I have decided to jump into the podcast world. I would like to build episodes focusing on youth, teen and young adults who do not qualify for state amber alert/silver alert guidelines. I believe that not every case fits the black and white criteria the investigative agencies use to determine if someone is endangered. My podcast will feature brief interviews with the parents or loved ones, facts of the case and how to help. A page will be made on social media outlets to share photos and facts to help find the missing. My sister ran away several times when she was a teen. She was often missing for weeks without her loved ones knowing if she was alive. She lived in woods and the police couldn't do anything to help us locate her. She was always safe but this isn't the case every time. Studies Have Shown That: One in seven young people between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away> Youth age 12 to 17 are more at risk of homelessness than adults 75 percent of runaways are female Estimates of the number of pregnant homeless girls are between 6 and 22 percent Between 20 and 40 percent of homeless youth identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning (GLBTQ) 46 percent of runaway and homeless youth reported being physically abused, 38 percent reported being emotionally abused , and 17 percent reported being forced into unwanted sexual activity by a family or household member 75 percent percent of homeless or runaway youth have dropped out or will drop out of school ( http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx ) The truth of it all is that teens will run away. Some have bad home lives or no home lives. Some struggle with addiction. The police treat all missing teens the same: as trouble. Unless signs of abduction are known the possibility of them runaway being treated with 100% focus by police is slim to none. The case of the young VA teen who snuck out to meet a friend recently captured the headlines. She informed her sister she was going to a party several hours away only to be found dead in the near her home. The police have full caseloads but as a community we can help. We can help be the voice for the missing.