The Horizons 32K Stewardship Board kicked off the year by building alignment, identifying priorities and laying the foundation for long-term system coordination impact to mitigate youth disconnection in education and the workforce. As the Stewardship Board transitions to a quarterly meeting cadence, attention is shifting to building out workgroups, assigning leadership roles and co-designing actionable strategies with partners across sectors. Horizons 32K is also gaining visibility through regional convenings, where it continues to highlight youth-driven solutions and elevate promising practices to advance equity and opportunity for disconnected youth.

A subcommittee of the LAUSD Community Schools Steering Committee (CSSC) has been making steady progress on implementing the Meaningful Teaching and Learning (MTL) Resolution within the Community Schools Initiative (CSI), passed by the LAUSD school board in September 2024. This resolution promotes a social justice framework in education and calls for a more holistic approach to measuring student success. It provides up to 10 community schools the opportunity to pilot meaningful project-based learning (PBL) and develop their own alternative assessments. As part of a three-year pilot program, participating schools will be exempt from all standardized tests except those required by state and federal mandates.

The L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (L.A. OYC), in partnership with the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), is thrilled to announce the launch of a much-anticipated report, Uncovering the Full Cost of L.A. Youth Workforce Development Programs. Over the past year, we've worked diligently to assess the comprehensive needs of youth workforce programs in Los Angeles.

Last month, the Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL), convened by UNITE-LA and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), hosted a Broadband Leaders convening for 10 municipal leaders from across L.A. County, providing a technical training session on permitting through the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) Learning Community. This three-hour session was designed for municipal officials—including assistant city managers, directors of public works and directors of community development—to develop best practices for broadband permitting.

In his January budget draft, Governor Newsom called for a multi-year extension of the Regional K-16 Education Collaborative Grant Program—a move that would sustain and strengthen the work of 13 collaboratives across California, including the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative. This proposed extension not only reflects the growing impact of the program but also opens the door for deeper alignment with statewide workforce and economic development efforts.

In February 2025, the L.A. Unified School District's (LAUSD’s) Community Schools Steering Committee (CSSC) finalized the selection and designation of seven schools to join Cohort 6 of the Community Schools Initiative (CSI). These seven schools will join the 63 existing community schools, reaching the LAUSD CSI expansion goal of 70 community schools by the 2025-26 year!

During a half-day workshop at Maywood City Hall in August, LA DEAL, in partnership with the Digital Equity Los Angeles Coalition, trained 40 Southeast L.A. community members to become powerful broadband access and digital equity advocates. The event, sponsored by the California Community Foundation’s Digital Equity Project, provided participants with crucial knowledge about the digital divide, along with practical strategies for engaging elected officials and advocating for change.

The L.A. Unified Community Schools Steering Committee (CSSC) is thrilled to welcome seven new members – Ingrid Bryan (LAUSD), Nicholas Wu (CIS-LA), Joel Cisneros (LAUSD), Jose Benitez (LAUSD), Maricela Sanchez Robles (LAUSD), Jennifer Cano (Alliance for a Better Community) and Emily Grijalva (LAUSD) to the 2024-25 committee. Each brings a wealth of passion and expertise that will help steer the direction of the Community Schools Initiative (CSI), ensuring it continues to thrive and enhance our schools.

UNITE-LA was excited to host a session on “Exploring Apprenticeship Programs: A Pathway to Business Growth and Success” at the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Statewide Conference and at the California Workforce Association (CWA) Meeting of the Minds Monterey (MMM) Conference. Sessions empowered business and government leaders to tap into the transformative potential of apprenticeship programs, helping drive organizational growth and development, while fostering connections between job seekers and employer partners in Los Angeles.

UNITE-LA grounds its work in a collective impact approach, emphasizing thoughtful, strategic and persistent partnerships to address complex social issues and achieve systemic change. In September, we were excited to support presentations on the Horizons 32K strategic plan, California's Master Plan for Career Education, and the Los Angeles Region K-16 Collaborative at the SoCal Grantmakers Annual Conference and Ed Trust West's Ed Equity Forum. A unifying theme at both conferences was the critical need for continued alignment of systems and resources, and improved cross-sector relationships, accountability and trust in order to effectively advance our shared vision of equitable and thriving futures for students and families.