The Work Ahead of Us

June 10, 2026

By Liz Herrera, LCSW, CEO, El Nido Family Centers

For more than 40 years at El Nido Family Centers, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside families across Los Angeles. Over that time, I’ve watched this city and the lives of the families we serve change in profound ways.

When I began my career as a young social worker, our city looked very different. There were fewer visible pathways to higher education and professional careers, especially for many of the communities we serve. It was uncommon for youth to see people who looked like them in positions of leadership and influence. Opportunities felt less accessible.

That has changed in meaningful ways.

Today, more youth can see themselves reflected in those spaces. More doors have opened. More opportunities exist. That progress matters.

But at the same time, the ground beneath us has shifted.

The cost of living across our city has risen dramatically. Housing instability has become far more common. In the 1980s, we did not see the level of homelessness we see today. There was of course significant poverty, but the level of instability facing many Angelenos now is something very different.

Families are working hard and still struggling to stay afloat. The margin for error has narrowed. Economic mobility increasingly depends on access to education, professional networks, specialized skills, and opportunities that many families have historically been excluded from.

At the same time, many of the traditional pathways to stability that previous generations relied on are changing rapidly or disappearing altogether. A four-year degree is more expensive than ever. Entire industries are evolving quickly. Technology continues to reshape the future of work in real time. Purchasing a home is unattainable for many.

So, while educational and career opportunities have grown, the path to accessing them and building lasting stability from them has become more fragile.

For the youth and families we serve, those pressures are often even greater.

Many are navigating economic instability, caregiving responsibilities, limited access to professional networks, and enormous pressure to contribute financially to their families in immediate ways. Some youth are balancing school, work, family obligations, and decisions about their future all at the same time.

And many are doing so without the kind of safety net that allows for experimentation, mistakes, or prolonged uncertainty about what comes next.

That changes how youth experience the future.

For some, internships, college, or career pathways can be periods of discovery. For others, every decision carries immediate financial consequences. The stakes are simply different.

In that kind of environment, hope becomes harder to hold onto.

And hope matters more than people sometimes realize.

Hope is not simply optimism. It is what allows youth to imagine a future for themselves that feels possible and worth pursuing. It is what helps them stay engaged, take healthy risks, and continue moving forward even when the path ahead is unclear.

But hope cannot exist in isolation. Youth also need guidance, opportunity, and support systems strong enough to help carry that hope forward.

Over the years, one thing has become very clear to me: meaningful progress happens through consistent, relationship-based support.

Exposure matters. A workshop, internship, or short-term program can spark interest. But sustained support over months and years is often what allows that initial spark to grow into confidence, direction, and a viable path forward.

That is where we begin to see stronger and more lasting outcomes for youth and families.

As El Nido Family Centers transitions into its second century, this understanding is shaping how we think about the future of our work.

Today, we are deepening our investment in transformative career and life readiness programs for youth. This is not simply about career exposures. It is about helping youth navigate the full picture of their lives as they prepare for what comes next: education, work, financial stability, and the responsibilities they may already be carrying within their families.

Our approach is rooted in relationships and built over time. It reflects the understanding that opportunity alone is often not enough. Youth also need trusted support systems that help them navigate barriers, stay connected to opportunity, and continue moving forward when challenges emerge.

That work is carried out every day by more than 150 skilled and deeply committed staff members across El Nido, including social workers, counselors, youth development professionals, educators, and administrative staff who understand the realities families are navigating because many come from these communities themselves.

This work is also strengthened through partnerships that connect community, education, and industry.

This year we’ve sought out and built partnerships with community colleges like Los Angeles Mission College and other nonprofits like BioscienceLA to help youth explore high-growth fields such as bioscience.

These partnerships are grounded in a shared understanding that no single organization can do this work alone. Educational institutions, industry leaders, and community-based organizations each play an important role. But without intentional connection between them, many youth, especially those facing the greatest barriers, are never fully able to access these opportunities and thrive within them.

That is where community-based organizations like El Nido play a critical role.

We help bridge the space between opportunity and access, ensuring that youth who are not already on a clear path are not left behind as industries and technologies continue to evolve.

Looking ahead, we are focused on continuing to identify pathways to high-growth fields that offer long-term economic stability.

We are actively looking at what those emerging fields are and what they will become in the years ahead. And we are working to ensure that the youth and families we serve are not left out of those futures.

That means continuing to deepen partnerships across community, education, and industry. It means investing in approaches that are relationship-based, adaptable, and rooted in the realities families are facing today.

After more than four decades working as a social worker in Los Angeles, what continues to give me hope is people.

I see it in parents who remain deeply committed to their children’s future despite extraordinary pressure. I see it in youth who continue showing up and searching for possibility even when the path ahead feels uncertain. And I see it in the growing recognition that we must work together across sectors and systems to create stronger and more lasting pathways forward for families across our city.

There is a great deal of uncertainty in the world right now.

But there is also remarkable resilience, care, and innovation. There are thousands of youth across our city who are ready to say yes to an opportunity if we are willing to invest in helping them not just reach it, but stay connected to it, grow within it, and build stable futures from it.

That is the work ahead of us.