Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute all documents, and any needed subsequent amendments, with the State of California to accept Workforce Investment Act funds totaling $1,999,146 to operate the Long Beach Youth Demonstration Project for the term of July 1, 2015 through March 31, 2017; execute a contract with Leadership Long Beach in the amount of $220,000 to provide leadership development; and Increase appropriations in the Community Development Grants Fund (SR 150) in the Department of Economic and Property Development (HR) by $1,999,146. (Citywide)
Item 12 Report from Economic and Property Development. Recommendation to execute documents with the State of California to accept Workforce Investment Act funds to operate the Long Beach Youth Demonstration Project and execute a contract with leadership Long Beach in the amount of $220,000 to provide leadership development citywide. Mr. Schultz, is there anything I'm sorry. Councilman in Austin. Okay. Mr. Schulz, would you address this item? Sure. Again, Madam Vice Mayor, mayors and members of council. This money is discretionary money awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor specifically for services to disconnected youth. It allows the City of Long Beach to expand the purview of what would be considered eligible youth, as well as expand the age range of disconnected youth that we serve. We were one of four communities in the United States to be awarded this $2 million worth of discretionary money. The only community west of the Mississippi, I would add, and that we're actually very excited. It's not just about employment and training with this pilot project. It's actually about mentoring and taking an opportunity to integrate those disconnected youth into what's going on in our community, allow them to be exposed to issues, develop some leadership capacity. I know we're very excited about the partnership with with leadership Long Beach. They've modified their entire curriculum to address this this population specifically. And we're looking forward to serving 350 youth then and coming back and talking about the outcomes. Thank you. Is there any member of the. I'm sorry, Councilwoman Pryce. Thank you. I want to echo the comments of my council colleagues on the great work that you and your team have done. And I think this is an excellent and innovative partnership with an organization that has a proven track record of building leaders in the city of Long Beach. This partnership seems to me to be something that not only benefits the youth, but also benefits the city in a great way by creating our future leaders. So I thank you again for the innovation and for the identification of these funds and for carrying forward all of these programs. Thank you. Councilmember Turanga. Now, there's a new term I've heard tonight. Disconnected youth. Could you give me a definition of a disconnected youth? Sure. What we look at when we when we say disconnected youth is somebody who's hasn't completed been separated from traditional educational systems without a credential or a degree certificate, that type of thing. Those who are underemployed at this at this current point in time, not not self sufficient. So they're just, for my own purposes, talking about maybe dropouts and unemployed youth. Yep, both educationally and economically disadvantaged. Are and age ranges are or within what you offer there. So typically under the core federal dollars, we would offer services to to youth 16 to 21. This specific pilot is going to focus on 18 to 26 year old disconnected boys and men of color. Is there I see in the report here that you're making an effort also to connect with local colleges and universities. Are those connections already in place in terms of what you're working with, perhaps City College or Cal State, Long Beach? So, so, so both if appropriate. And again, that would depend on on the individual. But what we're looking to do is, is step into the gap and bridge the participants participation in those normal pathways that kids who stay on track and and go through our systems get to take advantage of. The mentoring that's going to be taking place with leadership. Long Beach are these individuals will be offering like a job shadowing or they're going to be going into a classroom setting, providing some real experience for themselves and or how is that going to work? So that's that's part of the traditional program that would happen. What's happening is we're actually making an attempt to invite those disconnected youth back to being functional and contributing members of the community. So the curriculum that's used in the formal leadership, Long Beach training through a human centered design process is actually being modified to to reengage the students who will participate or the excluded disconnected youth will participate in this pilot to to actually realize the the opportunities and the ability to participate in civic engagement and such in Long Beach. Because there's a civic engagement. There is as well. Yes. Good. Final question. What what's the what's going to be your measurement of success? What would be the the benchmark that tells you that the program has met its its goals and its mission? So it's typical and stays in line with other federal metrics. So it's additional completion of educational program or their earning of a degree or credential. And then the other measures would be attainment, retention and wage advancement associated with employment. And a job. Yep. Correct. I want to call in Councilmember Richardson as the second year of the motion. Thank you. I just want to just take a moment and say what a fantastic job this is. I participated in the Leadership Long Beach program, and I think this is really timely. My question for you is, how does this align with our My Brother's Keeper initiative and the work that we're doing to develop our local action plan to have it ready for January? And how does this also align with our PATH program for disconnected youth, as well as our federal program on this connected youth through the our White House grant? So how do you how will all those work together? I think it aligns perfectly with the initiatives that you've mentioned. It provides another area of focus for those individuals who are called out in My Brother's Keeper, the folks you're hoping to serve through the PATH program. It provides a dedicated funding stream to attach to those folks as they move through a new educational opportunity, through a training opportunity, or for some form of subsidized employment. And again, it's another tool in the toolbox to address the type of interventions that the series of programs you mentioned have as priorities. Thank you, Councilwoman Gonzalez. I had questions, but they've all been answered. So I just wanted to say thank you, Nick and Pacific Gateway for all of your work. I know as we talk a lot about jobs and especially for adults, but this is really focused on youth and the younger population, which I think is so important. And I see here it's 350 participants, is that correct? That's correct. That's wonderful. Thank you. Councilman Austin. Thank you. And I'm going to be enthusiastically in support of this. But I did have one question, because I know we have voted on a number of items regarding youth employment. Is this on top of existing grants that we do have now? This is over and above everything that's come in front of you to date. Yes. This is excellent. Thank you. Thank you. Is there any member of the public that wishes to address the Council on Item 12? Seeing None members cast your vote. Councilwoman Mongo. Motion carries. Thank you. Item 13.