Pathways to Purpose and Prosperity

Youth economic advancement

South LA

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

Struggling communities are often plagued by four inter-related factors that negatively impact the community – lack of education, unemployment, poverty, and violence. Lack of education makes it more difficult for individuals to secure employment, which results in poverty, which can lead to violence. Similarly, growing up in poverty can make it harder to secure needed education and a good job, perpetuating the negative cycle.

In South LA, 22% of households live in poverty, 42% of adults lack a high school diploma (and only 9.4% have a bachelor’s degree or higher), and youth unemployment is historically the highest in the County. Year-to-date in the LAPD South Bureau, there have been 1,967 violent crimes.

The solution to the inter-related challenges of poverty, unemployment, undereducation, and violence is to empower residents of our community with the education they need to secure living-wage employment, lifting them out of poverty and reducing violence. In short – jobs create peace!

School to Success, in partnership with United Hood Nation, will provide 60 NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth with educational and career guidance and linkages to living-wage jobs.
We will identify eligible youth through street outreach and referrals from area schools. Interested youth will be enrolled in the next available School to Success Cohort (funds will support four 8-week cohorts serving 15 youth each, with each weekly session lasting 2 hours). The program covers the “8 Steps to Success,” including self-assessment, discovering your purpose and unique skills, education and career exploration, resume building, interview skills, and career planning. Each youth will graduate with a 5-year education and career plan, resume, and portfolio, and access to ongoing career coaching. Youth will also complete a 40-hour VCAP (Virtual Community Action Planning) training, which trains them to use GIS virtualization, equipping them with 21st century job skills and empowering them with skills that can be used for community asset mapping to support advocacy efforts.
The United Hood Nation Job Coordinator will leverage Local Hiring Ordinances, Project Labor Agreements, and Community Benefits Agreements to connect at-risk youth with jobs on public infrastructure projects such as those funded through Measures H, HHH, CC, W, and EE. The Job Coordinator will help youth access these set-aside jobs or make referrals to other employment aligned with their career goals.

The success of this project will demonstrate the transformative power of connecting NEET youth with employment. By connecting NEET youth (with a focus on gang-involved youth) with educational and career guidance, 21st century job training (through VCAP), and helping them secure gainful employment, the project will lift not only the individual youth out of poverty, but begin the transformation of their community as a whole, increasing educational levels, reducing unemployment, reducing poverty, and reducing violence. Based on experience, we project that the youth served will want to invest back into their community (through business investments, donations, or through volunteerism), beginning a cycle of investment and positive growth.
The project will also demonstrate the effectiveness of Local Hiring Ordinances, Project Labor Agreements, and Community Benefits Agreements in increasing employment, which will lead to additional agreements for NEET and other underserved populations.