Mentorship Initiative

The FTN Mentorship Initiative, supported by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, seeks to build mentorship into the practice of excellence for Transition-Aged Youth (TAY) involved in Los Angeles County Child Welfare. This project aims to catapult the learning and successes of mentorship models at the local and national levels to move Los Angeles County toward a universal standard of practice that includes high-quality mentorship and coaching.

Trajectory

SEPT/OCT 2022:

MENTORSHIP ADVISORY BOARD ESTABLISHED

An active search for Foster Together Network (FTN) Advisory Council members began in September of 2022 with an eye to a variety of perspectives and voices to help guide the work.The first official meeting of the Advisory Board was held in Oct 2022 with 27 members: eight transitional-aged youth, eight non-governmental organization leaders, nine county department representatives, and two philanthropy leaders.

OCT 2022 – JUNE 2023:

LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

The landscape analysis – completed in June 2023 – underlined the need to create a new organization to define and certify a standard of excellence, values and best-practices to all mentorship organizations and programs serving systems-impacted youth in Los Angeles County.

Download the full report here

APRIL 2023:

MENTORSHIP SUMMIT

Fostering Mentorship Connections

A Solutions-Focused Summit

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With the support, guidance, and planning of the Advisory Council, the Fostering Mentorship Connections: A Solutions-Focused Summit was held at the Japanese American National Museum. In attendance were 165 participants composed of representatives and leaders from the philanthropy sector, non-governmental organizations, county departments (i.e., DCFS, Probation, Department of Youth Development, Department of Economic Opportunity) and – best of all – current/former foster youth.

This amazing day full of interactive panels and group discussions yielded some great outcomes including the desire to create a coordinated mentorship-focused network for systems impacted in LA County through public/private partnerships. 100% of post-survey participants stated their interest in joining a County-wide network focused on mentorship for systems-impacted youth. Furthermore, 80% of post-survey participants shared their desire to focus on “Helping the Multiple County Departments Identify and Advocate for Mentorship [programs/initiatives] being Critical component to Improving Youth Outcomes.”

NEXT STEPS:

STRATEGIC PLAN & DIRECTION

Goal 1: Educate and Empower

Objective 1: Establish a youth-centered Los Angeles county-wide network of mentorship programs/initiatives serving system-impacted youth that facilitates mutual support among agencies, increases the adoption of proven best practices, and improves access to successful mentorship for system-impacted youth.

Goal 2: Explore Technology 

Objective 2: Explore technology platforms that exist at a local, statewide, and national level that can be shared with the Los Angeles County Mentorship Network and other partners to improve mentorship programs/initiatives that serves system-impacted youth; promote adoption of most promising and proven technologic platforms with Network participants and Los Angeles partners.

Goal 3: Expand and Sustain

Objective 3: Secure commitments from the County departments to innovate and expand the capacity and availability of responsive mentorship services in Los Angeles County for system-impacted youth.

To become involved with the Mentorship Initiative and receive updates please contact Dr. Argelis Ortiz at DrOrtiz@socialimpactadvisory.com

Mentorship Initiative

Trajectory

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