Focused gatherings inside the week.

Why this room

A young person doesn't experience life in separate departments. Their education, physical health, mental health, family, community, and future opportunities are deeply connected. Yet the institutions responsible for supporting them operate through separate systems, budgets, eligibility requirements, and information networks. Families are often left to navigate these disconnected systems themselves, while dedicated professionals struggle to coordinate across organizational boundaries.

California has invested billions in improving outcomes for children and young people. But investment within individual systems doesn't automatically create coordination between them. AI and emerging technologies offer new possibilities: connecting services, navigating eligibility, coordinating referrals, identifying gaps, and helping frontline professionals work together while protecting privacy and preserving institutional responsibilities. The challenge is to make these capabilities serve the whole young person, across the organizations and communities involved in their life.

The Whole Young Person Challenge brings together young people, families, educators, clinicians, public leaders, community organizations, and technology innovators to change that equation. The community defines the problem and the outcomes that matter. Selected technology teams respond with concrete approaches. Together, participants examine what could work, what remains missing, and what should move toward real-world testing and implementation. The ambition is a future where systems work together so every young person has a stronger opportunity to learn, belong, thrive, and become who they want to be.