Empowering the Future: Encouraging Limitless Potential

Social support networks

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Limitless aims to create an environment where all youth, regardless of where they come from, feel empowered to advocate for themselves and their peers. By doing so, we believe that youth will develop a strong social network where they feel supported and encouraged to reach their limitless potential. Most adults have access to various social outlets, however many of our youth are limited to the social elements of the neighborhoods, schools and communities in which they are familiar with. Limitless hopes to eliminate the barriers placed in their path by offering programs to engage and encourage students to pursue all opportunities. By reaching young individuals early, we aim to prevent cycles of adversity and equip them with the tools necessary for success. Limitless offers mentorship, educational support, and recreational activities all of which we believe will foster resilience and provide a foundation for future achievement.

Limitless successfully completed our first 6-week pilot PE program with Animo Charter High School in Venice. As part of this program, we offered 30 students fitness classes once a week to subsidize their PE programming in school. These students come from neighborhoods within Los Angeles, often with no additional support outside of the school system. As part of this 6-week program, we offered fitness classes and by the end of that program we established relationships with the students where several of them have since reached out to come back and work out with us at the gym as a student of our youth program. This fall, we are launching our second and third cohorts with Homeboy Industries Teen Center and St. John’s domestic violence youth program. We will offer a similar structure with one day a week with the intention to expand to more days a week as the program progresses. Support from this grant would allow us to grow our program offerings to more than one day a week and to multiple programs around LA County. The ultimate goal is to invite students to become members of our program where they can develop leadership and mentorship skills in the hope that they will feel empowered to advocate for themselves and their peers in all aspects of life. We believe that not only will this program create positive social support networks, but it will help address safety within the community, with a huge emphasis on mental health and support for youth who are systems impacted.

If all youth in Los Angeles were provided with a safe and supportive community, they would feel empowered to advocate for their needs along with the needs of their peers. This inclusive environment would also encourage building healthy relationships with individuals who may not reside in the same demographic region as they do. This will ultimately lead to healthy relationships as they develop into young adults in the workforce where the ability to interact with people is critical to the success of their physical, mental and social well-being.

As part of DEUCE Community, Limitless intends to utilize a newly implemented CRM tool through Untapped Solutions. This platform will allow us to track the number of participants and programs offered under the youth program umbrella. Our staff will be able to maintain case notes and collect valuable data to help facilitate appropriate resource allocation. We also intend to utilize quarterly impact surveys designed in collaboration with our partner Stand Together. This survey will measure Net Transformation Scores, Net Empowerment Scores and Net Responsiveness Scores.