Chapter 4: Importance of Youth Workers in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work

It was the start of summer 2023 for my now eighth grade daughter, and we had some critical errands to run. One of these was the all-important bathing suit purchase. My wife was out of town, so I had the honor of filling in to choose the right colors, and more importantly, the right fit! On our way there, I happened to mention that she was lucky it was pay day, to which she responded, “Yeah dad, and they pay you good, too!”

As far as kids go, anything you make as an adult is a lot of money for them. I followed up her “oh yeah” outburst by reflecting aloud saying that it had taken her father 20+ years of hard work to get to a place where the family felt taken care of. You see, the growth trajectory of my family and career have been parallel. I began my work in out-of-school-time (OST) programs just over a year into marriage, and to a darn good educator, at that. I had my first child in 2006, soon after the implementation of Proposition 49, a statewide ballot initiative that has funded afterschool programs across the state of California for the past 20 years. My second daughter was just five years old when I transitioned from leading work at the local level in Los Angeles, to national level leadership with the After-School All-Stars, a nationwide organization currently providing programs for 118,000 youth in 78 cities across the country. My family has been there every step of the way. I must admit that I have seized many moments when it came to the Santini crew volunteering in several events and experiences over the span of my career. One such experience was my youngest daughter joining me for a week-long career pathway retreat in 2019 with 40 high school youth from the After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles. I remember her drawing emoji stickers and blowing up balloons. She knew I was “leveraging” our relationship to have an extra pair of hands and a more capable artist to prepare workshop materials.