Since its initiation in 2001, the UCLA Labor Center’s Labor Summer Internship Program (LSIP) has forged strong bonds between UCLA students and the L.A. labor community. The program combines intensive study of the labor movement and skills-building trainings with hands-on work in the community. Over 75 percent of LSIP graduates tracked over the past five years remain involved in social justice work.
This past December, LSIP graduates organized the program’s first reunion. Over thirty-five people discussed their current work with organizations like SEIU, IDEPSCA, UNITE HERE, and SCOPE/AGENDA. The graduates decided to use their network to share resources and information through quarterly meetings and a listserv for ongoing education, increased discussion, and cooperation between different areas of organizing. At the second meeting, LSIP graduate, Diahnna Nuñez, led a grant-writing training based on her experience as a grants manager at the Fund for Santa Barbara. |
