Coming of Age: Between Two Worlds

America is known for being a melting pot. From the Pew Hispanic Research Center recently released a new study "Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America is an article covers how Hispanics are the largest and youngest minority group in the United States. To break down this statement, think of it this way, 1-in-5 school children is Hispanic. 1-of-4 newborns is Hispanic. We are looking at the next generation of the young minority group who will in one way or another help shape America in the coming 21st century. But wait there's more.

The following report focuses on Hispanics who are between the ages of 16 to 25 in which the path to adulthood is starting to becoming a clear path, from high school, college, and setting out into the "real world."

Unfortunately for them they are caught between two 'real world' or two different cultures, in which they live in America  yet they are Latin American. The report covers the attitudes, values, social behaviors, family characteristics, economic well-being, educational attainment and labor force outcomes of this next generation. In the graph below shows the survey done by the Pew Hispanic Research Center survey.

The article goes more into depth of the findings but basically the data gives a mixed picture. While the young Latinos are satisfied with their lives and optimistic about their futures; they are still much more likely than other American youths to drop out of school and become teenage parents.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center's National Survey of Latinos, more than half (52%) of Latinos ages 16 to 25 identify themselves first by their family's country of origin, be it Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador or any of more than a dozen other Spanish-speaking countries. An additional 20% generally use the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" first when describing themselves. Only about one-in-four (24%) generally use the term "American" first.
It focuses on the issue of Identity and Assimilation: This nation has a history of immigration assimilation, its more than economic or social dimensions it also has a psychological dimension. Over the course of several generations immigrant family loosens its sense of identity of their old world and binds to the new one. When divided amongst cultures it is easy to loss sense of being caught between keeping the old traditions yet learning the new ones. What do you think?

If your interested in reading more here is a link for a full report: Between Two Worlds