Campaign launched by the OYC in 2023
Convened by the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Be A Mentor, California Mentoring Partnership
The Youth Mentoring Nexus (YMN), launched in December 2023, is a youth-driven network supporting youth impacted by systems in Los Angeles by expanding access to mentorship and community connections. The Nexus is building partnerships across sectors to scale and improve mentoring for systems-involved youth across the Los Angeles region. We work collaboratively with government agencies, young adults with lived expertise, and philanthropic and community-based organizations. We utilize five strategic priorities, centering youth experience, to improve systems and better support youth through a long-term and sustainable collective impact approach.
Centered Youth Leadership
Launched the Program Finder Tool
Increased Capacity and Coordination
The DCFS Level Up Referrals Impact Projects tested strategies to improve mentorship referrals for DCFS involved youth. The trials focused on relationship-building, referral tracking, and collaborative outreach.
Lessons learned through the Level Up iniative will inform ongoing refinement of referral processes and tools for DCFS youth in the coming year, including an expanded partnership with the newly established DCFS Authentic Youth Engagement Section (AYE).
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.
