GODSPELL 2024, THE REDEMPTION OF JUDAS

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

We are seeking to continuing to address the pervasive issue of self esteem and high self worth in those whom we serve. For years in our minority culture, the idea of being "somebody' and somebody very special has been quite an illusive creature in our communities. Since our inception in 1994 it has been top on our list and part and parcel of our mission to understand and hope to resolve some youth and young adult issues of self worth. We model teach and train by example and hold to the facts that through repetition and positive reinforcement we can achieve high goals and high standards with these youth and young adults. PALEF has become a well known place of refuge and a supporting, nurturing space to be a part of. Our way of helping to address these issues is also one of providing summer jobs for these youth and working very closely with each one's respective family and members to achieve some of these lofty goals. We have worked with over 3000 young people and continue.

This grant will support the arts and arts education and team building sessions for the 25 Youth and young adults in our organization during the summer of 2025. These sessions not only end in a culmination of a musical theater production, but in its wake, foster education , team-building and building leaders. These sessions or classes are taught by top professionals in the business of performing arts, its myriad disciplines and self esteem building... this 12 week program will also serve as a project to hone the participants social, interpersonal and ( communication) skills.PALEF is located in the South Los Angeles area with a demographic of 80% African-American and forty percent Latino. According to the 2014 census, this area of South Los Angeles had a population of 271,040. 61.0% of the residents were Hispanic or Latino, 28.7% were African American, and all considered communities of color. Given these demographics, PALEF is in the unique position to service these individuals of color in this community.Working very closely with this demographic and moving at least thirty of the young people and their respective families from a place of ‘at-risk’- and ‘poverty stricken’ to one of safe and sound is part of our mission and one of our goals. Success of this project and its programs, looks like our Participants continually working in ‘The Industry’ and understanding all that Hollywood has to offer them would really look like a success story to us at PALEF.

The most essential way Los Angeles County will be different is if we are successful in our work, is the fact that our projects and our dedication is to the community we have served for over three decades. It is also in our broad reaching arts and arts education programs in the communities we serve. One example of this would be in the top professional staff of experts, instructors, and dedicated support personnel with whom we work. Our instructors are well experienced and have something in excess of over fifty years of dedicated services to the youth and young adults, and an adept knowledge of their respective needs needs.During this granting period and funding cycle, in Los Angeles County, PALEF will host a series of non-profit organization strategic plan meetings and workshops with other local nonprofits. Sessions would support development of strategies for longevity of our organization, serving. We will use the services of experts in the field of successful nonprofit's management.

This project is the extension and unorthodox enhancement of a previous well known work of performance arts productions from Broadway of the early seventies, and re -imagining it from an essentially purely minority based community's point of view, as scene through the unusually progressive 'counter- cultural' lens of our well trained and prolifically avant- garde Artistic Director. When this project was in it 'stage reading' and later showcased and tested out earlier in our 2022 season ( during the pandemic), it was overwhelmingly well received by an especially selected mixed audience of professionals in the business as well as regular theater goers, and lauded for it innovation, creativity and fresh new millennials point of view. Targeting certain young adults and their peers by distributing 'evaluation surveys' at our events and season culminations is a huge part of how we are able to measure impact and give positive reinforcement to serve our organization and its members.