CREATING CHANGE THROUGH
SOCIAL INNOVATION

Kern High School District’s Regional Occupational Center (ROC) and Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) are more than classrooms and workshops; they are incubators of opportunity. With 38 programs spanning construction, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology, these centers prepare the next generation for high-demand careers.

Looking back on how much we’ve grown, I am reminded that transformation does not come all at once: it comes in layers, in moments of bravery, and when we are open to reimagining how we will work together.

Future-proofing communities is the starting point for future-proofing the economy. When local systems are adaptive, equitable, and interconnected, they generate the talent, trust, and innovation needed for shared prosperity.

When you ask a young person what economic empowerment really means, they’re not talking about GDP or policy frameworks. They’re talking about choice and being able to imagine a future that isn’t predetermined by zip code, financial status, or family background. They’re talking about seeing themselves in the opportunities being offered, and belonging to the future they’re being asked to build.

Picture this: suicide rates among young Black men in California have surged 22%. First-gen college students face crushing isolation. 52% of Gen Z workers fear being replaced by AI.

In this latest episode of Lead the Shift, I sit with Derek Steele, Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute, to reflect on what it means to future-proof our communities.