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Huntington Beach, CA

SerranoCity Café a la Cart: Vocational Training and Life Skills for Neurodiverse Youth

Grant Amount

$5,000

Year Awarded

2025-2026

Project Coordinator

Yvonne Serrano

Grant Type

Individual

Local Association

Huntington Beach UHSD Education Association

Focus Area

Career and Technical Education

About the Project

This project supports a vocational training program for neurodiverse high school students, particularly those on the Autism Spectrum, by providing hands-on experiences through a student-run coffee cart and an integrated life skills curriculum. Students manage
real-world responsibilities such as inventory, customer service, budgeting, and cooking while learning independent living skills like laundry, banking, and navigating public systems. The program emphasizes student agency, collaboration, and self-advocacy and builds strong partnerships with families, local businesses, and the wider community. Through these inclusive, future-oriented experiences, students develop confidence, independence, and workplace readiness.

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