We are elated to share the news that 140 Angelenos between ages 14 and 24 have joined the second cohort of the LA2050 Youth Ambassador program!

The Youth Ambassadors will spread the word about voting in the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge to friends, family, and neighbors. (Stay tuned this spring for more news about the Grants Challenge!) In return, they will have the opportunity to learn about careers in social impact, receive outreach training, make a real impact on local issues – and be awarded a certificate that can be added to resumes or applications and will be eligible to win prizes of up to $500 in value.

The cohort represents 86 different communities from across Los Angeles County, including Compton, Long Beach, Culver City, Inglewood, Northridge, Pomona, San Pedro, and Central, East, and West Los Angeles. They are middle and high school students, college students, and young professionals who all share a common passion for serving their communities and a desire to learn more about social impact.

Last week, during our onboarding session, we asked our Youth Ambassadors to share what they were looking forward to learning or accomplishing in the program.

Here are five of our favorite responses:

• “I am looking forward to creating a safe environment and connecting with others.”

• “I want to learn how I can help give communities a voice.”

• “I strive to make a difference through mentorship.”

• “I want to learn about other communities in LA and the issues they face.”

• “I want to see positive changes within my community.”

We also asked what problems our Youth Ambassadors would like to see solved in their communities?

• “Drug awareness.”

• “Gang violence.”

• “Mental health support for students.”

• “The stigma around mental health.”

• “LGBTQ+ youth protection.”

• “Fighting hate together.”

We cannot wait to see what this years’ LA2050 Youth Ambassador cohort accomplishes through the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge and beyond! We’ll be posting more with and about them in the months ahead.