In August, UNITE-LA’s Education Means Business policy webinar series brought together Assemblymember Mike Fong (AD-49); California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Secretary Stewart Knox; and L.A. Metro's Principal Talent Development Specialist, Tai Alimi, to discuss the state’s new Master Plan for Career Education and its potential impact on education and workforce pathways across the state.

Over the past three months, UNITE-LA has partnered with the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) to build a shared foundation for using data to drive systems change in L.A. County’s child welfare system. Through a series of trainings with both foster youth leaders and staff in the Department of Children and Family Services’ (DCFS') new Youth Engagement Section (YES), the OYC is co-designing a set of priority metrics that will guide continuous improvement and accountability for transition-age youth outcomes.

The Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL), has secured a $25,000 Digital Equity Spark Grant from the Michelson 20MM Foundation. With this support, UNITE-LA will launch community broadband pilots in Pacoima and the Antelope Valley, two regions where affordability and access remain among the most persistent barriers to digital equity. Partnering with local coalitions, UNITE-LA will support the launch of public broadband models that are grounded in community leadership and resident input, ensuring solutions reflect the lived experiences of those most impacted by digital redlining.

Last month, UNITE-LA’s former Board Chair and member, Denita Willoughby, CEO of Big Energy Group and a UNITE-LA executive consultant, along with her husband, Anthony Willoughby, hosted a private reception with local Black leaders in support of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.

UNITE-LA's LA DEAL team secured a $25,000 SPARK Grant from the 20MM Foundation.

Last month, UNITE-LA's Carrie Lemmon, senior vice president, Systems Change Strategy, conducted a training on “Using Data for Systems Change” with a dozen social workers and system leaders in the new Youth Engagement Section of the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services.

On Aug. 15, the LA DEAL team participated in the City of Palmdale's Digital Access Fair designed to empower families with children in school.

UNITE-LA represented at the Snap Academies' final showcase to support the graduating scholars—specifically two of our Step into Tech alumni, Joshua Pastelin, for his insightful presentation and work with Team Inclusive Identity, and Elijah Sayres, for his insightful presentation and work with Team Foster Youth.

In late August, UNITE-LA co-hosted the Southern California Apprenticeship Network (SCAN) mixer alongside Jail Guitar Doors and The C.A.P.O. Center.

UNITE-LA is deeply grateful to Avantus for their transformative support that helped us launch the Cleantech Academy over three years ago.