Saving Lives Through Creative, Impactful Storytelling

Community safety

Applying a proven solution to a new issue or sector (using an existing model, tool, resource, strategy, etc. for a new purpose)

Per the Department of Public Health, “accidents” are the leading cause of premature death in LA County, second only to cancer. Motor vehicle crashes make up more than 50% of accidental premature deaths. In LA City alone, traffic collisions are the #1 cause of death for youth aged 5-14 (LAUSD, LADOT) and the leading cause for U.S. teens (13-19). At SAFE, we work with victims of traffic violence daily and see its impact on families and communities—like 13-year-old Michael Leon, killed crossing the street with his family in Hawthorne on 10 Jan 2023; 15-year-old Pipé, hit in a crosswalk on his way to school in South LA and died 8 Nov 2023; or 5-year-old Patricio Chacon, killed in a crosswalk in Gardena on 1 Feb 2024. Car crash deaths in LA City now top homicides and have been getting worse every year, especially impacting youth and people of color. Our communities need safer roads, shifting the mindset away from a car-dependent LA to include public transit and other modes of travel.

Streets, Art, SAFE is a free, innovative program that educates youth on traffic safety while empowering them to educate their communities. Through creative and engaging methods, it encourages people to drive safely, to walk, bike, and use public transit, promoting more sustainable modes of transportation. Students start with a research project and then educate others on what they learned through one of two art forms: graphic design of a poster (newly being added this coming school year) or creating a 30-second PSA.
We provide mentorship from industry professionals, who give coaching on the student’s work at every stage. We make available educational opportunities (such as webinars and excursions) and a teacher’s Educator Guide to support students in making their PSAs or posters. To ensure as many students are acknowledged for their work as possible, the best video and poster PSAs are acknowledged by region, an element that was newly added last year.
The program culminates in a red-carpet Awards Ceremony, where top submissions receive trophies, certificates, and cash grants for both winning students and school art departments.
While we do have partnerships to distribute the PSAs on socials and at school seminars, we just launched a large campaign to get the posters and films distributed across the county, including at bus shelters, billboards, gas station TVs, CBS2/KCAL9, and Street Food Cinema.

Our vision for the success of this program is a safe LA County transportation system, where people are not solely reliant on their cars but can bike, walk, or take public transit to school, work, and play without fear or uncertainty. The youth of the last 20 years have grown up on Fast and Furious, which has encouraged some to be unsafe on our streets to be “cool.” A new, youth-centered approach will shift this messaging, raise their awareness, and educate others around them. Our plans to launch the graphic design competition and get the posters into use throughout the county as well as get the student’s brilliant PSAs into use will spread the message of safety and is proven to impact behavior. This year’s plan is to extend further into South LA, Long Beach, and more schools in neighborhoods on the High Injury Network. Our goal is to integrate this message into the fabric of growing up in LA County, reaching more and more schools every single year.

Student feedback underscores the program's impact. A student from Cleveland HS in Reseda said, “The competition seemed like a great opportunity to enhance my portfolio. I came to realize that I don't have full control over the drivers I'm near, so it's my responsibility to make sure that I can keep myself safe.” A Mountain View HS student said of her experience: “It takes a big responsibility to drive. I know a lot of people who have lost lives. We wanted to let people know it’s not a joke and is not a game. You can’t race in the streets. Be Careful.” An alum said, “This was the first project I did in high school that started my film career.” Testimonials like these are how we've seen the effectiveness of this learning method, prompting teachers to request a graphic design component.
We measure impact by student surveys and number of people reached through viewed posters and PSAs. We measure success by increased transit ridership and declining youth injuries and fatalities.