Mobile App "4RYouth in South LA

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Our youth center was founded in 1990 to help students avoid the kind of lifestyle that led to the murder of Al Wooten, Jr., victim of a gang initiation. The US Department of Justice recommends employment services as a gang prevention activity. It is also critical to help lift low-income families like our South LA participants out of poverty.
Tech professionals earn a median $104,000+ annually, with 14% job growth expected over the next decade (Forbes). Unfortunately, in our Gramercy Park neighborhood, only 2% of jobs and 5% of workers are in the high-income professional scientific and technical services sector (USC Neighborhood Data for Social Change). The 4RYouth app, geared for South LA youth but available virtually for all, can help change this.
Youth involved in drug trafficking and other lucrative criminal behavior are lured by the high-income potential. Careers like mobile developer and ux designer offer the excitement and challenge along with the big bucks that can attract them.

The 4RYouth project will engage students in grades 3-12 in using information technology to develop a one-stop solution for accessing college and career opportunities especially for South LA youth. Youth will be exposed to the high-tech and high-income careers of coding and artificial intelligence under the guidance of students and faculty at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
This initiative addresses a need expressed by students for easy access to existing but scattered resources such as job notices, internships, entrepreneurship support, extracurricular activities, advisement and applications assistance for college admissions and financial aid, and more.
The project will consist of three phases from 2024-25: Business and Content Development (fall), App Creation (spring and summer), and App Launch (fall). Students will work in two weekly classes for their age groups. They will collaborate on the business planning and launch. They will be the first to test using the resources.
Other partners will include Junior Achievement, whose classes will teach students to “plan, launch, and operate their own business venture.” Pepperdine Service Leadership interns will help develop the workplan and collect the content. Guest mentors from LA STEM Collective will introduce students to a variety of information technology careers to help prepare them for the work groups that will create the app in spring and summer. Other partners will share the free app with their youth in fall 2025.

With 4RYouth, South LA youth can find jobs, get help with college applications, and join extracurricular activities to be more competitive. They will have alternatives to gang activity and motivation to avoid substance abuse. They will have a hub tailored for their needs and interests with local opportunities and support within reach.
The app will help more youth connect to opportunities like above in the short-term, and college and career access and success for the long-term. A minimum of 100 students in year one will have increased exposure to the tech industry through guest mentor visits in our afterschool program and app classes for all in our summer camp.
Our coordinator will oversee app maintenance. They will direct college interns in an annual review with recommendations based on analytics and surveys. Teen helpers will update the app, including adding new sections for nearby neighborhoods like East LA. They will help recruit new users using a marketing plan updated annually.

We will be measuring success in the following ways: Number of students who participate in classes Number of guest mentor visits from tech professionals Number of students with increased interest in tech careers Increased knowledge of the tech industry The successful development and launching of the app The number of downloads, users, and clicks We will use KidTrax, our afterschool management software, to track enrollment and attendance data, and to administer pre- and post-tests for students. We will monitor the development and launch of the app, and track its metrics after launch.