Trailblazer Youth Accelerator

Youth economic advancement

South Bay South LA

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

In historically underserved areas of Los Angeles, young people, especially Black and Brown youth are growing up without access to real-world economic tools, entrepreneurial education, or culturally relevant mentorship. Traditional education models often fail to engage their creativity, ignore their lived experiences, and leave them underprepared for both the workforce and ownership. As a result, too many teens graduate with ambition but no roadmap; trapped in cycles of low-wage work, informal hustles, or underemployment. The Trailblazer Youth Accelerator addresses this by equipping high school students with business acumen, brand strategy, financial literacy, and mentorship from professionals who reflect their identity and aspirations. We believe that when youth are empowered with purpose, mentorship and practical skills, they don’t just get jobs, they build futures. This will do wonders for the inner-city community.

The Trailblazer Youth Accelerator is a six-week, cohort-based entrepreneurship program designed for middle & high school students from historically marginalized communities in South Los Angeles. Participants are guided through a hands on curriculum that blends culturally relevant business education, brand development, financial literacy, and digital tools. Youth will identify their unique skills and interests, develop a business or creative venture, and learn how to market, monetize, and manage their ideas.
The program includes weekly workshops, mentorship from successful BIPOC entrepreneurs, field trips to local businesses and events, and a final pitch showcase. Each student leaves with a personal vision map, brand starter kit, pricing strategy, a mentor, a financial investment and clear next steps to launch their first income generating project.
This grant will allow us to scale the program, increase our capacity, provide stipends for students, and compensate our community-based facilitators. By investing in youth as early-stage entrepreneurs and community leaders, we’re teaching business and building economic ecosystems rooted in ownership, creativity, legacy while showcasing to the surrounding communities what is possible.

When the Trailblazer Youth Accelerator is successful, Los Angeles County will see a new wave of young, purpose-driven entrepreneurs emerging directly from communities that have been excluded from traditional economic pipelines. Youth who faced cycles of underemployment or survival based decisions will be building businesses, launching creative ventures, and generating income from their skills.
Neighborhoods that once lacked access to culturally competent business education will become hubs of innovation and mentorship. Schools and families will see the ripple effect as students gain confidence, community pride, and long-term economic vision.
In five years, we’ll see more young founders running pop-ups, pitching in boardrooms, applying for LLCs, and reinvesting in their communities, not as anomalies, but as a new normal. LA County will be stronger, more equitable, and more sustainable because its future economy will be built by those who have historically been left out of it.