Last year, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded UNITE-LA a $450,000 grant to launch an ambitious Health Care Pathway pilot program for opportunity youth – youth who are out of school and out of work.

This substantial support allows UNITE-LA to build on our experience strengthening health care pathways for underserved young people by 1) engaging employers to co-design onramps for opportunity youth; 2) pilot health care work-based learning programs that align with the Allied Healthcare Track for opportunity youth served by public workforce systems; 3) share best practices and lessons learned with the field; 4) increase capacity of youth workforce development systems in the L.A. region to effectively engage and achieve greater outcomes for disconnected youth; and 5) build statewide political will for public policies and resources to prioritize services for opportunity youth.

As their website notes, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation seeks to exemplify the values and principles of integrity, thinking big, humility, stewardship and compassion practiced by their founders. We not only admire those attributes, but also feel privileged to be a steward of this work. Our many thanks to the Hilton Foundation.