2018 Southern California Symposium Group 1

1. June 1st, 2018
M E M O R A N D U M
To: Mayor Eric Garcetti
From: Felipe Carrera, Colette Hanna, Michael Huff, Sherry Simpson
Team Advisor: Dr. Lavonna Lewis.
Subject: Social Innovation to reimagine foster youth.
Executive Summary
In the current system, the odds of succeeding play against foster youth. According to some
estimates, roughly 58% of students in foster care graduate from high school compared with 84% of
students statewide, and as a result of school instability, only 21% of foster youth are proficient in
English by 11th grade, and 6% in math. As of today, the Foster Youth pipeline will very likely
generate three outcomes too frequently: 1) youth dropping out of school and the workforce, 2)
being homeless or 3) being incarcerated. Thus, not only society is carrying the burden of an
ineffective Foster Youth system but it is also being prevented from taking advantage of a pool of
young people that could realize their potential and better contribute their ​talents to society had
they being given the right tools to succeed. In other words, increasing the chances for foster youths
to lead healthy and productive lives is key to building a more inclusive workforce and a sustainable
regional economy. Hence, this proposal lays a foundation to change the narrative surrounding
foster youth, reimagine a foster youth system that places children at the center, and sets forth a
technology-enabled innovation to secure a proactive, self-advocating, value-aware foster youth
population on paths to high wage careers in emerging industries.
Defining the Problem.
Too many people in the Foster Youth System drop out from high-school, or end up being homeless
or incarcerated. The likelihood of succeeding and having productive lives is very dire in
comparison with their fellow classmates from birth families.
These outcomes, however, are not the desired ones but they are the reality of an adultist and
agency-centered system that currently operates isolated from the minor’s feedback, with limited
cooperation with other service providers, and frequently runs in emergency mode and under a
rather risk-averse culture. Indeed, the intended goal of the current system is limited to ensuring

2. that minors survive until adulthood by meanwhile fulfilling their basic needs: shelter, food and
clothing. Under such standards, there is no doubt that the system has accomplished goals of
providing the basic needs of shelter, food, and clothing, but it is our duty as a society to do more for
them. We can start by regarding them as part of us and invest in their future as we would for our
own kids.
Background information.
According to the Alliance for Children's Rights, 28,000 children are currently in foster care in Los
Angeles County with the following child characteristics:1
Age Birth-2 years 20.8%
3-4 years 12.5%
5-9 years 25.9%
10-13 years 17.2%
14-15 years 7.9%
16-17 years 8.3%
18 years & older 7.3%
Ethnicity White 9.6%
Hispanic 56.7%
Black 24.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.6%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 0.2%
Other 7.7%
Gender Male 50%
Female 50%
Source: County of Los Angeles, Department of Children and Family Services
1
http://kids-alliance.org/facts-stats/
2

3. Ongoing efforts to improve the foster youth system have focused on two main issues:
1. Fixing unintended delays and financial hardships for placing individuals with foster
caregivers .2
2. Attracting more well-off families to place a larger share of foster kids with them .3
While both initiatives are welcomed and encouraging, they still focus on only one variable of the
equation: placement. The placement of kids is certainly a critical piece --if not the most important
one-- but it reiterates the sense that the future of the foster youth primarily rest on the adults that
either run the system or are granted with the custody of the kids. ​We rather believe that with
the right tool, foster kids can become confident of their own agency and opportunities to
succeed.
iGPS: An innovative approach.
Disrupting the status quo means moving away from an adultist, siloed, and reactionary system to a
minor-centered one that is sensitive to their needs, that rewards collaboration across different
agencies and service providers, and is rather proactive in seeking a well rounded preparation for
them to aspire to a brighter future. Individualized Guides and Paths to Success (iGPS) intends to
serve as a new digital framework that allows foster youth a place to exchange information and
interact with mentors and peers, track their progress by setting goals and milestones, and alert
them of upcoming opportunities.
Social Innovation objectives:
1. Provide information and resources that can help the Foster Youth to make better decisions
and to empower them toward a more successful future.
2. Develop a pool of human capital that can make more competitive the region in attracting or
preserving highly productive (emerging) industries.
3. Change the narrative surrounding foster youth.
2
http://sd30.senate.ca.gov/news/press-releases/2018-04-10-april-10-2018-plan-improve-foster-care-place
ments-sails-through-first
3
https://fostermore.org/urgent-need-for-loving-families-in-la-county/
3

