Summary

Young workers are an integral part of the U.S. economy, with one third of the national workforce between the ages of 18-34. They are concentrated in the service sector and are the faces that greet us in coffee shops, retail stores, restaurants, and grocery markets. Despite their visibility, there is a lack of understanding about who working youth really are. This curriculum serves as a guide for the UCLA Labor Center’s animated short film, I am a #YoungWorker. The animated short film is a part of a larger multi-media project by the same name that uses data, stories, and images, including documentary filmmaking, a photograph gallery, and online stories. Specifically, the animated short film complements and stems from the 2015 groundbreaking I am a #YoungWorker report.