LEARNFreedom and Fashion Program
In partnership with two Los Angeles County transitional homes, we respectfully request support for our program which provides vital job skills, training, and professional and personal coaching to survivors of various injustices. Our participants transform their experiences that society would otherwise deem tragic into something beautiful. Our innovative approach helps them heal from the trauma of past abuse (sex trafficking, domestic violence,, homelessness, etc.).
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Expand existing program
Please list the organizations collaborating on this proposal.
The Hoving Home
CAST LA
If you are submitting a collaborative proposal, please describe the specific role of partner organizations in the project.
Our mission-aligned partner organizations are providing communications support for Freedom & Fashion programming, space for program activities, and access to interested participants. They will provide the location and students for us to teach.
We will partner with CAST LA, which is a Los Angeles–based nonprofit organization that is working to put an end to modern slavery and human trafficking through comprehensive, life-transforming services to survivors and a platform to advocate for groundbreaking policies and legislation.
We'll also partner with The Hoving Home which house and serve women ages 18 and over who have been impacted by domestic violence, trafficking, drug addiction, etc.
We work with our partners to administer surveys to evaluate program participant’s experience.
What is the need you’re responding to?
We are responding to 2 major issues which often intersect: human trafficking and domestic violence. When a person is trafficked by a person in the home, domestic violence also occurs. UNICEF USA confirms domestic violence in any home can very well become a 'push factor' that causes someone to become vulnerable to trafficking. Major hubs of slavery and abuse are centered in Los Angeles.
By combining creative job training with coaching methodology, our programs strengthen the right hemisphere of the brain which enables our students to create a new vision & accomplish aggressive goals. Fashion & beauty has proven to be a successful medium when engaging in life transforming lessons with survivors, regardless if they desire it as a career path or not.
Though physical safety is crucial, studies show that one cannot thrive until freedom is experienced in the mind. This grant will fill this void by acting as a pillar of support & as a platform for these young women, artists, and leaders.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
Our organizational history, experience, and diverse professional team of leaders makes our nonprofit uniquely suited to successfully achieve our program goals. Since 2008, our priority has been to champion, defend, and empower survivors of sex trafficking and other injustices.
In 2013, we incorporated direct impact programs designed to unlock each student’s gifts, talents, and expression through fashion and beauty. Our data and feedback proves our students break unhealthy cycles and create a new vision for their lives.
Our Executive Director, Laverne Delgado, has spent many years working in the fashion & personal coaching industry. Beyond this, she is a domestic violence survivor herself. With her unique past and training, she created a program that yields successful results and enables transformation. Additionally, our Board and volunteers are composed of highly skilled professionals (designers, creative directors, celebrity makeup artists, etc.) that are dedicated to our students.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 200
Indirect Impact: 3,000
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
Our program will not only provide vital workshops to 200 Los Angeles survivors, but will more broadly impact participants' abilities to become community leaders, advocates, and raise awareness around abuse. Our organization primarily serves women ages 16-60 breaking free from life-controlling situations. Our youth come from low-income households, in which many have substance abuse issues, histories of being commercially exploited, or criminal records. Beyond the grant period, graduates stay involved to mentor and help lead programming. These advocacy opportunities heighten awareness of current social issues, foster collaboration and celebrate our survivors’ stories of overcoming, inspiring 600 community members.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
Our vision of success for the program encompasses transforming survivors' lives, taking each of them from a place of discouragement and brokenness to a reality of confidence and inspiration. Since its inception, Freedom and Fashion has collected data as well as audio, video and written testimonies to evaluate the impact of its fashion and empowerment-centric mentorship programs in improving participants’ mental health and wellbeing. We plan to continue conducting diagnostic assessments of each participant, including annual surveys, session pre and post- evaluations, and partner questionnaires. The primary goals of the program include helping survivors enhance their health and well-being, building their advocacy and leadership skills to further their education, and helping them gain professional skills and experience that enable them to obtain an entry level position in the fashion industry. Freedom and Fashion plans to produce the following specific positive outcomes with objectively verifiable results:
90% of participants will report increased connectedness with the community, reduced loneliness, and a renewed sense of purpose.
90% of participants will become advocates for survivors of various injustices.
80% of program graduates will hold the skills that enable them to obtain an entry level position in the fashion industry.
80% of program graduates will hold a professional portfolio that supports them professionally.
Which of the LEARN metrics will your submission impact?
Arts education
Are there any other LA2050 goal categories that your proposal will impact?
LA is the best place to CREATE
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Host public events or gatherings
Communications support
Office space for meetings, events, or for staff
Capacity, including staff
Strategy assistance and implementation