4. Main features of iGPS:
1. Information:
a. Records
b. Careers & Educational Opportunities
2. Resources
a. Mentors
b. Calendar & Alerts
3. Personal Development
a. Journal
b. Chat with service providers
Recommendation
Being a foster parent, you realize that the foster care system is an incomplete one, with too little
coordination, not enough resources, and faced with policies and rules that often do not serve the
foster youth’s best interests . Endorsing this platform would make you a leading voice of the foster4
youth cause and could secure a larger number of service providers, mentors and educational
institutions to become part of this network.
Annotated Bibliography
AB 12 / 212: California Fostering Connections to Success Act. (2018, April). Retrieved May 31, 2018, from
Retrieved from http://www.courts.ca.gov/7988.htm
Assembly Bill 12 (Beall; Stats. 2010, ch. 559), the California Fostering Connections to Success Act,
as amended by Assembly Bill 212 (Beall; Stats. 2011, ch. 459) makes it possible to access federal
funding for foster care services for dependents and wards beyond their 18th birthday, which will
provide them with the time and support needed to gradually become fully independent adults.
4
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/journalism-for-social-change/l-a-s-new-mayor-knows-foster-care
4

5. Board Moves to Shut Down Pipeline From Foster Care to Juvenile Justice. (2018, March). Retrieved May
31, 2018, from
http://ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov/index.php/board-moves-to-shut-down-pipeline-from-foster-c
are-to-juvenile-justice/
The newly approved motion charges the Office of Child Protection (OCP) with creating a
countywide plan for dual status youth (impacted by both the child welfare and criminal justice
systems) – and those at risk of becoming such youth.
Canner, N., Carlton, A., Halfteck, G., and Irons, J. (2015, December). Impact Hiring: How Data Will
Transform Youth Employment. Retrieved from
https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/our-work/initiatives/impact-hiring/
This report estimated that there were 6.7 million opportunity youth in the US. The
U.S "Youth Employment initiative model supports impact hiring to help young
people access stable employment and careers, and employers address critical talent
challenges.
Fogg, Neeta, and Paul Harrington. "The Human Capital Investment Gap: Understanding the Diminished
Prospects of Disconnected Youth in Los Angeles." Drexel University Center for Labor Markets and
Policy (2016).
This report reviews why it is important for young people between the age of 16 to 24 to
be working or in school because it is a critical time for developing ability, knowledge,
skills, and character traits (also known as “human capital”) that are important for career
path development later in life.
5

6. Harris, K., Kimson, A. and Schwedel, A. (2018, February). Labor 2030: The Collision of Demographics,
Automation and Inequality. Retrieved from
http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/labor-2030-the-collision-of-demographics-automati
on-and-inequality.aspx.
This report described how a major demographic shift is bringing an end to the
abundance of labor that has fueled economic growth since the 1970s. Specifically, the
majority of the world’s workforce is aging rapidly. It forecasts that the US labor force
growth, will slow to 0.4% per year in the 2020s.
Webb, K. (2018, March 20). Youth Detention Camp Transformed Into Innovative Vocational
Training Facility. Retrieved May 31, 2018, from
https://supervisorkuehl.com/youth-dentention-facility-transformed-innovative-vocational
-training-facility/
This article announces the reassignment of former Probation Camp Gonzales to
become a Residential Career Educational and Training Center for foster, homeless,
and formerly incarcerated youth.
6