LEARNAction Ambassadors for LA
Action Ambassadors is training the next generation of leaders in Los Angeles through volunteer work, political involvement, and social entrepreneurship.
Are any other organizations collaborating on this proposal?
As of last year, we collaborated with the following organizations. However, in the upcoming year, we hope to increase this list., Friends of the LA River, Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian’s Office, Los Angeles Mayor’s Youth Council, GRID Alternatives, Young and Healthy, United Nations Association Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Street Medicine, Santa Barbara Food Bank, World Dance for Humanity, Storyteller Center
Please describe your project proposal.
Over the summer of 2016, we piloted an 8-week internship program that uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to teach youth that their local actions have global relevance. Youth intern with non-profits or local elected officials for 10 hours a week, and then spend another 10 hours developing their own project that addresses an issue such as sustainability, poverty, or inequality. With this proposal, we will expand this program to thirty students across LA County in 2016.
Which of the LEARN metrics will your proposal impact?
Student education pipeline
Youth unemployment and underemployment
In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA
East LA
San Fernando Valley
South LA
LAUSD
Describe in greater detail how your proposal will make LA the best place to LEARN?
Student education pipeline:
We will impact the student education pipeline by bringing together underserved high schoolers, community college students, and 4-year college students in Los Angeles. By bringing these groups of students together, we hope to create role models for high schoolers that can encourage them to go to college and graduate. In addition, we will hold students to university-levels of research and writing during their summer internships, which will help them prepare for their college career.
Youth Employment and Underemployment:
We will focus on youth unemployment and underemployment through tackling the skills-gap with high school and college students. In particular, we will focus on developing skills that are needed for effective leadership in public service, such as: conducting research, developing presentations, public speaking, writing budgets and reports, conducting interviews, building social media campaigns, and connecting with the public.
CONNECT: Rates of volunteerism
In addition, our project will address the “rates of volunteerism” metric under CONNECT. We will do this through having students volunteer 10 hours a week with a non-profit or government office over the summer.
LIVE:
Finally, our project will potentially address all LIVE metrics, depending on the community improvement projects our students propose.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
Feedback surveys from students and organizations, which will measure
-Overall satisfaction with the project
-Execution of the program in communications, training, outreach, etc.
-Student retention rate in the program (if students return to the program after a year)
Jobs obtained by students one year after graduating
-If jobs are in their preferred field
-If they feel that they are being paid fairly
-If they feel that the job offers advancement opportunities
College enrollment and graduation rates for our high school participants, as compared to other students from their high schools that did not participate in Action Ambassadors.
How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed?
Money
Volunteers
Advisors/board members
Staff
Publicity/awareness
Education/training
Community outreach
Network/relationship support
Quality improvement research