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Santa Clara County wins two 2025 CSAC Challenge Awards for youth programs
Summary
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors presented two 2025 California State Association of Counties Challenge Awards to county programs: the Social Services Agency's Intern & Earn workforce program for foster youth and the Pure Health peer education program for justice‑involved youth.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on July reconvened to honor county staff after the county received two 2025 California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Challenge Awards for programs serving young people. The board approved ceremonial commendations by a 5‑0 vote before presentations recognizing the Intern & Earn workforce program and the Pure Health peer education program.
A board member who introduced the awards said the county competed against hundreds of submissions from across the state. “Every year, CSAC reviews hundreds of innovative program submissions from all 58 counties across California,” the supervisor said, noting the county won two awards this year. Daniel Little, identified in the meeting as the Social Services Agency director, accepted the award for the Intern & Earn program and thanked board leadership and staff for a decade of support: “I—m Daniel Little, the social service agency director here for the county, and it is such an honor to be here receiving this, this, recognition,” he said.
The board presentation described Intern & Earn as a 10‑year, eight‑week, paid internship pipeline for county‑served foster youth and young adults ages 16–24. The program places participants at public and private worksites for up to 30 hours per week, pairs each youth with an employment counselor, and provides financial‑literacy and job‑readiness training. The board presentation said the program supported more than 270 worksites this past year and leverages CalWORKs expanded subsidized employment funds alongside targeted county contributions.
The second award recognized Pure Health, a peer health education program developed for youth in juvenile custody. The county presentation and the program’s medical director said Pure Health trains justice‑involved youth to serve as certified peer leaders who teach health, mental‑wellness and life‑skills to their peers. “As far as we know, this is the 1st program of its kind in any youth detention facility in the country,” Dr. Shelly Agarwal said during the board presentation. Dr. Agarwal also described evaluation findings showing improved understanding and retention of health topics among participants.
The awards segment concluded with acceptance remarks and group photos. The board adjourned to a scheduled meeting the following morning.
