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COMMISSION ON HEALTH AND SAFETY AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION
Release Number: 2022-CH-03
February 22, 2022

The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation Announces the 2022 Young Worker Leadership Academy on February 25, March 5 and March 18

OAKLAND - The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CHSWC) is pleased to announce the annual California Young Worker Leadership Academy on February 25, March 5 and March 18, 2022. This year, the event will be held as a hybrid in-person and virtual encounter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Young Worker Leadership Academy (YWLA) has historically been a three-day leadership training experience held on the campus of University of California, Berkeley for teens on the subjects of workplace safety, rights and responsibilities.

The YWLA goals are to:

  • Teach youth about workplace health and safety and help them to promote both workplace health and safety and injury prevention.
  • Provide participating youth an opportunity to develop specific action plans to promote young worker health and safety in their own communities, especially during Safe Jobs for Youth Month in May each year, as well as participate as alumni and youth mentors in future Academies and in developing a statewide network of young health and safety promoters.

The hybrid academy in 2022 will be highly interactive, including Zoom sessions on February 25th and March 18th and an in-person day on March 5th where participants will get to know each other, learn about workplace health and safety, and how to make positive change in their communities.

The Young Worker Leadership Academy has been jointly developed by the University at California, Berkeley's Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP) and the University of California, Los Angeles' Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Program. The Academy is part of the statewide Worker Occupational Safety and Health Training and Education Program (WOSHTEP), administered by CHSWC in the Department of Industrial Relations. This is the 18th consecutive year that the Academy has hosted young workers in this leadership activity.

The 2022 Academy has received additional sponsorship from the California School Employees Association (CSEA), Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA), State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF), California Teachers Association (CTA) and the GEKLAW law firm.

CHSWC is charged with examining the health and safety and workers' compensation systems in California and recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operation. The Commission was established to conduct a continuing examination of the workers' compensation system and of the state's activities to prevent industrial injuries and occupational illnesses and to examine those programs in other states.


Information about the Young Worker Leadership Academy and CHSWC is available online. Information may also be obtained by writing to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation, 1515 Clay Street, 17th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612; by calling (510) 622-3959; or by emailing chswc@dir.ca.gov. Please note that postal service may be subject to delays.