This summer a group of high school students brought a whole new meaning to foreign exchange programs.

Wendy Rojas of Koreatown immersed herself in Sioux Falls, S.D. Expecting to see Mt. Rushmore, she instead found herself setting the record straight about her hometown. No, she explained to locals, her neighborhood is not overrun with gangs and rife with gunfire like they’d seen in the movies.

Maggie Quine of Kilgore, Texas, was just as shocked with what she had to clarify to L.A. teens visiting her hometown. No, Texans don’t get around on horseback.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

Experience the powerful firsthand accounts of formerly unhoused college students and young adults aging out of foster care.

When teens age out of the foster care system, the combined challenges of independent living can be overwhelming. Join us as we explore solutions that allow them to thrive and the transformative impact of community support on their lives.

Hear from housing innovator Sam Prater (founder of Los Angeles Room & Board) and acclaimed author David Ambroz, recognized as an American Champion of Change by President Obama. Guiding us through the evening is the talented actor, producer, director, and activist Shanola Hampton.

Learn more and RSVP here.

You’re invited to the 9th annual, I Matter-Girls Empowerment Conference on Saturday, October 7th, 2023!

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (LA County Parks) proudly presents the return of this FREE event, returning to East LA College for its 9th year. Girls ages 12-18 will get the opportunity to hear from powerful women innovators, educators, trailblazers and beyond! Girls will have an opportunity to connect with their peers and speakers to feel connected, inspired, and empowered.

LA County Parks will host an array of exciting and engaging workshops, panels, and keynote speakers. Girls are invited to join and participate in all events, including a Girl Power Lunch Party and Resource Fair!

Learn more and RSVP here.

As climate disasters hammer our communities, people are struggling for disaster relief, food, housing, energy, water, and more. In this workshop, disaster resilience expert Caroline Contillo will share case studies of communities that responded to disasters with mutual aid, community care, and collective resource-sharing, leading to grassroots struggles against extraction.

Together, we'll explore questions like: How can meeting our community's basic needs help advance our struggles for liberation? How can we collaborate more strategically, across regions and movements, to build alternative systems and consolidate our power against the fossil fuel industry? 

You will:

• Hear inspiring stories and case studies from BIPOC youth leaders across the U.S. who are organizing for their survival;

• Tune in to your own resilience through somatic / sensory awareness activities;

• And access a toolkit to begin planning climate survival programs in your area.

Learn more and RSVP here.

GIRLS WITH DREAMS

BECOME WOMEN WITH VISION

Powerful Speakers. Interactive Sessions. Live Music.

Saturday, October 9, 2021 //  Girls ages 12-18 //  Free Event

The 7th annual I Matter-Girls Empowerment Conference, where girls with dreams become women with vision will take place On October 9, 2021.

Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation presents a free event where girls ages 12-18 can join live and in-person from Loma Alta Park, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, and the Hacienda Heights Community Center. Participants will hear from powerful women innovators, educators, trailblazers and beyond! Girls will have an opportunity to connect with their peers and speakers to feel connected, inspired, and empowered.

LA County Parks will host workshops, panels, and keynote speakers. Girls are invited to join and participate in all events.

With Special Guest Mikaila Ulmer as Morning Keynote Speaker. Mikaila Ulmer is the founder and CEO of Me & the Bees Lemonade. She is a 17 year old entrepreneur who started her lemonade business at the age of 9.

Workshops will include:

• Women in Tech: Closing the gender gap to empower women and girls in leading the technology industry

• Step into your Power – Empowering girls and giving them direct access to opportunities for trainings, technical certifications, scholarships, and employment

• Girls and Women with Vision: Making Your Career Dreams Come True

• Pathways to College: A look into College Life and the steps needed to be successful

• Delete the Divide: Empowering girls and giving them direct access to opportunities for trainings, technical certifications, scholarships, and employment.

• Sports & Dance Workshops: Get active and participate in our Basketball, Lacrosse, Hip-Hop or Cheer clinics

Registration is free and required. Space is limited, so register today!

