LEARNSkate-4-Education
The inner-city is known to be a high crime rate area, with high levels of gang and drug activity. The public schools are notorious for being over-crowded and underfunded. The majority of the inner-city youth interested in skating come from low-income or poverty stricken families; many from broken homes. We saw the inner-city youth as vulnerable group with too many chances to go down the wrong path so have created a program called 'Skate-4-Education" that trades skateboarding for education.
Briefly tell us a story that demonstrates how your organization turns inspiration into impact.
We opened The Garage Board Shop with the intention of using skateboarding to help keep low-income, under-served kids off of the street. Soon after the opening of our retail location, we created the non-profit The Urban Warehouse to expand our reach and impact. Over the past 12 years, we have worked with other non-profits and organizations to allow our members to take part in projects and events that would otherwise be outside of their financial reach. Our primary mission and ultimate goal is to liberate our members from the chains of poverty and stereotypes that come with being a part of low-income communities like our own. We work hard to instill a desire for a higher education, getting our members past k-12 and into an institution of higher learning is just as important as getting them to master tricks on a skateboard. Everything we do, is for the community. All of our events, from weekly food banks, toy drives, and our after-school tutoring program are tailored to the benefit of every member of our community.
Which of the LEARN metrics will your submission impact?
College matriculation rates
Proficiency in English and Language Arts and Math
Suspension and expulsion rates
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
East LA
LAUSD
How will your project make LA the best place to LEARN?
The goal of this project is to make sure that students are able to succeed through their academic life and ensure they pursue a higher education. Through this project we trade education for a variety of different extracurricular activities such as skateboarding, music, and art. We will let the youth use the resources in our facility which consist of an indoor skatepark, DJ room, and Silkscreening studio at no financial cost but with a cost of good grades proper sportsmanship. We will aim to serve the youth in the greater East Los Angeles area but we are welcome to work students from any area. East Los Angeles is know for the moderate to high crime rate, with high levels of drug infestation but more importantly the schools being over crowded and underfunded.
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Expand existing program (expanding and continuing ongoing successful projects)
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
Defining success means that our students are learning to activities such as music, art, and skateboarding. More importantly it means that our students are on top of their academic studies and on a path top college which is the ultimate goal.