Youth program provides financial education through a paid internship

In 2021, Kevin Valladares was in 11th grade at Mendez High School in Boyle Heights when a classmate told him about a paid internship on financial literacy. 

Originally, Valladares accepted because he needed money to buy school supplies and pay other expenses, but after finishing the program, he felt it was a life changing experience. 

Valladares participated in the program Youth Champions, a nonprofit that pays underserved high school students to invest in their own futures through a paid educational internship.

The program was built on the belief that a student's opportunities shouldn't depend on their parents' financial capacity. Once accepted, the students learn how to be financially responsible and that changes their mentality. 

As a first-generation student, Valladares said his parents didn’t know much about finances and for him this was a completely new world, from learning how to properly use a credit card to learning how to invest. 

“Like all my life, I've been hearing, ‘stay away from credit cards,’” he said. “But after joining Youth Champions, it kind of opened my mind. It's like maybe there's ways to be responsible with your money, and there's ways to invest your money so your money can grow.”

Valladares, now a college student, said whenever he has some extra money, he likes to invest it and he also likes to teach his younger brother about financial literacy. 

Jack Cline, Youth Champions co-founder, said the program started in Downtown L.A. and from its inception it was created to serve students from the area. 

“We reached out to the high schools in surrounding neighborhoods, opened applications to anyone interested, and the makeup of the program reflects the community those schools sit in,” he said. “L.A. has a large Latino population, so that's naturally who a lot of our students are.”

Cline said first-generation students interested in attending college or mentorship or those who go to school and work should apply.

“We pay students up to $1,000 so they don’t have to choose between earning money at an after-school job and investing in their future,” Cline said. 

The funding for the program comes from nearly 60 private donors and foundations. In the last school year, Youth Champions distributed $151,800 to 383 students in the Fall and $162,200 to 401 in the Spring. Alumni have advanced to top colleges, Wall Street, entrepreneurship and skilled trades.

How to apply

Since Youth Champions launched in 2017, the program has reached students from 85 high schools across Los Angeles and currently recruits directly from 13 high school partners located in Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Huntington Park, DTLA, El Sereno and more. 

Cline said students who participate start having a growth mindset, a key element to success, especially with the advent of AI.

“Learning how to develop and maintain a growth mindset is key to the success of students, and it doesn't matter where they're from or what socioeconomic class,” Cline said. “We want our kids in our Youth Champions program to leave our program with a growth mindset and confidence that they can really accomplish their goals.”

This year, the application is open from Aug. 17 through Aug. 21. Students in the Los Angeles area in grades 10-12 who are interested in participating this year can apply at www.youth-champions.org/apply.  

Students are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.