Fostering Holistic Career Development for Black and Brown Young Adults

Youth economic advancement

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

SJLI’s alumni are Opportunity Youth, who are “disproportionately youth of color, live in low-income neighborhoods and face important barriers to job access such as disconnections and labor market discrimination” (Sol Price Center for Innovation, 2017). Approximately 144,000 young people ages 16-24 in Los Angeles County are disconnected from school and work (Los Angeles County Disconnected Youth, 2023). These young people need training and guidance toward an aligned career pathway, support on how to resume their education while working, or are currently completing two- or four-year post-secondary education. Numerous research studies indicate the direct link between educational attainment, economic opportunity, and wealth building. "Education reduces poverty, boosts economic growth and increases income. Lack of access to education is one of the most certain ways of transmitting poverty from generation to generation" (The Benefits of Education, Global Partnership for Education website).

Higher Pathways is in direct response to the pressing need for Black and Brown youth to attain educational, career, and economic growth. Serving 150 participants (up from 80 last year), Higher Pathways complements SJLI’s flagship program, Urban Scholars, by providing alumni ages 18-25 years old with a series of college access, workforce development activities, career pathway development, employment placement, and persistence engagement and supportive services in order to eliminate barriers to and create equitable educational and employment opportunities. By providing accredited training and connections to pathways and job markets for those who desire career advancement and gainful employment, Higher Pathways will ensure that youth develop self-efficacy, build skills, and gain access to opportunities that help them achieve economic mobility.
BagBuilders is a recently launched extension of Higher Pathways, providing a quarterly eight-week workforce development program that fosters holistic career development for alumni. Youth are empowered to identify their passions, strengths, and interests through a series of personal and career assessments. They develop hard and soft skills to increase their job readiness and participate in workshops that focus on mock interviews, resumes, professionalism, email formatting, and more. Youth receive assistance in job search and application processes, and complete post-program check-ins to reassess their needs, progress, and goal achievement.

BagBuilders will increase SJLI’s capacity to develop and expand our workforce development programming leading to an increase of young Black and Brown men who can successfully navigate their life path and transition into adulthood. SJLI will work to ensure that the 150 participants achieve these outcomes: (1) A deeper understanding of what is needed to navigate college; (2) Graduate from college with an identified career pathway that aligns with their passions, strengths, and interests; (3) Increased soft and hard skills to be competitive toward career advancement; (4) Build relationships and resources for internship/externship opportunities and/or entrepreneurial pursuits; (5) Become critical leaders capable of knowledge transfer to incoming alumni; (6) Develop positive and healthy engagement with their experience, peers, and environment; and (7) Transition to adulthood with the knowledge, skills, and resources to advance economic opportunity for themselves and their greater community.

SJLI uses Apricot Social Solutions as its data software system and has customized more than 80 indicators that measure program outcomes and objectives. Our program effectiveness and success indicators are measured using a robust system of assessments, which include process, formative and summative evaluations. This database tracks academic progress of alumni, allowing staff to monitor academic performance and provide immediate support throughout the year.
Our team members also interact with our youth on an academic, socio-emotional, and personal level. SJLI combines an anti-deficit approach with a post-traumatic growth model. The results are young people with increased capacity to make positive changes in their own lives and achieve their academic and personal goals. The overarching goals of the program is a 95% college graduation rate of alumni, to prepare all career bound students for living wage jobs and careers, and to create greater economic opportunity for BIPOC young adults.