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YOUNGWORKERS.ORG

YOUNGWORKERS.ORG

  • About
    • Who We Are
    • History
    • Workplace Readiness Week (AB800)
  • Programs
    • Young Worker Leadership Academy
    • Safe Jobs for Youth Month
    • Teacher Trainings
    • Occupational Health Internship Program
  • Resources
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History

Over the past thirty years, the Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP) has partnered with government and community partners to build young worker health and safety education. Today, because of these efforts, all high school students in California receive mandated education about their labor rights, how to protect themselves on the job, and about the role of the labor movement in winning protections and benefits.


1994

CAL/OSHA allocates funding to LOHP to conduct exploratory research about young workers and their experience of health and safety in workplaces.

1997

California establishes the California Partnership for Young Worker Health & Safety through AB 1599 to solidify/create a working group of stakeholders statewide to improve rates of workplace injuries among young workers.

2000

The State of California establishes Safe Jobs for Youth Month, encouraging California’s communities to work together to reduce teen workplace injuries.

2004

LOHP works in collaboration with partners to create Talking Safety, Youth@Work, adopted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

2005

LOHP and UCLA-LOSH create and host the first Young Workers Leadership Academy. Since then, the partnership has trained over 600 young leaders to apply their knowledge of workplace rights within their communities.

2010

NIOSH adapts the Youth@Work—Talking Safety curriculum for use in all 50 states 

2023

The state of California passes AB800 requiring high schools to observe workplace readiness week and provide information to students about their rights as workers. 

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As Safe Jobs for Youth Month comes to an end, the As Safe Jobs for Youth Month comes to an end, the work to promote and advocate for the lives of young workers continues every day. 

For this special SJ4YM series, we'd like to highlight the growing issues of children working in agriculture in California. 

To read more about California's Child Farmworkers, please visit: https://capitalandmain.com/californias-child-farmworkers-exhausted-underpaid-and-toiling-in-toxic-fields

#YoungWorkers #ChildLabor #Farmworkers #Agriculture

Image Description:

1. Text reads "California's Child Farmworkers by Robert J. Lopez, Capital & Main." Image shows farmworkers in a California field. Photo by Barbara Davidson.

2. Text reads "Thousands of kids (estimates say 5,000 - 10,000) work in California's fields, and some are as young as 12, which is actually legal under state law in agriculture. Many are getting paid piece-rate wages that add up to less than minimum wage, like one girl earning $9 for a full day of work!" Photo shows a close-up of a farmworker. Photo by Barbara Davidson.

3. Text reads "These kids are picking strawberries, citrus, tomatillos, and more, usually working 6 days a week in brutal heat without shade or clean water. Kids described working in fields that smelled like chemicals, getting headaches, skin rashes, and burning eyes from pesticide exposure." Photo is of a child farmworker with a black background. Photo by Barbara Davidson.

4. Text reads "Injuries happen, too: falls, tractor accidents, nosebleeds from heat, but kids stay quiet because they're scared of losing their jobs. Many of these families are undocumented, so they're more afraid to complain, especially with ICE raids happening nearby." The photo shows a farmworker in the field with their back to the camera. Photo by Barbara Davidson.
💫 Meet Franklin High School, one of this year's YW 💫 Meet Franklin High School, one of this year's YWLA teams! 💫

Earlier this month, the team presented on workplace safety, Cal/OSHA, and their experiences at YWLA in their classes. The slides they prepared for the presentations reached over 2,000 students school-wide! 

Thank you, Franklin High School, for your incredible work and for advocating for the rights of young workers. 

#FranklinHighSchool #YoungWorkers #YWLA #WorkersRights #LaborRights #WorkplaceSafety

Image Description:

1. At the top of the page, text reads "Franklin High School," in bold pink text. In the middle of the page, 4 students from Franklin High School are posing with their hazard map they created at YWLA 2026. The text at the bottom of the page reads, "YWLA Project" in magazine cut-out letters.

2. The top left corner of the post reads "Presented in school-wide class and taught about workplace safety!" The top right corner is a Polaroid of students in a classroom learning from a PowerPoint. The middle left Polaroid is a picture of a student from the Franklin High School team posing with their teacher, with their presentation slide deck in the background. The bottom right corner is a photo of another student on the Franklin High School team standing in front of the PowerPoint slide deck.
Do you know your rights as a young worker? Garfiel Do you know your rights as a young worker? Garfield High School sure does! 

Back in March, our YWLA team at Garfield High School held a tabling event at their school to teach students about their rights as they enter the workforce. 

Thank you to our team at Garfield High School for advocating for the rights of young workers and being leaders within their community! 👏

#GarfieldHighSchool #YoungWorkers #YWLA #WorkersRights #LaborRights

Image Description:

1. At the top of the page, text reads "Garfield High School," in bold pink text. In the middle of the page, 4 students from Garfield High School are posing with their hazard map they created at YWLA 2026. The text at the bottom of the page reads, "YWLA Project" in magazine cut-out letters.

2. The rleft side of the page shows an infographic, created by the 4 students, that includes rights for young workers. Information includes breaks, minimum wage, how they can protect themselves at work, and how many hours they can work. The right side of the page shows three images of the tabling event that the students held at Garfield High School. The bottom of the page reads "Presentation day!" and an arrow points towards those three images.
Congratulations to our 2026 Safe Jobs for Youth Mo Congratulations to our 2026 Safe Jobs for Youth Month Poster Contest Winners! 🎉

Be on the lookout on your school's campus see the 1st place winner's poster in person. 

