Young Worker Leadership Academy

"This is an experience you can always go back to and that is going to help you. This is a once in a life time chance, so try it. It only benefits you in all senses and does not hurt you in any possible way."

–Youth Team Member, 2008

 

The Young Worker Leadership Academy (YWLA) is our leading program in youth education. The YWLA provides a unique opportunity for young adults to become leaders and advocates for teen labor rights and workplace health and safety. Through a series of workshops, participants will learn how and why youth are injured at work, their rights on the job, and how youth can have an impact on public policy, at the local and state level.

YWLA participants

February 3-5, 2011
University of California, Berkeley

 

About the Academy

The Young Worker Leadership Academy is comprised of fun, interactive programs that empower youth to become leaders in their communities as workplace health and safety advocates. Participants receive workplace health and safety training, leadership experience, materials on their labor rights and protections, and knowledge about public policy issues.

The Academy is based on the premise that engaging youth will improve efforts to solve this problem because youth will bring ideas, insights, and enthusiasm that otherwise wouldn't be present. It brings together six teams of youth ages 14-17, each with an adult sponsor, from several regions of California.

The Academy also introduces participants to service strategies including policy, education, and media. It provides a forum for youth to plan service learning projects for their schools and communities to promote positive, safe employment for youth.

YWLA students participate in community events, develop videos and Public Service Announcements, and assist in professional development workshops for teachers and other professionals so they can practice hands-on utilization of resources offered by the Young Workers Project.

More information on the Young Worker Leadership Academy can also be found at YoungWorkers.org.

Day One

Participants assemble for introductions, briefings on young worker safety, and several lively interactive activities to learn about workplace problems and their rights on the job. Participants then have dinner on campus, followed by a group scavenger hunt.

Day Two

Participants learn about how to solve problems in the workplace. They also learn about the political process and discuss ideas for policy solutions to help protect and educate youth at work. They study the recommendations of youth and adult experts before developing their own priority statement about the issue. Groups also go “on location” to observe young workers in different working environments and to learn about common job hazards and what young workers think is needed.

Day Three

Participants conduct a mock planning activity and hear the advice from a panel of experienced youth and adult activists. To conclude the event, they meet with their local team members to select a project and outline plans for their follow-up activity during Safe Jobs for Youth Month which is celebrated in May each year.

Goals of the Academy

  • Familiarize participants with young worker safety: causes of workplace injuries, rights of workers, and possible solutions.
  • Introduce participants to the basic elements of the policymaking process.
  • Enable participants to develop collective solutions based on early knowledge of workplace safety.
  • Help participants to develop and promote a project for Safe Jobs for Youth Month.
  • Develop leadership abilities, skills, and confidence of participants.

Partners

The YWLA arose from the efforts of the California Partnership for Young Worker Health and Safety and grew from the collaborative work of the following agencies in California:

Sponsors

The Academy is funded by the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation and in part by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation.