LeadersUp Wins $300,000 CA State Grant for Justice-Involved Youth Jobs Initiative

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit talent development accelerator LeadersUp has been awarded a $300,000 California Community Reinvestment Grant to help fund an employment initiative that provides young adults with a prior arrest or conviction access to skills training and inclusive employers who will give them a fair chance.

The Future At Work Just Opportunity Project will focus on South L.A., where the unemployment rate is three times higher than all of Los Angeles. LeadersUp's Fair Chance Employment Initiative was established to mitigate the negative long-term impact of the War on Drugs. Zero-tolerance policies and mandatory sentences stymied families' and communities' economic well-being, said Jeffery Wallace, president and CEO of LeadersUp.

"Research has shown that access to quality career opportunities, those that pay a living wage, offers benefits and extends options for talent to grow and build wealth, curb recidivism and empower returning citizens to become new contributors to our economy and city," Wallace said. "We work closely with our employer partners to help them understand the value of adopting inclusive hiring practices that consider a person's skills and qualifications first, not just their past."

The inaugural grant is an initiative of the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.

LeadersUp bridges the divide between the untapped potential of young adults and the business challenge of finding and keeping top talent. Last year, LeadersUp established its Fair Chance Coalition of employers who have banned the box and other exclusionary hiring practices to extend opportunities to justice-involved youth. The California state grant will help LeadersUp grow the Coalition by 10 to 15 companies; recruit and train up to 250 disconnected or justice-involved young adults in L.A. County through its Brand Up P.O.W.E.R. Skills Curriculum; and connect at least 150 young people to career pathways with a Fair Chance employer.

"This project will help us leverage our proven talent solutions model to generate inclusive opportunities for young people who have been marginalized from fully participating in the mainstream economy," Wallace said.

LeadersUp is committed to advancing equity and correcting the imbalance that exists in the labor market for the most vulnerable and under-served communities. The nonprofit annually engages about 9,000 individuals, trains an average of 4,500 and connects 2,250 to employment with 100-plus employer partners and a network of 36 community/systems.

LeadersUp will hold its fourth annual Future At Work Summit on October 29 at the California African American Museum, 600 State Drive. Participants will have the opportunity to interview for careers in transportation, construction, aviation, retail, healthcare, technology and entertainment. The Summit was created for jobseekers ages 18 to 29, but all working-age adults are welcome. Register at https://leadersup.org/summit/.

About LeadersUp
LeadersUp was established in 2013 by the Starbucks Co. along with other business thought leaders to tackle the youth unemployment crisis. LeadersUp provides professional development training and career opportunities via its Future At Work Summits in Chicago, Los Angeles and the Bay Area/Silicon Valley to connect the untapped potential of young adults who are out of work and not in school with employers in need of talent.

Media contact: Karen Lewis | [email protected] | 323-424-9400.

SOURCE LeadersUp