#SafeJobsForYouthMonth #YoungWorkers #TeenWorker #SJ4YM

Image Description: 
1. Magazine cutouts on washi tape reads "Poster Winners." At the bottom of the image are the three poster winners. 

2. The 1st Place poster winner is Gerardo Jauregui from South East High School. The poster in the middle shows a man in a high visibility safety vest and yellow hard hat staring into the mirror. The mirror image shows him injured with a neck brace and gauze wrapped around his forehead. On the mirror, text reads "I didn't need help". The poster reads "Don't be prideful. Ask your boss for help. They are required to make sure you are safe at work." 

3. The 2nd place winner is Karli Nunez from RFK School for the Visual Arts and Humanities. The poster shows a girl wearing a hard hat with an apron. She is holding a sign that says "Your Safety Matters" and a name tag that reads "Protect Your Rights." Text on the poster reads "Teen Worker." 

4. The 3rd place winner is Monika Izara from RFK School for the Visual Arts and Humanities. The poster shows a girl sitting at a table at her workplace, doing her homework. The text reads "Don't let exploitation destroy your balance between work and school."
Teachers! Looking for a fun activity to teach you Teachers!

Looking for a fun activity to teach your students about collective action this Safe Jobs for Youth Month? 

Scan the QR Code here to access a lesson plan, slide deck, and more! 

#SafeJobsForYouthMonth #SJ4YM #YoungWorkers #CollectiveAction

Image Description:
1. A postcard on a green scrapbook reads "Looking for a fun way to teach your students about collective action?" It also reads "Check out this game!" and an arrow points to a QR code. Above the postcard, a ripped-out piece of paper reads "Teachers!" Below the postcard, a ticket stub reads "YW!!" Surrounding the postcard and in the background are paper cutouts of stars, smiley faces, hearts, a disco ball, and other pieces of paper.
ATTENTION ALL TEACHERS! 📣 Looking for an activity ATTENTION ALL TEACHERS! 📣

Looking for an activity to teach young workers about their rights? Scan this QR code to view our resource kit! 

Under WORKABILITY AB800 Teaching Activities, you will find the Wage Theft: What Young Workers Need to Know activity. There, you will find lesson materials, handouts, and more. 

Wage theft is a prevalent issue many workers face, and this activity will help build students' awareness and ensure they are paid correctly. 

You can also visit our website at youngworkers.org to view this activity. 

#SafeJobsForYouthMonth #WageTheft #YoungWorkers #SJ4YM

Image Description:
1. On a green background are various paper cutouts with pencil doodles. The theme for the post is a scrapbook. The top of the post reads "Wage Theft" in magazine cut-out letters. Below is a Polaroid photo of youth mentors from the 2026 Young Worker Leadership Academy. On the right of the Polaroid photo is a white paper cutout that reads "Use this game to teach young workers about wage theft!" Below the Polaroid photo is a pink QR code that leads to our Young Worker Resource Kit.
May is Safe Jobs for Youth Month (SJ4YM)! Many y May is Safe Jobs for Youth Month (SJ4YM)! 

Many young people may still be entering the workforce for the first time during the summer, in jobs where they potentially face new health and safety risks. There is a good chance no one has told them about their job rights and responsibilities, or how to stay safe at work.

Throughout this month, we’re spotlighting activities you and your peers can do to learn about wage theft & union organizing. As well as projects that high school students have done to spread the message of young worker health and safety!

Remember, your safety matters, and knowing your rights is crucial for a secure workplace environment. Join us in advocating for safer workplaces for all young workers!

For more information, please click the link in our bio.

#SafeJobs4YouthMonth #SafeJobsForYouthMonth #YoungWorkers #KnowYourRights #sj4ym

Image Description:

1. Magazine letter cut-outs spell out "Safe Jobs for Youth Month" in the center. Surrounding the cut-out letters are candid images of young people from the Young Worker Leadership Academy in a scrapbooking theme. The top left corner has a pink Post-it note that reads "May 2026."
This week is Workplace Readiness Week! AB800 requ This week is Workplace Readiness Week!

AB800 requires all schools across California to provide a "Know Your Rights" document, the history of labor's efforts to create and codify these rights, and the resources available to learn how to protect and enforce these rights.

For more information, please use this link to access these fact sheets!
https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/knowyourrights/

For teachers, this link includes curriculum and resources to help plan Workplace Readiness Week.
https://www.cft.org/post/five-day-learning-cycle-workplace-readiness-week-april-28-may2

#SafeJobsForYouthMonth #SJ4YM #YoungWorkers #HealthAndSafety
Image Description:

1. Magazine letter cutouts spell out "Workplace Readiness Week" in a scrapbooking theme. A pink Post-it note in the top right corner reads "Don't forget!" Centered at the bottom are the dates of Workplace Readiness Week, which runs from April 27th through May 1st of 2026.
💫 Introducing a new look and home for the Californ 💫 Introducing a new look and home for the California Young Workers Partnership website at youngworkers.org.! 💫

Check out our website to learn more about the history of the California Young Worker Partnership and view the programs and resources that we offer. 

#youngworkers #childlabor #WorkerSafety #youngworker #healthyjobs #safelives #knowyourrights #workersrights #laborrights
Back in September 2025, we launched our new youngw Back in September 2025, we launched our new youngworkers.org website!

Take a look, explore the new features, and share the site with young people in your lives or with adult advocates who want to support the next generation who understand their rights at work. 

If you want to stay updated with young worker events and newsletters, join our mailing list on our website!

#youngworker #healthyjobs #safelives #knowyourrights #workersrights #laborrights
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