Building Partnerships to Improve the Lives of Foster Youth

The LA Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) is building a community of organizations working in concert to ensure that every youth is served in a holistic way.

Our Vision

Transition age foster youth in Los Angeles County have the knowledge and skills to allow them to achieve economic mobility and flourish in their personal lives.

Co-Coveners of the OYC

Upcoming Events

Our Campaigns

Foster Youth at Work
Foster Youth College Advancement Project
OYC Young Leaders

OYF Common Measures

The LAOYC originated in 2013 through the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions—Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF), a national network of urban, rural, and tribal communities seeking to improve education and employment pathways for opportunity youth.  Opportunity youth are individuals aged 16-24 who are or have previously been disconnected from school and work or have connections to the child welfare, justice, and/or homeless systems.

 

Opportunity youth have historically been difficult to count, as they are defined as a group which does not appear in either of two data sets – those in an educational program and those not working. With the OYF Common Measures, however, we can calculate—for each unique geographic area of an OYF collaborative—the overall opportunity youth disconnection rate, and the disconnection rates for high school, post-secondary and workforce annually for the entire community.

 

This two-page infographic describes the state of the Opportunity Youth Forum Common Measures for 2021 in summary, across the entire Aspen network.

The four measures are:
Overall community disconnection rate:

The rate of young people disconnected from work and school (i.e., opportunity youth; note systems involved youth are not included).

High school disconnection rate:

The rate of young people without a high school diploma/GED and not working who are disconnected from high school.

Post-secondary disconnection rate:

The rate of young people with a high school diploma/GED but without a postsecondary credential, who are disconnected from postsecondary education and not working.

Workforce disconnection rate:

The rate of young people with a postsecondary credential but not enrolled in postsecondary—who are disconnected from the workforce.

Get Connected

If you’re 14 to 26 and ready to turn your passion into a business, it’s not too late to apply for @econoppla upcoming Youth Entrepreneurship Academy! 🫵 In over 6 weeks, you’ll:
-Create and market your own products
-Grow a business or side hustle
-Develop your brand with cutting-edge tools Make a positive impact on your community

Perfect for high school or community college students looking to gain hands-on experience and leave with a strong business plan. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity, presented in partnership by Team DEO and @nextshiftlearning through our Economic Mobility Initiative, to build real-world skills and have fun!

Cohort 1 begins on October 1; cohort 2 begins on October 17. Sign up by visiting lacountyemi.com or calling 747-397-9070. Select option “Join the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy” to apply and learn more! You can also click the link in our bio to apply!

The California Foster Youth Education Task Force (CFYETF) is seeking logo design submissions to help us find a new logo for the Task Force. The contest is open to young people up to age 26 who are currently or were previously in foster care in California. The contest winner will win a $500 prize and the opportunity to work with a graphic designer to make the logo look polished. The contest is open now through December 20, 2024.

For all the details, go to: https://www.cfyetf.org/about-5
To submit a logo design, go to: https://bit.ly/4e907Ds or click the link in our bio!

If you have any questions, please contact Danielle at dwondra@childrennow.org

The California Department of Social Services has partnered with @ifosterorg to provide a Guaranteed Income (Gl) Pilot Program for TAY exiting the extended foster care program at age 21.

iFoster will disburse $750 monthly for 18 months to 354 qualifying individuals. Individuals will be selected using random assignment, or a lottery, as it is expected that more people will apply than the program funding will allow.

Another 354 eligible individuals will be randomly assigned to a control group who will receive $20/month for 18 months.

Eligibility requirements:
1. Youth ages 18-21 years old in California
2. Have lived experience in foster care

Apply: Using the link in our bio!

Digital storytelling pre-apprenticeship program! Sign up today to learn the fundamentals of visual storytelling, video planning, production & editing. This is a great opportunity for professional development, to gain a certification, and to earn a stipend.

Must be 18-24, live in LA County, low income, and ready to work! They will prioritize former foster youth, justice impacted, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC. Click the link in our bio to sign up today to be a part of the fall cohort! Winter cohort application deadline is December 20th.

The Reproductive Health Equity Project for Foster Youth @rhep_ca is seeking advocates to join the 2025 Youth Advisory Board (YAB). YAB members are paid $27/hr for this remote role.

In order to be eligible, applicants must:
•Be between the ages of 18-26
•Be a current or former foster youth
•Live in California
•Have an interest in improving bodily autonomy & sexual and reproductive health care services for youth in foster care

Submit an application by October 27th, 2024! Scan the QR or click the link in our bio to sign up!

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