Campaign launched by the OYC in 2022
Co-Convened by Long Beach Office of Youth Development, LBWIN, and Long Beach Unified School District
The Long Beach Foster Youth Futures Coalition is a cross-sector partnership committed to improving education, career, and life outcomes for Opportunity Youth (OY)—particularly foster youth—ages 16–24 who are disconnected from school or work. Formed in response to rising youth disconnection rates, the Coalition unites schools, workforce development agencies, higher education institutions, city departments, and community-based organizations to create coordinated, youth-centered pathways to success.
Grounded in trust-building and shared vision, the Coalition focuses on bridging gaps between systems that too often operate in isolation. Through collaborative planning, shared frameworks, and tools like the Connection Continuum Calendar, partners align services, identify barriers, and develop joint strategies that give youth access to education, training, employment, and holistic supports. Impact projects have driven significant results—such as raising foster youth FAFSA completion rates from 41% to 82% over three years and expanding access to workforce programs through targeted outreach at high-need schools.
The Coalition’s work is aligned with Long Beach’s Youth and Emerging Adults Strategic Plan, ensuring its efforts connect with broader city priorities. Partners are advancing a common vision that prioritizes academic success, career development, community connection, and youth leadership, all supported by an integrated system of care. Looking ahead, the Coalition aims to deepen leadership engagement, standardize data collection, secure dedicated funding, and institutionalize collaborative practices—building a sustainable, citywide support network that empowers youth to transition successfully into adulthood and thrive.
In an effective cross-system collaborative, partners in a system-building effort focus on the following:
Coalition partners engaged in self-assessment and shared their organizational strengths and gaps in each area outlined by the framework. They also held ongoing discussions about how to best brand the Long Beach collaborative effort. Given the initial focus on foster youth transitions, the group decided to name themselves the Long Beach Foster Youth Futures Coalition.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of working together across institutions, the Coalition partners intentionally sought opportunities to connect youth to opportunities with each other’s organizations. They created a shared calendar of activities, titled the “Connection Continuum,” to promote broader participation in their efforts and developed Impact Projects to address highpriority gaps in services. They also each launched agency-led initiatives within their organizations to better serve OY, and they invited partners to join those efforts.
Connection Continuum Calendar
The Connection Continuum calendar provided multiple benefits for the Coalition. It helped map out timelines and connection opportunities and identified gaps that needed attention. By presenting activities in a single timeline, partners were able to discover and sequence new opportunities for their youth, expanding the range of services available to everyone. The calendar also facilitated progress tracking, allowing members to monitor collective efforts, establish accountability, and ensure alignment.
Alliance for Children’s Rights
California State University, Long Beach
Children Youth and Family Collaborative
Long Beach Economic Development Department Workforce Development Bureau and Long Beach Workforce Innovation Network
Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Youth Development
Long Beach Unified School District
Long Beach City College
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services Los Angeles County (DCFS)
Los Angeles Harbor College
Campaign launched by the OYC in 2013
Convened by the Alliance for Children’s Rights and UNITE-LA
Foster Youth at Work engages public workforce and child welfare agencies in LA County in devising collaborative, systemic solutions to improve foster youth connection to work readiness training, early work experiences, and pathways to sustainable careers.
“When this campaign was first launched, only 80 foster youth were enrolling in the County’s youth jobs programs each year. This year, 866 foster youth participated in a paid work experience thanks to the collaborative leadership of LA County’s child welfare and workforce systems.”
— David Rattray
President & CEO, UNITE-LA
866 youth in foster care were placed in paid work experience, an increase of over 15% from the previous year.
