Youth of color, principally, grow up in impoverished and/or marginalized environments, and they're often plagued with inequalities, disparities and other changing factors.

Nonetheless, young Latinos are working hard to sidestep poor education and poor health outcomes on the road to advancement and success, new statistics point out.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) recently produced a report, titled "Resilient Latino Youth: In Their Own Words," which examines how second-generation Latino youth learned to cope with adversity and excel, despite having been propositioned with extreme challenges. The report draws attention to the resilience group, because doing so would help to develop programs and policies that boost Latinos through the glass ceiling. And efforts to counter higher incidence of substance abuse, behavioral and mental health problems and disconnectedness from work and school can keep students from falling through the cracks.

More than half of the 18 million U.S. Latinos, age 18 years or younger, are second-generation, the report finds; and many of young people face struggles. Beyond the fact that many come from tough neighborhoods, they're also in the "in-between," where they have to balance the language, culture and values of their underemployed, immigrant parents, while balancing the new principles learned in American institutions among American peers.

The NCLR study comfirms that the ability to navigate both worlds can be beneficial, but it can also leave this demographic vulnerable in marginalized environments, where high-concentrated poverty, substance abuse, behavioral problems, mental health difficulties, obesity and early pregnancy can be an issue. And the youth who participated in the study indicated they also struggle with sexual abuse, police brutality and parental alcoholism.

Most important, the report frames and showcases the experiences of Latino youth, who, every day, work to have a long-term sense of vision and optimism or a strong work ethic, flexibility, perseverance, empathy and commitment to breaking the negative cycle. Raised in immigrant homes and/or difficult homes, many learned to be resilient because there was an expectation of responsibility and solidarity from family.

"My mom was always working. My step dad, he would leave me in charge of my brother. I would clean for my mom, like clean the whole house, and would wash... I would do everything because I was ultimately responsible. And I knew that my mom was tired from working, so I would help her as much as I can. And I think that's why I think so differently," said one of the 10 second-generation immigrant teens, who shared their stories with researchers.

Additionally, the study states, many students access community-based programs and mentors to help fill gaps, bridge distances between immigrant parents and their children, teach youth skills and knowledge, and provide emotional and psychosocial support for youth. The report confirmed that building confidence, forging networks and strengthening skills is a matter of investment and support for second-generation Latino youth, who benefit from culturally relevant, community-based job training, social services, mentoring programs and educative interventions, as well as prevention-oriented programs that help Latino youth to stay engaged.

Also, legislation that's been composed to promote rehabilitation (the REDEEM ACT, the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act), rather than criminalization, helps to promote better outcomes.

The acculturated second-generation Latino immigrant population in the study has shown resilience in a number of ways, in terms of cognitive skills, social competencies, prosocial behavior and environmental factors. Their bilingual and bicultural identities tend to be useful in different settings, with family, within their neighborhood, and in institutional spaces. Also, their foundation of strong work ethic and ambition promotes perseverance and persistence, leading to opportunities and success for many.

"I've always been really interested in politics and I always wanted to run for office. I wanted to focus on health care, especially in Latino communities. I want to work on the disparities, you know, because feel like as a low-income community, sometimes we don't receive the same care, the same quality of care that others, you know, well-off communities, receive," said another study participant.

An example of innovative and highly effective programs to assist at-risk Latino youth is La Cultura Cura, which aids Latino youth through art, mental health and cultural reconnection programs. Similar programs work to connect young Latinos to opportunities that will restore their well-being as they're exposed to racial profiling and excessive police force, family separation due to immigration laws and incarceration, poverty, unemployment, under-resourced schools, housing discrimination and violence.

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