The Los Angeles Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) project serves as a base for committed stakeholders to bring their diverse knowledge into city governance and find creative avenues to advance the 17 SDGs. It provides a concrete framework to guide the Task Forces’ policy-making —objectives are rooted in project collaboration, innovation, and community partnerships.
Read our full research principles.
The Young Initiative Task Force Model for City and Community Partnerships
Task Forces are student research groups conducting fixed-term, problem-driven, and policy-oriented research, guided by academic advisors and overseen by a client (e.g., local government). Research generally falls into six types:
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Exploratory or mapping: Broad comparison of city policies, plans, and data availability vs. international agreements and datasets.
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Stakeholder Engagement: Outreach to gauge interest/issues (public, private, non-profit); expert outreach (academics, policymakers).
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Data Assessment & Collection: Review of data made available through the client to identify gaps in services and data transparency itself.
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Landscape Analysis: Detailed but broad assessment of issue-specific policies, services, and access.
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Best Practice Case Studies: Rich case study research on successful practices that can be transferred or translated into a local context.
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Proposals & Recommendation: Direct request for recommendations or contributions on a specific issue/project/question.
Task Forces drive change and innovation on multidimensional issues at the municipal level. Their model represents a unique opportunity for students to exercise their critical thinking, data analysis, and communication skills and act as consultants in service with local city governments.
If you wish to share your vision for possible community partnership projects or give feedback on current initiatives, please contact younginitiative@oxy.edu. We appreciate your input.
Past Task Forces
