For the past two years, Long Beach youth have been given a passenger seat in the city’s investment in the future of its young people.
Young Long Beach leaders presented the Invest in Youth Report to city council in 2018, which resulted in the Long Beach Youth and Emerging Adults Strategic Plan (YSP), created with the help of youth ambassadors.
There are 19 objectives and 71 proposed activities in the YSP that Long Beach youth ambassadors believe will ensure their future. They culminate into six goals: youth development, planning for the future, community care, housing, transportation and physical, mental and emotional wellness.
The YSP is meant to “not only build the capacity of youth, but also their families,” said Kelly Colopy, director of Health and Human Services.
The first action of the YSP was creating the city’s Office of Youth Development in 2021 to coordinate funds and create formal partnerships that will benefit the lives of young people in Long Beach. In July 2022, the office chose 11 leaders ages 16-26 for the Youth Advisory Council to see through the six goals previously stated.
“A lot of work has been done, but the job’s not finished. I’m here to say we need your support. We want to further our connections with city departments, youth civic bodies and elected offices to get more work done.”
Maleka Lassiter, an 18-year-old current member of the youth council
Nine of these youth leaders act as representatives from each of the nine districts, while two at-large leaders represent “communities that have experienced disproportionate amounts of violence, poverty and COVID-19 impacts,” according to staff reports.
“Who knows more about what the youth needs than the youth,” said Kimberly Lim, youth representative for district one.
Three members of the Long Beach Youth Advisory Council gave an update on the progress made in the past two years and of its future goals. A common thread among the three leaders was that, despite their accomplishments, they require more input and partnerships with the various city departments in order to meet all of their goals.
“We recognize it takes a lot of time and effort, but we are also here to collaborate with city departments to make sure work is being done intentionally,” Lim said.
So far, nearly $3.1 million has been allocated into furthering the goals of Long Beach youth leaders including the creation of the Office of Youth Development and the YSP. More than half of this funding ($1.56 million) is coming from Measure US, which increased the price of oil per barrel for community resources.
According to Colopy, 71% of funding has gone towards programming and “direct community investments.” Since the creation of the Office of Youth Development, the city has created an Annual Youth Festival where young people are directed to local resources and the My Hood, My City program that allows youth to create neighborhood tours through North, West and Washington neighborhoods in Long Beach.
There’s also been 81 completed mentorship training programs between city staff and students from Franklin, Hoover, Lindbergh, Stephens and Washington Middle Schools. Programs created under the Youth Strategic Plan include Books & Buckets, Californians for Justice, Pools of Hope, RightWay Foundation and the Youth Leadership Institute.
“I’m just incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made together on this work,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “You stepped forward as young people. You worked together and showed what’s possible when we work together. We took it to the ballot together with Measure US and won and you have dedicated funding now to do and continue this work.”
Members of the Youth Advisory Council shared specific goals for Long Beach youth which include developing family-centered approaches to health, mental health and trauma, enhancing career development opportunities for youth, creating “transition-age” youth housing opportunities, providing accessible transportation and strengthening its partnerships.
“A lot of work has been done, but the job’s not finished,” said Maleka Lassiter, an 18-year-old current member of the youth council. “I’m here to say we need your support. We want to further our connections with city departments, youth civic bodies and elected offices to get more work done.”
This year is the first time that Long Beach will give local youth a voice in deciding how to spend its public funds as part of the Youth Power Budget. Beginning in May, youth that live, work or visit Long Beach will be able to vote on what summer programs will receive chunks of a $400,000 allocation from public funding.
Long Beach will also begin working with a Chicago youth-focused nonprofit My Block, My Hood, My City, which inspired Long Beach’s own iteration of the program. Chicago’s program not only does youth-led neighborhood tours, but also mentors “underprivileged youth through educational programs and field trips,” its website states. The council did not share specifically what the partnership would result in.
“The decisions we’re making today … it’s for you all, the next generation,” said councilmember Jonie Ricks-Oddie. “The decisions we’re making now are impacting you all. So having you engaged at the table and not just asking, but having you be leaders and using your voices and advocating for your community is what we need.”
