1. Commission on Health & Safety & Workers' Comp
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COMMISSION ON HEALTH AND SAFETY AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION
Release Number: 2023-CH-01
February 9, 2023

The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation Announces the 2023 Young Worker Leadership Academy on February 9 - February 11

OAKLAND - The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CHSWC) is pleased to announce the annual California Young Worker Leadership Academy on February 9-11, 2023. The event will be held in person this year for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The Young Worker Leadership Academy (YWLA) has historically been a three-day hands-on leadership training experience held on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley for teens aged 14-18 years 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 2023 Academy resumes its exciting interactive workshops in person where participants will get to know each other, learn about workplace health and safety, and inspire participants to make positive changes back in their communities.

The Young Worker Leadership Academy has been jointly developed by the University of 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 19th consecutive year that the Academy has hosted young workers in this leadership activity, and it draws on its supporters and student alumni from over the many years.

The 2023 Academy has received additional sponsorship from the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA), the GEKLAW law firm, the Unity Council, California School Employees Association (CSEA), and UCLA LOSH.

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, Suite 1540, Oakland, CA 94612; by calling (510) 622-3959; by faxing a request to (510) 286-0499; or by email to chswc@dir.ca.gov. Please note that postal service may be subject to delays.