CoachArt's Creative Futures - Pathways to Careers

Access to tech and creative industry employment

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) Other

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

While Los Angeles is a global hub for tech and creative industries, access to these opportunities remains deeply unequal. Youth who are chronically ill or disabled face unique barriers that prevent them from exploring or pursuing careers in these fields. This can include prolonged school absences, limited mobility, and lack of access to adaptive learning environments or mentorship. Traditional career pathways like internships, training programs, and networking events are often inaccessible due to medical needs or lack of accommodations. Without intentional outreach and inclusive program design, 1 in 5 kids living with a chronic disease will be left out of LA’s most dynamic industries.

Creative Futures will provide chronically ill youth, many of whom are BIPOC and from low-income families, with accessible, early exposure to careers in Los Angeles’ tech and creative sectors. Through adaptive STEAM education, career-discovery workshops, and mentorship, the initiative removes barriers for students often excluded from career pathing opportunities.
Core components include:
STEAM Clubs: Monthly online clubs in coding, digital media, web design, and more. Led by trained volunteers, each project-based lesson includes kits shipped directly to students’ homes. Each club includes four 90-minute sessions for up to 40 kids.
“Career & a Craft” Workshops: Monthly sessions with guest speakers who’ve built careers from their passions and hobbies—plus a hands-on craft just for fun. Workshops are recorded and offered as streaming content for future students.
Mentorship Sessions (teens 15-17) : Short-term 1:1 connections between students and professionals from tech and creative industry to engage in career pathing conversations and build real-world readiness.
CoachArt has long served youth who are homebound, immunocompromised, or excluded from traditional programming. Creative Futures expands that reach through adaptive career education, powered by our tech-enabled model and 24 years of experience. This project can redefine inclusion in workforce development and empower underrepresented youth to not only dream, but pursue a.future in LA’s most vibrant sectors.

If Creative Futures is a success, Los Angeles will be a city where chronically ill and disabled youth see themselves represented in tech and creative industries. More young people who were once excluded due to medical or physical limitations will be equipped with the skills, confidence, and connections to pursue meaningful careers in design, music production, coding, and beyond. Because CoachArt’s Creative Futures program is designed for online delivery and easy access, it can be scaled across LA County, California, and nationally, ensuring kids in every community have the opportunity to pursue their dream jobs.
Additionally, LA’s workforce will become more diverse and reflective of the city’s talent. Companies and their leaders will be better prepared to create accessible environments and recognize the value of adaptive, community-based pipelines like CoachArt. Ultimately, LA will not only be known for its innovation but for leading the way in making that innovation available to all.