Mobilizing to End the Digital Divide in L.A. County

Reliable and affordable broadband internet access can serve as an engine of economic mobility, educational opportunity, civic engagement and better health care. As our reliance on the internet continues to grow, we are also leaving behind many individuals and communities who have limited or no internet access at all. It is time we eliminate the digital divide.

In July, the L.A. Compact, convened by UNITE-LA, together with the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative, released a case study detailing its efforts to connect foster youth to public workforce programs in L.A. County using a shared referral process across agencies. This brief describes the development and implementation of a process to coordinate and streamline foster youth referrals to workforce programs and includes specific recommendations for process improvement based on feedback from both network partners and foster youth themselves.

Collective Action and Collective Impact for L.A. County's Foster Youth

The L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) recently released its 2020 Impact Report, demonstrating the power and impact of more than 100 partners from public agencies, community-based organizations, foundations, young adults and educational institutions working together to improve education and employment outcomes for transition-age foster youth.

Community Schools Gain Momentum in L.A. County

A comprehensive community schools model can improve student achievement and well-being. It is a framework that has gained traction across the nation and has placed participating schools in a better position to respond to the ongoing challenges caused by COVID-19. In other words, community schools are a catalyst for change, which is why many stakeholders in L.A. County stand ready to see the model expand in the region. Adopting a countywide, comprehensive community schools model is one of the L.A. Compact’s priority strategies, and we are excited to work alongside our partners to make this happen. We have started the year strong with the region’s first community schools convening, co-hosted by The Greater L.A. Education Foundation and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, and the launch of the selection process to identify L.A. Unified’s second cohort of community schools.

Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!

Let's Go to College LA Campaign

Local Government Leaders Prioritize Youth Employment