Collaboration is one of Kollab Youth’s cornerstones to providing comprehensive professional development resources. Therefore staff, board members, and other supporters continually work on engagement and partnership opportunities that propel youth to further success. Kollab Youth CEO Mary Hewitt serves on Kollab Youth partner T-Mobile’s Diversity Council. In that role, she met fellow Council member Brenda Castillo, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC).
Unbeknownst to Hewitt, Castillo was dreaming of a program that could run within NHMC that focused on high school students. After hearing about the charge that Hewitt leads at Kollab Youth, they decided a partnership of the organizations would be most beneficial to both parties – and most importantly – youth in Los Angeles. The first culmination of this collaboration was an event held this past Saturday, April 6 at the ICON Collective, a nationally accredited school of music production, music business, and vocal artistry.
Kollab Youth teens had the opportunity to engage with leading Latinx professionals in various media domains, including acting, music production, songwriting, and performance. Esteemed figures such as Francia Raisa, Jessica Marie Garcia, Jessie Reyez, and Jermi Thomas shared insights and interacted with students during the event.
“Watching them interact with these celebrities [who can also serve as representative role models] was so empowering,” Castillo said about her highlight from the event. “My ultimate goal is for these teens to feel like they belong and have a community. I do this for the little girl I was who lived in Boyle Heights. I never saw examples of people who looked like me reach success. I want to bring that to these youth.”
When asked why it made sense for NHMC to partner with Kollab Youth, Castillo first pointed to the workforce development program’s impressive reputation. She added that Kollab Youth is really enacting powerful change for teens and complimented the team’s effectiveness and use of data-driven results. The Kollab Youth team conveyed their appreciation to NHMC for providing this invaluable opportunity to their teenagers.
“We are grateful for the amazing NHMC team for putting together a special day for our carefully chosen group of 10 Kollab Youth members,” Hewitt shared. “They were given an unparalleled opportunity to glean insights from top professionals! Our teens were motivated and guided by industry leaders who generously shared their stories, experiences, and best practices – paving the path towards success for them.”
HMC and Kollab Youth share a common commitment to providing opportunities for underrepresented youth in Los Angeles. This recent collaboration serves as a testament to the power of unity, demonstrating to teenagers and other organizations that collective efforts can yield greater impact.
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