CLICK HERE for the Event Schedule. Subject to change.

REGISTER HERE: Loma Alta | Hacienda Heights | Earvin Magic Johnson

Find out more about the event here.

On Wednesday, July 22, at 1 p.m. Eastern, join Next City for our webinar with Brandon Klugman, Vote16USA Campaign Manager at Generation Citizen. Vote16USA is a national campaign to reduce the voting age to 16. During this webinar, Klugman will discuss the campaign’s successes and setbacks.

By the age of 16, many teens have begun to drive, started paying taxes on earnings from part-time jobs, and in some cases can be tried as adults in a court of law. But when it comes to voting, young people ages 16 – 17 are left out of the conversation, and that’s part of the reason why Vote16USA is advocating to reduce the voter age. 

Vote16USA supports high-school aged students and municipal leaders in advocating for 16- and 17-year-olds voting on a municipal level. The organization streamlines information by compiling and sharing policy data and research to help young would-be voters and civic leaders advocate for the reduction of municipal voting ages. 

Currently, Vote16USA has active campaigns in Culver City and Berkley, California, Brattleboro, VT, and Washington, D.C. In two campaign cities in Maryland, Takoma Park and Hyattsville, youth and leaders have been successful in lowering the voting age, and 16-year-olds have been able to vote in municipal elections since 2013 and 2015, respectively.

“Our democracy works best when more people participate in it,” says Klugman. “Now more than ever we need bold ideas to make sure young people participate in their local democracy today and for the rest of their lives.”

Klugman is the Vote16USA Campaign Manager at Generation Citizen. In this role, he leads the initiative to lower the voting age, including supporting youth-led campaigns, publishing resources for advocates, and leading a Youth Advisory Board made up of activists from around the country. 

This webinar is to pay what you wish to register. Pay any amount that you would like or nothing at all. Those who become sustaining members of at least $5 a month, or who make a one-time donation of at least $20, may receive “19 Best Solutions of 2019” — Next City’s solutions of the year magazine. Your contribution toward this seminar will be used to find even more amazing guests, cover hosting fees and organize seminars like this one more frequently. A video of the webinar will be made available to those who register.

RSVP here.

On Wednesday, July 1, at 1 p.m. Eastern, join Cindy Jurie, Ph.D, Director of Research and Special Projects at the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (ELCOC). During this webinar, Jurie will discuss how ELCOC stepped up to support child care providers through the pandemic. 

Despite child care services being listed as “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, early learning centers across the U.S. have seen a large number of closures. Providers have found themselves struggling to find supplies to help maintain a clean facility. Others have been faced with the daunting task of seeking financial assistance through the CARES Act. 

With the goal of supporting the early childhood community in Orange County throughout the pandemic, ELCOC assembled and distributed cleaning supplies to providers, eased confusion by regularly dispensed information related to the pandemic, and pivoted their business program to provide coronavirus relief consultations. 

With these supports in place Jurie has found that their community members are more hopeful of their ability to remain open, some of whom have begun to receive grant funding for their programs. 

“Orlando has a strong tradition of coming together in crisis to support our community,” says Jurie.  “Our Early Learning Coalition team has worked collaboratively with our child care community to ensure our children have the best care possible in this time of crisis.”

Jurie has worked in early childhood education  for over thirty years, as an infant/toddler/preschool teacher, director, Child Development Associates trainer and college instructor.  As Director of Research & Special Projects, Jurie has designed & implemented funded initiatives to support infant/toddler quality, early literacy, business support for directors, and early childhood mental health supports.  

This webinar is to pay what you wish to register. Pay any amount that you would like or nothing at all. Those who become sustaining members of at least $5 a month, or who make a one-time donation of at least $20, may receive “19 Best Solutions of 2019” — Next City’s solutions of the year magazine. Your contribution toward this seminar will be used to find even more amazing guests, cover hosting fees and organize seminars like this one more frequently. A video of the webinar will be made available to those who register.

Learn more about the event here and RSVP here.