[The following final update was written by the organization and then sent to us for further sharing.]

Support through the LA2050 Grants Challenge has had a deep impact on the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN), the youth we serve, and the juvenile justice system in our region. More specifically, funds allowed us to expand our Youth Leadership Development (YLD) program for at-promise youth and systems-impacted youth, including foster youth, ages 12 to 26, in Los Angeles County. Over the grant period, YLD has provided these young people with healing-informed artmaking, youth-supported and youth-led advocacy, re-entry support, career and leadership development, skill-building, peer mentorship, and pathways for employment in the creative economy.

As well as overall programming, support has specifically helped the development of two of our YLD tracks: Capstone Projects and Leadership and Liberation (L&L) Fellowships. Capstone Projects allow youth to demonstrate skills learned during their time in other tracks of YLD through a self-directed arts-based research project that culminates in youth leading a presentation on their findings. These final reflections of youth experiences in YLD help to advance and strengthen career-oriented soft and hard skills. Our L&L Fellowships teach youth to engage in movement-building and encourage the development of leadership, storytelling as advocacy, and systems change while participating in activations and calls to action. Both tracks have greatly benefitted from the support provided through the LA2050 Grants Challenge, which has allowed us to provide further opportunities for the youth we serve.

During the grant period, we have expanded our programming to include 261 youth in the Our True Colors (OTC) weekly peer support group, an increase from 168 the previous year.

In the past year, we have also accomplished the following:

• Six youths have completed an L&L Fellowship.
• Eight youths have completed an Arts Fellowship.
• 21 youths have participated in our new Policy Study Hall, with approximately 15 youths each session.
• Five staff were trained in Positive Youth Development skills to support youth in our programs.

Additionally, seven youths have completed Capstone Projects. Titles for these projects included “Introvert vs. Extrovert,” which explored how these traits showed up in this young person’s fellowship experience, and “Pushed Out Locked In: Unpacking the School to Prison Pipeline,” a research project, which culminated in a poem, that discussed the origins of the school to prison nexus.

We are proud to report that we have also run approximately 100 hours of programming, collaborated with eight other organizations (in addition to AHJN members) and supported five youth-led activities and events.

Our YLD staff also completed the Promote, Raise, and Optimize (PRO) Positive Youth Development Certificate Program. The self-paced online training is designed to equip staff with tools to foster intentional skill-building and encourage thriving in young people ages 10 to 25. Grounded in the Positive Youth Development Framework, the PRO approach integrates practices from adolescent brain development, trauma-informed care, prevention science, and education to shift from risk-based models toward strength-based, science-driven engagement. Participants gain practical strategies, interactive learning tools, and a certificate from Cal State LA’s College of Professional and Global Education. Professional development that aligns with the needs of our youth and the values of our network is essential to ensure we are consistent across our entire organization, and that our staff are properly supported in the work they do.

We have been able to implement the majority of aims as described in our proposal, including overall expansion of YLD through our several tracks of programming. Our newest pursuit, Capstone Projects, has had a successful year. This track has given YLD alumni the opportunity to strengthen skills that can support their entrance into the creative economy.

New cohorts of the L&L Fellowship have been paused temporarily, in order to reassess our approach in meeting youth needs. This decision was made in response to the large number of youths interested in the fellowship, which has previously created a challenge in meeting the needs of all participants through L&L. However, we will launch a new cohort with additional changes aimed at balancing our capacity, resources, and youth feedback in February 2026. We already know of several youth who are eager to apply for that cohort and who are readying themselves for the work involved with the program.

As an additional way to support youth in the context of their own knowledge and experience in advocacy, we are pleased to report that we have recently introduced Policy Study Hall. This is an entry-level space created with Los Angeles Youth Uprising (LAYUP) for all young people interested in policy, systems, and broader political education. It has averaged 15 young people for the first two months, likely indicative of the number of attendees going forward. We are excited to be able to offer both L&L and Policy Study Hall, making hands-on advocacy, movement building, and political education accessible and inviting for youth at all levels of understanding and experience.

Since the beginning of the grant period, we have made some changes to our evaluation methods to ensure they are grounded in, and align with, the values of our member organizations. Most recent evaluations of our programming, including quantitative and qualitative surveys, discussions with youth, and overall assessments of our work and programs reveal the following additional details about our activities:

• In addition to the successes reported above in our cohort-structured program tracks, we are now averaging nearly 60 youth per meeting in our OTC programming.
• The majority of youth in Fellowships (over 85%) report that they feel supported by the AHJN community, including AHJN mentors, teaching artists, and community members.
• One in four youth who have completed an Arts Fellowship have been able to secure employment

In addition to our internal collaboration with our program youth and network members, we have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to build partnerships with many other entities and organizations. For example Hauser and Wirth, a community-focused gallery in Los Angeles, has worked with AHJN youth to help guide a cohort or provide mentorship within discrete projects. Recently, they hosted a kick-off dinner for youth beginning their Capstone Projects.

We are excited about the outcomes of our efforts and the expansion of our reach to at-promise and systems-impacted youth in Los Angeles County over the past year. We continue to work beside the youth in our programs to center their needs by providing healing-informed and youth-led support, mentorship, advocacy, and artmaking, all while building pathways for employment in the creative economy.

We plan to continue the new Policy Study Hall as well as the new framework of L&L, which will serve more youth over time in response to their needs, interests, and experiences. We are also excited to see the ongoing successes of our Capstone Projects track, where youth are gaining the skills of independent study, research, and presentation. AHJN will continue to be responsive to youth by mindfully expanding our programming and extending pathways to creative careers that meet youth where they are.