Literacy facts in Philadelphia

Do you know that over 50% of adult population in Philadelphia are considered low literate? This means they often struggle to fill out a job application. With 22% of whole adult population lack basis literacy skills comparing to the national average of 14.5%

Do you know that around 30-40,000 youth with no high school diploma or equivalency drop out of Philadelphia public schools and over 200,000 adults in Philadelphia do not have a high school degree?

The poor education result has led the poverty rate in our city to become one of the highest among all major cities and 11% above the U.S. average. In addition, a parent's low literacy level can also have substantial impact on their children. According to a landmark study done by Betty Hart and Todd Risley, the average child in a family on public assistance hears 153,000 less words per week than the average child in a privileged home. 

Hearing the language is the first step to learning. The second is writing. Writing is very important because it allows you to write to practice what you learn.

In our city of Brotherly Love, the inhabitants and community organizations have come together to provide different programs to assist the children in the city to achieve the educational success.

The Mighty Writers is an non-profit organization in Philadelphia that is committed to teach children to think and write clearly. There is a variety of programs offered by Might Writers includes tutoring, mentoring, leading a writing workshop and doing an internship. For information, please visit their website: http://www.mightywriters.org/volunteer/. 

In addition, Drexel's Lindy Center for Civic Engagement also offers a High School Mentoring Program in the West Philadelphia. Check out their website for more details: http://www.drexel.edu/lindycenter/students/leadership/. 

May at Drexel - Mental Health and Awareness Month

One of the 10 college students has made a plan for suicide, and there are more than 1,000 suicides on US college campuses every year. The main cause is the mental illness which is defined as a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. 

According to the latest Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors survey, 95% of counseling center directors surveyed said the number of students with significant psychological problems is a growing concern on their campus. The survey found that anxiety is the top concern among college students (41.6%), followed by depressing (36.4%) and relationship problems (35.8%).

At Drexel, the Counseling Center and many other resources are available to assist students to handle their mental issues whether it is anxiety, family relations, eating disorders, and alcohol and drug issue. The Counseling Center offers free, confidential counseling services provided by mental health professionals.

Drexel currently participates at in the Screening for Mental Health program, which can be accessed by students who may have questions about whether or not their current concerns may warrant additional help. You may take a Free and Anonymous screening at the following link:http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/DREXEL.

Life can be very stressful at our age, especially with the fast-paced quarter system at Drexel that loads our life with lots of exams, projects, and assignment. Thus, it is really important to balance the work and life at a good level to reduce the stress and enjoy your college years. Healthy life styles like exercise and health food will always help to lower the chance of mental illness.

Event on campus

On May 20^th, in part of Mental Health Awareness Week, CAB is collaborating with Active to present Jordan Burnham who began his experience with depression in high school. Soon alcohol became a dependency for Jordan, and during his senior year, Jordan attempted suicide. He will share his heartbreaking yet inspiring story from 7 pm to 8 pm in Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium.

Remember, you are never alone at Drexel! For any questions or details related to mental health and wellness, you may visit Drexel Counseling Center at Suite 201 of the Creese Student Center, call 215-895-1415, or email counseling@drexel.edu.