Comparing Classism In Today's Homeless And Unaccompanied Youth
880 Words4 Pages
Over the years, many types of discrimination have surfaced based on race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, and more. One type of discrimination that is not often talked about is classism. Classism refers to the prejudice or discrimination against those people that are considered to be included in a particular social class.
Both upward and downward classism exist; upward being prejudice against those perceived to be in a higher social class than the individual, and downward being the opposite, as prejudice toward someone perceived to be in a lower social class than one’s self. This paper will examine the effects of classism, particularly downward classism, on today’s homeless and unaccompanied youth, and the coping strategies they have formed to deal with the stressors involved.
Homeless or Unaccompanied Youth…show more content… First, rather than basing the decision of whether or not a youth is considered homeless on where the youth resides, as most may think, the category of homeless youth is actually primarily focused on the absence of an adult caregiver. (HHS, 2012, p.11) This also brings along the term unaccompanied youth, with generally implies the child or teen may have somewhere to reside, however does not have any adult caregivers. Secondly, the term youth usually applies to children and adolescents aging up to eighteen; however, in the case of working with homeless youth, most shelters and organizations will accept youths as old as twenty-one, and some even as old as twenty-four. (HHS, 2012,