Youth Speak Collective

By 2050, the youth of today will be the generation that inherits Los Angeles. They will be the ones making decisions about the city's economy, transportation, housing, education, and everything that impacts Los Angelenos 37 years from now. One of them may even be the mayor in 2050. So why are we not listening to them?

Youth Speak Collective (YSC) will address this issue of social connectedness and apathy using our Future Leaders Initiative, a youth-driven leadership training campaign that pairs high school students throughout the City of Los Angeles with business and community professionals. Over the course of six months, each student will participate in an intensive training, mentoring and civic learning curriculum with their paired professional, in preparation to be one of Los Angeles's future 2050 leaders. Students will learn about civic engagement, social entrepreneurship, and creative leadership from their mentoring professionals, culminating in a service-learning project where each youth/adult pair work together to solve a Los Angeles community issue.

It is our belief that youth are simply not given enough credit. When given the opportunity, they have the drive and ability to surprise us with amazing ideas. Through genuine listening , strategic mentoring and engaged coaching, we can tap into the fresh outlook and wisdom of youth in our currently estranged communities. The guidance and mentorship of invested, caring adults can help transform Los Angeles into a socially connected, civically active community.

The following outline briefly summarizes the actions steps of the Future Leaders Initiative.

• Pair 50 high school students and 50 professionals from the five core areas in Los Angeles: South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Central Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, and San Fernando Valley

• Professionals will mentor, train, and coach youth for six months using a “Community Impact” curriculum

• Professionals will meet with the youth for at least eight hours a month

• Students will be tasked with selecting a real world problem in their community to solve through a service learning project

• After completion of curriculum, students will be required to select a nonprofit partner that is working to address the community problem they have selected to resolve in order to leverage outreach and implementation of their service learning project

• Service learning projects will involve local elected offices, small businesses, and community groups to maximize social connectedness and impact

• Program will culminate in a Future Leaders conference where all participating students and professionals gather to present their projects and solutions to Los Angeles stakeholders, such as city officials, business executives, and nonprofit leaders.