140 LA2050 Youth Ambassadors, young Angelenos between the ages of 14 and 24, have officially started spreading the word about voting in the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge to friends, family, and neighbors!

Since the public voting period opened on April 6th, the LA2050 Youth Ambassador cohort has been hard at work – whether it's posting on social media, stopping by our pop-up activations, or bringing their materials to local marches!

We asked them to share why getting out the vote for the LA2050 Grants Challenge is important to them, as well as any creative methods they have used to engage their community. Here are some of the inspiring responses that they shared:

"A creative outreach tactic that I am using is simply bringing up a conversation. I believe that the strongest tool to personally connect with my friends and peers. This way I can actively engage with the people I surround myself with and connect with them on a deeper level discussing the pertinent issues that pervade in our community.” – Juri, age 17

“Voting is a crucial part of our world and is a way to represent yourself, being able to vote [in the LA2050 Grants Challenge] regardless of age is huge because I can finally be represented.” – Zachary, age 15

“I care about voting because its important to me for all to be represented so we can truly be a democracy here in Los Angeles.” – Lili, age 15

"I was inspired to become a youth ambassador when my school sent an email opportunity to sign up. When I found out that there is an organization that focuses specifically on issues regarding Los Angeles that truly cares about the opinions of the people that will be the future, I was very excited. I am very grateful for the opportunity to even have a say in what happens in Los Angeles because I am not yet able to vote. Having the opportunity to vote for issues and topics that I am passionate about made me feel like I am making a change even if that is filling out a survey and spreading the word. I also know that because LA is so large, many stories are untold. If I am a part of sharing those stories I feel accomplished." - Kayla, age 16

“One creative outreach tactic I am using is creating social media campaigns to reach a wider audience and engage with young people in my community. I believe that social media is a powerful tool that can be used to connect with others and spread important messages. During my outreach efforts, I had the opportunity to connect with many young people in my community and hear their perspectives on important issues. One cool experience was when I organized a voter registration drive at my school and was able to help many of my classmates register to vote for the first time. It was inspiring to see so many young people eager to get involved and make a difference.” – CJ, age 18

"It is important to lift every voice and make sure every Angeleno gets heard on what's important in their community." – Karen, age 16

“When filling out my LA2050 youth application, I promised myself and my community that I would make sure their voices are heard regarding issues that must be addressed to make LA a better place to live. To do so, I walked side by side with my LGBTQIA+ community during the drag march in solidarity against the overwhelming legislation targeting the drag community. Where I urged them to vote for LGBTQIA+ equity. I stood outside Compton City Hall during meetings, talked to students at Compton College, and walked around resource fairs in Compton, engaging my neighbors on the importance of making their voices heard. As a LA2050 Youth Ambassador, I take my role and responsibilities seriously, especially as I proudly represent Compton and the LGBTQIA+ community.” – Aaron, age 16

“Voting matters to me because my voice can be heard, I can help make a difference that will assist in changing Los Angeles.” – Journey, age 16

A few weeks ago, during our second meeting, we taught our Youth Ambassadors all about community engagement and outreach in preparation for public voting in the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge opening on April 6th.

Our Youth Ambassadors learned the three different approaches and purposes for community outreach, including:

• outreach to inform
• outreach to engage
• outreach to consult

Together they determined which practices and methods would be the most useful and effective when spreading the word about voting in the LA2050 Grants Challenge.

In breakout groups our Youth Ambassadors brainstormed the following:

What are some creative methods that you can use to reach your community with voting for the LA2050 Grants Challenge? Who? Where? How?

Here were a few of our favorite responses:

• “I will engage with the elders in my community who are known as information providers.”
• “We could contact our former schools, youth programs, and teachers.”
• “I will contact my elected representatives and share at council meetings.”
• “We could engage with people at bus stops, parks, family parties, and other places people frequent.”
• “I will use my position as Class President to reach my classmates.”

We are so impressed by this year’s cohort already, and are excited to see what they achieve through the rest of 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge and beyond! We’ll be posting more with and about them in the months ahead.