A local program tries to motivate struggling students

Some students at risk of dropping out from high school – who've fallen behind due to social and personal obstacles – have been placed in a new program called Long Beach BLAST – Better Learning for All Students Today. Program staff and volunteers help students set goals for the future, for a high school diploma and beyond.  Alex explained that as a continuation school student he has often felt stereotyped as lazy or unproductive, an assumption he says overlooks the stressors that make keeping up with school a lot harder. "After my mom got sick, everything went downhill. My dad was asking me to work and I had the pressure of working, getting money. It was just a lot expected of me." More of the story in a video and article on Voicewaves.[youtube=https://youtu.be/nf6EvLq0j1E]