Convened by Alliance for Children’s Rights, John Burton Advocates for Youth and UNITE-LA
The Los Angeles Opportunity Youth Collaborative brings together a multi-sector collaborative to address the systemic barriers facing transition age foster youth in Los Angeles County.
The LA OYC was born in 2013 out of the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions’ Opportunity Youth Forum, a national network of urban, rural, and tribal communities seeking to improve education and employment pathways for young people ages 16-24 who are disconnected from school and work. The Aspen Institute Forum sought to create a national model for improving outcomes for opportunity youth by investing in local collaboratives, rather than boutique programs, to develop community-driven and systemic solutions. The LA OYC adopted this model in LA County and focused its mission on implementing innovative, collaborative solutions for Transitional Age Youth (TAY), a sub-population of opportunity youth with unique barriers to achieving self-sufficiency.
The LA OYC, spearheaded by its backbone agency the Alliance for Children’s Rights, has built unprecedented trust and collaboration between public and private agencies to improve TAY education and employment opportunities. The LA OYC launched the inaugural Foster Youth at Work campaign, co-convened by UNITE-LA and the Alliance for Children’s Rights, in 2014 to examine TAY’s access to subsidized work experiences. In 2015, the LA OYC then followed with the launch of the iFoster Jobs Program aimed at connecting TAY to employment. In 2016, the LA OYC embarked on the Foster Youth College Advancement Project, led by John Burton Advocates for Youth, to advance TAY access to post-secondary education. Also in 2016, the OYC Young Leaders program was launched by the Alliance for Children’s Rights.
The LA OYC builds partnerships across sectors to improve education and employment outcomes for transition age foster youth. We work collaboratively with partners, including government agencies, education institutions, philanthropic and community-based organizations, youth, and private sector employers. Utilizing the following five strategic priorities, we believe we can improve the systems designed to support TAY through a long-term, sustainable, collective impact approach: Foster Youth Voice, Promoting Awareness, Making Connections, Building Capacity and Transforming Systems.
The OYC continues to shift policies, practices and resource flows, to improve education and employment pathways for opportunity youth in Los Angeles County, as highlighted below.
Reports
OYC Youth-Centered Solutions Report
"Centering Youth, Strengthening Systems" is a groundbreaking report, developed by the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC), which dives deep into the persistent barriers preventing opportunity youth from fully participating in workforce development programs. From limited outreach and confusing enrollment processes to misaligned program offerings, the report sheds light on the systemic challenges faced by youth. The study also describes promising, youth-informed solutions, such as warm handoffs between referring adults and workforce staff and youth-centered communication and program design.
Uncovering the Full Cost of Los Angeles Youth Workforce Development Programs Report
Across the United States, workforce development efforts play a critical role in sustaining local economies while equipping our youth with the skills, resources and support to build meaningful careers and connections. However, funding gaps often leave community-based organizations leading youth workforce development programs unable to pay competitive wages to attract and retain experienced talent who are critical to supporting our youth. The Los Angeles Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC)–convened by the Alliance for Children’s Rights and UNITE-LA–partnered with NFF to research the full costs of workforce development programs and identify key recommendations for the future of youth workforce development programs.
OYC Campaigns
Convened by the Alliance for Children’s Rights and UNITE-LA since 2014, the Foster Youth@Work campaign engages public workforce and child welfare agencies in L.A. County to improve foster youth connection to work readiness training and pathways to sustainable careers by implementing collaborative, systemic solutions.
Foster Youth@Work Successes:
- In 2014, the L.A. City Workforce Board exempted foster youth from a randomized lottery process historically used to select participants for Hire LA’s Youth, the annual summer jobs program, granting foster youth priority access to paid work experience opportunities.
- In 2015, the L.A. County Workforce Board set aside funding specifically for foster youth in their summer youth jobs program, guaranteeing 400 foster youth with access annually.
- In 2016, the combination of systemic policy and resource changes and an extensive outreach campaign with the child welfare community resulted in a 10-fold increase in foster youth enrollment in public subsidized work experience programs, from 80 youth in 2014 to over 800 annually from 2016-2020.
- In 2020, the OYC partnered with the County workforce development department and L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services to implement a new Automated Referral System, streamlining youth referrals to workforce programs.
- In 2021, the OYC released a case study on the new referral system, delivering 10 recommendations to improve foster youth access to career development services, incorporated into an approved County Board of Supervisors motion.
- In 2022, the OYC submitted recommendations to the L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity, aimed at delivering a higher quality Youth@Work program. As a result, the County expanded eligible program wages from $1,800 to $2,566, bolstering case management and other supports by 33 percent.
Foster Youth College Advancement Project (FYCAP)
Convened by John Burton Advocates for Youth, the FYCAP campaign is committed to increasing post-secondary educational attainment for youth in the foster care system, whether it be career technical education or a 2-year or 4-year degree.
Foster Youth College Advancement Project Successes:
- Led outreach efforts aimed at increasing financial aid application rates for TAY high school seniors. As a result, the OYC measured an increase from 33 percent in 2018 to 61 percent in 2019, a rate higher than the general population, and developed the first-ever baseline data on financial aid completion rates.
- Building on Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Service’s (DCFS) caregiver training requirement enacted in 2020, the Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE) program implemented a statewide requirement for FKCE facilitators to provide the Turning Dreams into Degrees curricula for caregivers.
- The LA OYC partnered with the LA Community College District to launch an initiative to increase college enrollment and persistence among foster youth through enrollment into the LA College Promise program.
- OYC secured passage of SB 12, which mandates postsecondary support for foster youth. Following the passage of the bill, DCFS launched a countywide dashboard to track and monitor compliance, ensuring youth, ages 16 and older, receive essential assistance with college and financial aid applications. This strategic tool enhances accountability and supports the successful implementation of SB 12 across Los Angeles County.
The OYC Young Leaders program is a one-year leadership program for young adults, training participants in leadership development, public speaking, advocacy and more. This campaign clears a path for young adults to exercise their power, offering the OYC’s platform to amplify youth voices and vision.
Young Leaders Successes:
- Established the Platform for a Peer Navigation Program, partnering with iFoster to bring TAY AmeriCorps to L.A.
- Developed an evidence-based work readiness curriculum adopted by Los Angeles County Office of Education, LA County DCFS, County of LA Probation, and Los Angeles Unified School District.
- Created the LA Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) Youth Council, positioning OYC Young Leaders as go-to young adult experts on foster care. Leaders participate in workgroups, inform policy, and are members of the DCFS Director’s Council.