Funder Briefing - Youth in Action: Growing Youth-Led Social Change in California

This event is for funders only.

Join the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO) for the first in a series of funder briefings and learning sessions for regional and national youth funders as we develop new philanthropic strategies to support young people working together to improve their communities.

Over the last few years, young people have played lead critical community change efforts around education, juvenile justice, immigration, health and more. In California, sustained investment from funders and hard work from young people and their allies has built a strong youth leadership infrastructurewhere young people are winning powerful victories to improve their communities. In addition, increased engagement of youth leaders is driving better outcomes for individual young people from marginalized communities.

FCYO, in collaboration with the California Endowment invite you to Los Angeles to learn about how funders, youth leaders and communities are working together to advance young people as drivers of change.

The two-day event will include:

• An evening reception and site visit to youth organizing group, InnerCity Struggle (ICS), based out of East Los Angeles. Youth leaders and from ICS and several other Los Angles-based youth organizing groups will set the context and ground attendees in the local work.
• An intimate look at The California Endowment's 10-year initiative - Building Healthy Communities - with a particular focus on their strategy of investment in youth organizing across the state, featuring a talk with CEO Dr. Robert Ross.
• Exploring the most recent research findings on the outcomes of youth organizing relating to academic achievement, college access, social and emotional learning and civic engagement.
• Opportunities to engage and dialogue with regional and national funders.
• Learn how FCYO is building a more powerful, sustainable and interconnected national field of youth organizing funders and practitioners.

Explore:

• How can funders support organically-grown, youth-led social change and strategically build capacity where it is nascent?
• What does the research tell us about how youth organizing supports holistic youth development and a lifelong community leadership?
• How can funders help communities build capacity and infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainability?