Voices + Evidence: What’s Moving the Needle (Issue 1)

By Crissy Chung

The Shift | Issue 1 – Building Youth Power 

During a recent interview, a young Angeleno was asked what economic empowerment meant to her. She said, “For me, it’s being able to imagine a future where I don’t have to choose between paying rent and going to school.” Her words are a stark reminder that data points alone cannot capture the lived experiences and the urgency of the challenges young people face today.

Los Angeles County is home to the nation's largest and most diverse talent pool, with 75% of residents being people of color. In recent years, Black and Latino youth have formed the backbone of the region’s future workforce - growing as a share of the labor force even as the overall population declines. Yet systemic inequities continue to block their path. Declining high school and college-going rates, paired with a projected 19% drop in high school graduates by 2034 (the steepest decline among California regions), are shrinking the pipeline into higher education and good jobs.

These realities make one thing clear: Los Angeles cannot build a just and sustainable economy without the leadership and insight of its young people. That’s why LeadersUp launched the Equity Unleashed Fellows program—putting young adults at the center as co-researchers and co-designers of solutions. Rather than being surveyed in a traditionally extractive process, Fellows are generating evidence about what economic empowerment means to them and to their peers, shaping strategies that sectors must adopt to keep up: closing racial wage gaps, aligning education with high-growth industries, and creating early pathways that prepare youth for good jobs.

I know firsthand the power of this model. Having begun my journey as a LeadersUp summer fellow 10 years ago, I stepped into my first research role as a student. The experience provided me with the tools to shape policy-driven solutions and paved the way for my current role as Head of Insights, Research and Evaluation at LeadersUp. Year after year, my confidence and inner voice grew to advocate for my thoughts and turn them into transformative practices within the organization and in the systems-change space. My story reflects the broader truth: when young people are treated as co-creators, their leadership reshapes both organizations and economies. 

In Los Angeles, where demographic change is accelerating and systemic barriers persist, youth voices are not only important but also essential evidence. By coupling their lived experiences with insights and data, we can redefine growth to mean equitable access to opportunity, thriving communities, and an economy built for the next generation to lead. Read our Equity Unleashed report to learn more about insights from Los Angeles young adults.

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Crissy Chung is the Head of Insights, Research and Evaluation at LeadersUp, driving our research initiatives and insights collection strategies.