Green Career Paths for Opportunity Youth (OY)

Youth economic advancement

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Decades of disinvestment have deeply impacted the residents of South LA. Our impact area covers the South L.A. Promise Zone (PZ) which has a population of over 230,000 residents, 72% of whom are Latino and 14% are African American. 60% of residents in the PZ earn below 50% of the Greater LA Metro median income, and 54% of residents earn below 200% of the federal poverty threshold. 40% of the population is under 25; approximately 17% of youth are opportunity youth who are disconnected from work or education. To address economic development in South Los Angeles, a key approach is to address the needs of disconnected youth to help them launch into the new climate-resilient economy.

As the backbone for the South LA Promise Zone, our work focuses on 5 levers of change: Education, Jobs, Entrepreneurship, Transit, & Safety. Our efforts are tailored to our area, & replicable and scalable for the region, state, & nation. For South LA we aim to: Prepare students, residents, & businesses for the new climate-resilient economy Achieve true & sustainable transformation through historic federal investments focused on climate mitigation & resilience
Facilitate the creation & promotion of green infrastructure that fosters job creation, mobility, wellness, & access. Our work ensures that our community does not miss the launch into the new climate-resilient economy, catalyzed by $1T in unprecedented federal infrastructure investments with resources specifically designed for disinvested, environmentally burdened areas like ours. Opportunity youth are vital to this work–they determine the future of South LA. Our pilot program will build on existing work & structures to help opportunity youth become connected to the new climate-resilient economy. To achieve this goal, we will:
Convene partners from our Education & Jobs workgroups & Foster Youth Subcommittee
Leverage school, businesses, and government partnerships to develop initiatives that support opportunity youth
Develop shared metrics for the Data Dashboard, eg. engagement, employment, education
Convene the Blue Sky Task Force (BSTF) to identify/secure relevant public and private funding opportunities.

SLATE-Z is building on a decade of cross-sector partnership to support opportunist youth. We currently facilitate quarterly workgroups focused on our levers of change. We are now implementing “hub meetings,” to connect levers & align associated partners to accomplish key shared goals. During this pilot, we will host quarterly hub meetings between our education, job, & foster youth partners to address shared efforts for opportunity youth (OY) in South LA. Each partner brings a unique perspective, education, social support networks, employment, etc. By working together, we can better align efforts & assets to ultimately link OY to living-wage jobs in the climate-resilient economy.
This project will align partners to launch new initiatives connecting OY to education, training, green jobs, etc; & thereby reducing the number of OY. Shared metrics will identify barriers & opportunities & provide accountability toward targeted outcomes. Data will be available on the public Data Dashboard.

SLATE-Z has focused on and seen great success from our work focusing on green jobs, sustainable infrastructure, education, work-based learning, youth employment, and transitional-aged-youth. However, this program is our first effort specifically focused on opportunity youth. During the grant period, with support from LA2050, we will build on this success as we: Convene quarterly Opportunity Youth Action Team meetings, with education, jobs, and foster youth partners
Engage community colleges and technical schools around training, dual enrollment, and certifications for high-growth green career pathways
Partner with CBOs to connect opportunity youth with the above-listed opportunities
Partner with USC NDSC to maintain the Data Dashboard
Convene partners bi-monthly to identify fund opportunities to support this work Place 500 youth in internships/work-based learning experiences, including 50 opportunity youth.