Creative Futures for LA Youth

Access to tech and creative industry employment

South LA

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

As someone who grew up in a low-income neighborhood, I know firsthand how little exposure many children have to creative industries. Students from marginalized communities are often discouraged from pursuing creative careers due to misconceptions about instability or lack of opportunity. Without access to affordable programs or role models in the arts, these pathways remain invisible. By increasing exposure and access, we can shift this narrative and empower children to pursue fulfilling, creative futures that they may not have previously considered possible.

This grant will support a yearlong series of six-week arts programs, divided into three age groups and running consecutively. Each session will focus on a different creative medium—such as fine arts, design, fashion—through hands-on projects that introduce students to real-world applications in the arts. Monthly guest artists will share their experiences and career journeys, offering mentorship and visibility into creative fields. The program will be hosted at our West Adams studio, a vital community space where students are encouraged to explore their creativity, build self-confidence, and envision career paths that once felt out of reach.

If successful, this program will help cultivate a generation of confident, creative thinkers from underrepresented communities across Los Angeles County. Students will gain early exposure to viable, fulfilling career options in the arts—ultimately leading to greater diversity in creative industries. By offering mentorship and access to a dedicated community art space, we help children build confidence, community, and vision. In the long term, this work can contribute to a more inclusive and culturally rich creative workforce in Los Angeles.