One in six young people aged 16 to 24 in Clark County are considered “disconnected,” meaning they are not in school or meaningfully employed.
The Disconnected Youth Coalition is an expanding local initiative of more than twenty community partners in Southern Nevada. Convened by Workforce Connections, the local workforce development board, the coalition is working to identify, engage, and ultimately provide education, training, and career opportunities to these 42,000 young adults in Clark County who need help.
The consequences of disconnection among youth are severe, as the majority lack the necessary support to successfully transition into adulthood. Staying disconnected can lead to a lifetime of financial stress, lower-wage jobs, poor physical and mental health, potential criminal behavior, and other hardships.
“Clark County has one of the highest rates of disconnected youth in the nation,” said Ricardo Villalobos, Ph.D., Chief Programs Officer at Workforce Connections. “By working together, our goal is to establish cohesive case management methods to reach and stay connected as a community to the youth who need support.”
The Disconnected Youth Coalition is supported with a combination of public and private funds. The Walter S. Johnson Foundation has committed $500,000 in multi-year funding for training, education and operational expenses. The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation has provided $560,000 to the initiative.
“This initiative is an excellent example of how philanthropic funds can be leveraged and complement public sector investments,” says Yali Lincroft, Program Director of the Walter S. Johnson Foundation. “Investments from private entities like our foundation can serve as seed or flexible funding when in partnership with local public leaders in addressing the critical issues like disconnected youth.”
“Providing growth and training opportunities to our disconnected youth population has a significant impact on Nevada’s economy,” said Chris Sewell, Director of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. “By connecting these young adults to critical resources, they can become the next generation of skilled workers for our state’s in-demand industries. This not only strengthens our economy, but prepares our youth for well-paying careers and brighter futures.”
The initiative is also drawing support from national organizations. JobsFirstNYC, an intermediary that creates and advances solutions that break down barriers and transform the systems supporting young adults and their communities, is also a committed partner in the coalition.
“As JobsFirstNYC scales our impact in other communities across the United States, it is an honor to collaborate with Workforce Connections, New Ways to Work, and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation, to advance solutions for the more than 42,000 young people who are out of school and out of work in Clark County, Nevada,” says Marjorie Parker, CEO and President of JobsFirstNYC. “Through our innovative and impact-driven Community Inspired Networks for Change (CommunityINC) approach, we will engage all local stakeholders to explore how a workforce intermediary and funder collaborative as a well-organized infrastructure can respond to local needs significantly enhancing economic mobility.”
Disconnected Youth Coalition members include:
College of Southern Nevada
City of Las Vegas
Goodwill of Southern Nevada
HopeLink of Southern Nevada
JAG Nevada – Jobs 4 Nevada’s Graduates
Office of Workforce Innovation (OWINN)
Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority
The Library District
Workforce Connections
Nevada Partners, Inc.
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
The WE Mentality
Clark County School District Acceleration Academy
iFoster
Job Corps
Chicanos Por La Causa Nevada
The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada
Foster Kinship
UNLV
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