COMMUNITY Opportunities

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Dear friends,

On Weds July 31st from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, Youth Forward will co-host a webinar to share information about an exciting new opportunity for youth workers to access college scholarships. The Cal Dept of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) is in the process of rolling out the new certified wellness coach program and is seeking to grow a new wellness coach workforce. To support that goal, HCAI is offering scholarships to young people studying at the community college or 4 year college levels in fields related to wellness coaching (such as human services, mental health, social work etc...) for up to $35,000 in exchange for a 12-month service obligation providing wellness coaching services in California. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is August 16th.

This new workforce under development is very aligned with the youth development field. Wellness coaches will be able to provide nonclinical services to promote wellness with both groups and individuals. This initiative is unique in that the agencies that hire wellness coaches will be reimbursed through Medi-Cal. This is, in many ways, a stable funding stream for youth development work. As this effort moves into implementation, local school districts and community-based organizations that have the ability to bill Medi-Cal will have the opportunity to hire coaches and to sustain these positions over time through Medi-Cal billing.

To register for the webinar, please click here. Staff from HCAI will present information on the scholarship opportunity and on the overall strategy. Please feel free to forward this to others.

Thanks!  Apologies for any cross posting.