Let’s heal Hood Based Trauma together.

Community safety

South LA County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) LAUSD (select only if you have a district-wide partnership)

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

Through the Hood Summit and Check the Rhyme, we address the deep-rooted impact of hood-based trauma—normalized violence, broken homes, systemic neglect, and harmful media influence—on marginalized communities. Our programs create safe spaces for honest dialogue, healing, and cultural education. We recognize that trauma shows up in behavior, relationships, and identity, especially among youth. By fusing lived experience, artistic expression, and mental wellness, we empower participants to break cycles, reclaim their narrative, and build stronger futures rooted in truth and transformation.

This grant will support two core initiatives: The Hood Summit and Check the Rhyme Academy. The Hood Summit is a series of live community forums that tackle critical topics such as manhood, womanhood, family dynamics, and the influence of music and media on behavior. Each summit provides a healing-centered space where participants unpack generational trauma, share lived experiences, and engage in solution-driven dialogue rooted in cultural understanding. Check the Rhyme Academy is an 8-week youth program that explores the psychological impact of music—particularly Hip-Hop—on identity, emotions, and behavior. Through neuromusicology, lyric analysis, and creative expression, students learn to decode messaging, challenge destructive narratives, and use their voice as a tool for healing and empowerment. Both programs aim to transform pain into purpose, using culture, conversation, and community as vehicles for change in neighborhoods most affected by systemic harm.

If our work is successful, Los Angeles County will experience a measurable shift in youth behavior and community well-being. Through healing-centered education and cultural programming, we can reduce bullying, gang involvement, and drug use by addressing the root causes of trauma and identity loss. Our initiatives will empower youth with tools for emotional regulation, self-worth, and purpose, while reconnecting them with traditional values and cultural pride. The result will be safer schools, stronger families, and a new generation grounded in legacy, not survival.