Supervisor Solís talks about LA County’s initiative that offers job opportunities to residents

The supervisor Hilda solis, from the 1st District of Los Angeles County, organized a live session yesterday, on Facebook, to talk about the youth employment program.

Our Youth Works (Our Youth at Work) offers to County residents ages 14-24 the possibility of paid work that can lead to the beginning of a long-term career in high-demand industries.

Program participants learn to prepare their resume, gain work experience, and practice and develop their interviewing skills for a job. While gaining such experience, the youth receive a payment of $ 15 an hour as well as training, mentoring and possible long-term job options. The program, which was initially offered only during the summer, now operates throughout the year. The registrations are open for all those interested.

During the virtual meeting, Solís shared his own experience starting his career.

“I was always very shy and if I hadn’t had someone like my mom encouraging me and saying, ‘Come on mija, yes you can, I wouldn’t be here today. Everyone we need support and encouragement”Shared the Supervisor and recognized that it is not easy to get the first job. Solis reminded young people of the importance of thinking about long-term careers and not just a job.

During the virtual meeting, they were also present Janette morales, participant in the work program, and Edward chang and Maribel Valdez, founders of In the Making, a non-profit community center that offers resources and opportunities to youth, located in East Los Angeles.

Motivation and support

“At 18, when I finished high school I didn’t know what to do and my sister, who had participated in the program, was the one who recommended it to me,” Janette Morales, 20, of Montebello, shared virtually.

“At first the program may seem a bit intimidating, but thanks to it I met a lot of people willing to motivate and support me. There are many people willing to help. What I also liked about the program is that by meeting so many people, you can get letters of recommendation for other jobs, ”said Janette, who now dreams of continuing her studies and starting her own facial services business.

The young woman reminded Guadalupe of her coach during the program.
“I’m also very shy, but Guadalupe always encouraged me by saying, ‘You can do it. It’s OK to be scared but the important thing is to do things anyway. ‘”He shared.

Solis, Valdez and Chang. Young people can earn their first salary and gain experience.

Domino effect

Working with these young people gives me back my faith “said Maribel Valdez, who together with Edward Chang operate a boutique in East Los Angeles that offers employment to young Angelenos.

“We train young people so they can learn about marketing, customer service, but we are also always open to new ideas and proposals from them. For us it is very important to be able to give back to the community. We want to offer young people many of the opportunities that I would have wanted as a child, ”added Valdez, who grew up in East Los Angeles.

The In the Making boutique opens on Thursdays, and although young people continue to work, customer service is currently virtual, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Valdez and Chan also collaborate with other East Los Angeles relief projects, including food banks, donations and other community activities.

“Many times we go to schools and donate a lot of nice things from the boutique, like clothes or shoes to the students who benefit the most from these donations and many ask us ‘what’s the catch?’ because they don’t believe that we just give them away without asking for anything in return. We tell them that all we want is for them to one day return the favor to others, or ‘Pay Forward’. This way you can create a ripple effect and make a difference in the community, ”shared Valdez.

For more information about the work program Our Youth At Work, you can visit https://workforce.lacounty.gov/youthatwork/

For more information on In the Making, you can visit https://www.inthemakingla.org/ or https://www.instagram.com/inthemakingla/

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