In 2021, more than 25,000 additional 16- to 24-year-olds were disconnected from school and work in Los Angeles compared to 2019. Notably, students recorded gains in their connection to school in 2019. In response, UNITE-LA, New Ways to Work and the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) are reconvening leaders to renew the LAP3 strategic plan, reaffirming our commitment to transforming systems and improving opportunity youth outcomes.

The growth in youth disconnection across L.A. highlights the continued need for a targeted, regional approach of systems to strengthen opportunities to improve outcomes that support youth achieving economic mobility and a more robust economy for California into the future. For this reason, the renewal of the Los Angeles Performance Pilot Program (LAP3) is coordinating efforts and services for opportunity youth in Los Angeles. UNITE-LA, along with New Ways to Work, OYC and the Relay Institute, has reconvened LAP3 partners to identify strategies and goals for the next three to five years. Planning efforts will address disparities in students' connection to education and employment, with an emphasis on serving youth with a history of system involvement through foster care, probation or homelessness.

LAP3 partners will carry the momentum of the partnership by building on the foundational plan created and executed from 2015-19, working to recover gains lost due to pandemic-era challenges. The steering committee is comprised of leaders from the City of L.A. Economic Workforce Development Department, L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity, L.A. County Office of Education, Youth Development Department, L.A. Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District, Department of Mental Health and community partners. The steering group will meet monthly throughout the strategic planning process.

We look forward to sharing updates throughout the year. For more information, please contact Amber Chatman, director of Workforce Systems and Policy, at [email protected].