Boostup.org - Resource to Graduate High School

The statistics are alarming: four out of every ten students in the US don’t graduate from high school. BoostUp is a resource that aims to get people talking and thinking about graduation. On the one hand, it allows people (family, friends, strangers) to email or text words of encouragement and wisdom about graduation. On the other hand, it provides information and resources pertaining to some of the major factors for dropping out of high school: English as a second language; sex, pregnancy, and STDs; and alcohol and drug abuse. The site features a “yearbook” of students that are struggling to graduate- and you are encouraged to boost them up.

“We want to give high school students a voice, an outlet to show how they feel about high school. This site will be a place where students can express themselves freely and show who they are and what they go through.”

BoostUp is a good first step towards addressing the issue of dropping out of high-school, obviously a major problem in the US. Encouragement from others that have gone through these situations before is a great way to motivate people.

Although the site is only focused towards high school graduation, why is there no information on college? If there are 4 out of 10 students that don’t graduate from high school, why is their “yearbook” so small (ie, why do you have to review the submissions of BoostUp candidates, rather than allowing it to be an open forum)? Moreover, if you are contemplating dropping out, doesn’t that decision have much more to do with personal relationships rather than encouraging words from personal strangers?