In many of my previous posts, I highlight the fact that the role of the university is to support students and empower their success. With this goal in mind, UCI promotes partnerships with many outside organizations and institutions to offer diverse pathways for our students to gain professional experience and insight into their areas of interest. Recently, I sat down with my friend Julie Hudash, CEO and Founder of Team Kids, to discuss the 20-year partnership between UCI and Team Kids and its incredibly positive impact.

As Julie explained, Team Kids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth and showing them that they matter, are needed, and have the power to make a difference in the world. Team Kids runs an award-winning program called the Team Kids Challenge. This five-week, student-led program allows students to select a social issue they are passionate about and teaches them how to become philanthropists to support their chosen cause. During the program, kids work with Team Kids’ coaches and local public safety officers to learn about entrepreneurship, giving back, and how they can support their communities. The program ends in a Youth Charity Carnival where students unveil their businesses and raise money to donate to the cause they selected at the beginning of the program.

Throughout our partnership, over 200 UCI students have interned with Team Kids where they gained hands-on experience with teaching, mentorship, and other important skills. The impact of Team Kids’ programming is incredible, both for the student participants and the UCI interns who play a role in their development. According to Julie, the partnership between UCI and Team Kids is so valuable that it has become the scalable model that Team Kids uses to implement its mission across the country. 

To celebrate and introduce this partnership to other institutions who might be interested in working with Team Kids, I’m excited to announce that UCI will be partnering with Team Kids for the Team Kids 25th Anniversary on Wednesday, June 25th, 2025, at the Rivian Theater in Laguna Beach, CA. This event will welcome leaders from education, public safety, and philanthropy from across the country to learn how meaningful collaboration can create healthy environments for young people to thrive and succeed.

During the event, Team Kids will highlight its partnership with UC Irvine and explain how other colleges and universities can replicate this model to make a real difference for children, as well as for their students and local communities. Additionally, Team Kids will share their plans for the future, highlighting the success of their community-based approach and outlining next steps. Together, through a collaborative, multi-sector collaboration, we can strengthen innovative strategies to address the most pressing issues facing young people today, including an unprecedented youth mental health crisis.

To listen to my full conversation with Julie, check out the latest episode of my podcast Conversations with the Vice Provost below: