Our 2024-2025 Impact Summary
Our 2024-2025 Impact Summary
Embedded Files
The Youth Mentoring Nexus is driving measurable change - connecting over 1,600 young people to mentoring opportunities, reducing waitlists, and creating stronger referral pathways for system-involved youth across Los Angeles County. To learn more about our impact, explore the full details below!
Created and launched a searchable database to match youth with mentoring programs based on interests, identity, and support needs.
Includes live updates on availability, capacity for DCFS referrals, and program focus areas (e.g., workforce, identity-based, academic)
Completed Three DCFS Focused Impact Projects
Completed Three DCFS Focused Impact Projects
Referral tracking
System Collaboration
Outreach effectiveness
• Engaged 12 vetted mentoring organizations.
• 125 new referrals connections achieved.
Expanded Cross-System Collaboration
Expanded Cross-System Collaboration
Strengthened partnerships with DCFS, DYD, and OCP to align mentoring efforts with:
DCFS Youth Engagement Section and Level Up
DYD Youth Development Networks
OCP peer mentoring and sustainability planning
PPSGC
Integrated mentoring strategies into LAP3 Horizons 32K Strategic Plan implementation.
Increased Capacity and Coordination
Increased Capacity and Coordination
Facilitated quarterly convenings to align mentoring agencies on best practices, track availability, and build collective capacity.
30+ agencies in attendance per convening
Strengthened systems coordination and reduced waitlists by promoting warm handoffs and improving cross-agency referral processes.
Tracking system includes availability by agency and identifies programs serving DCFS youth.
Centered Youth Leadership
Centered Youth Leadership
13 Visionaries (Young Leaders) with lived experience of child welfare and justice systems co-led the Nexus.
Youth input shaped convening content, systems coordination, and program design.
Funding & Reach Highlights
Funding & Reach Highlights
DYD funded mentoring and youth development programming totaling over $3.3M
With DYD and philanthropy’s support, the Nexus captured real-time capacity and demand data across mentoring providers
DCFS Level Up Impact Projects
DCFS Level Up Impact Projects
The DCFS Level Up Referrals Impact Projects tested strategies to improve mentorship referrals for DCFS involved youth. The trials focused on relationship-building, referral tracking, and collaborative outreach.
Next Phase:
Lessons learned through the Level Up iniative will inform ongoing refinement of referral processes and tools for DCFS youth in the coming year, including an expanded partnership with the newly established DCFS Authentic Youth Engagement Section (AYE).
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