use of alcohol or drugs, the refusal to attend school, running away from home, teenage pregnancies or juvenile delinquency. See also: About the USA > Society > Demographics About the USA > Society > Education
Special Feature:
PBS Documentaries Looks at 'Generation Next" The 42 million 16- to 25-year-olds in the United States -- roughly 14 percent of the population -- will have a major impact on American society as they rise into adulthood. In a series of profiles on NPR's Morning Edition and PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Judy Woodruff looks at what makes Generation Next different from its predecessors. As a follow-up to the first documentary on the challenges facing Americans 16-to-25 years old, Judy Woodruff and the team have put together another hour of reporting. This new documentary, called "Generation Next 2.0," profiles seven young people, their views on society and outlook for the future.
Texts are abridged from U.S. State Department IIP publications and other U.S. government materials.
What kind of information materials are available? CD: These documents are available in fulltext format on the About the USA CD-ROM. Teachers: Request a copy for classroom use. L: Selected documents are available in German as well as other languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, Persian and Turkish.

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U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany /Public Affairs/ Information Resource Centers  Updated: May 2008