
Greyhound offers free bus tickets home to runaway kids - hhs
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greyhound-offers-free-bus-tickets-home-to-runaway-kids/
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ssivark
> _An estimated 6% to 7% of U.S. youth run away from home each year, or more
> than 1.5 million children and adolescents annually, according to the
> National Clearinghouse on Homeless Youths and Families._

WTF!? If true, this should be a far bigger issue than most things talked
about.

A little clicking turned up the following links:

1\. Facts and Figures About Runaway and Homeless Youth --
[https://rhyclearinghouse.acf.hhs.gov/news/2019/03/facts-
and-...](https://rhyclearinghouse.acf.hhs.gov/news/2019/03/facts-and-figures-
about-runaway-and-homeless-youth)

2\. Why they run: An in-depth look at America's runaway youth --
[https://www.1800runaway.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/05/Why-T...](https://www.1800runaway.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/05/Why-They-Run-Report.pdf)

~~~
kick
Why do you see it as bad? It's really not. I know multiple people who did as
youths (though they could be thought as the more successful end of the
spectrum, they're all doing well now and were doing well then).

Not all "runaways" are homeless, though, nor are they even necessarily in a
worse spot after doing so.

The idea that a person should stay with their guardians until 18 is a recent
societal invention, and is probably more harmful than not.

It's harder than ever to die in America, though it's also gotten progressively
harder for youth to get an independent start.

"Running away" (it's more aptly described as "leaving," running implies
cowardice) in itself isn't an issue, it's just a symptom of a greater problem:
guardians are frequently bad, and the infantilization of society has rapidly
progressed to a ridiculous point.

This is a controversial opinion, but one that's shared by almost every close
friend of mine: labor laws for adolescents (I hesitate to call them "child
labor laws," because infantilizing adolescents is the thing that caused the
problem to begin with) have had a disastrous effect on society.

Even in the modern day, a guardian can still rob an adolescent of their
earnings in America, codified by law. By any other measure, a person who can
force another to work and can take their earnings is a slavemaster.

~~~
dondawest
>This is a controversial opinion, but one that's shared by almost every close
friend of mine: labor laws for adolescents (I hesitate to call them "child
labor laws," because infantilizing adolescents is the thing that caused the
problem to begin with) have had a disastrous effect on society.

I am in full agreement with this opinion. At 14, I was ready to WORK! After
school AND during summer! Yet "Child Labor laws" and related bullshit
prevented me from contributing to society at a time when I was fully able and
willing to.

~~~
samcal
There are plenty of ways for you to contribute to your society (even labor),
you just can't get paid for them: volunteer, clean up, contribute to open-
source codebases, etc. I think there's a reasonable argument that the best
thing you can do for your society is learn and grow, and we need to support
children that wish to do so.

~~~
kick
As someone who _did_ contribute to libre codebases and volunteer at that age:
it would have been vastly better for me, personally, were I able to sell my
labor.

I would have still contributed to libre codebases, but it would have allowed
me to become independent faster, and a person can only contribute marginally
until they're fully independent.

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sysbin
Kids getting abused to the point they run away. I wonder what the percentage
of the returning kids (by Greyhound bus) wouldn't use the service if they
could start their own life anew and in an economy that would actually allow
them that opportunity. I assume from how the economy is shifting to needing a
degree for competitive entry. The ones abused by their parents are staying
even longer with them and until their degree is finished to afford the whole
process.

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JensRantil
Finally all American parents can simply just buy a one-way plane ticket for
their kids and put them on a bus back! So much cheaper!

~~~
aaron695
Reminds me of the trick to confess to a crime in the place you want to visit
next.

They extradite you, you suddenly realise you have a alibi, win?

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aaron695
> To be eligible for a Greyhound ticket home, those between 12 and 21 years
> old have to call the NRS hotline, be named on a runaway report and be
> willing to reunite with their family

It's great Greyhound and NRS work to practically get kids home.

But once a kid's on a runaway report I'm not sure why we'd think this is a
good, go to solution. 400 kids / year would be $40,000 in transport which must
pale to the other costs around this issue.

Maybe kids are more likely to use it if the authorities are not involved...
but there seems something is broken

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BXLE_1-1-BitIs1
One of my kids fetched up without money for a ticket at a transit terminal a
couple towns away when neither myself or my ex had a car in the days before
smartphones.

Pretty simple: phoned the station, they paged the kid, gave him a ticket and a
payment form which I was glad to take care of when he got back home.

