Monarch Project for Young Immigrant Survivors

Immigrant and refugee support

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

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

Unaccompanied and undocumented immigrant youth in Los Angeles who have survived torture and persecution face barriers to mental health care and social integration. These children have experienced extreme trauma including psychological torture (84%), physical violence (69%), and sexual torture (34%), resulting in PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

These vulnerable youth encounter multiple barriers: language differences, limited healthcare access, extreme poverty (81% below FPL), cultural stigma around mental health, lack of specialized providers, transportation challenges, and separation from primary caregivers.

Without intervention, these youth face long-term risks to their development and well-being including educational disruption, social isolation, and inability to build healthy relationships. This perpetuates cycles of trauma and creates additional barriers to integration for a population that could otherwise contribute to Los Angeles' vibrant multicultural identity.

The Monarch Project applies PTV's 44+ years of expertise as North America's first torture rehabilitation center in a novel way - adapting specialized approaches for traumatized immigrant youth. Unlike traditional siloed services, our unified case management approach seamlessly connects mental health, medical care, and legal assistance to create a holistic healing environment. The Monarch Project has three interconnected components:
1. Specialized psychological services with therapists experienced in torture rehabilitation and child trauma, providing culturally-sensitive treatment for complex PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Sessions are offered in multiple languages with interpretation available in 25+ languages.
2. Our pioneering Scout Troop model led by Dr. Kendra Gorlitsky, PTV's Medical Director and an experienced Scout leader, provides structured activities that build resilience while creating normalized social experiences. This approach integrates the CASEL social-emotional learning framework with outdoor activities, tutoring, and peer relationship development—experiences otherwise inaccessible to these youth.
3. Comprehensive case management addressing emergency resource needs and connecting youth to legal, medical, and educational services while supporting guardians who often face economic hardship themselves.

Unaccompanied and undocumented immigrant youth in Los Angeles who have survived torture and persecution face barriers to mental health care and social integration. These children have experienced extreme trauma, resulting in PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Traumatized refugee youth are five times more likely to experience educational disruption and social isolation. Given cuts to immigration services/funding yet increased demand, PTV seeks to expand our innovative model with an additional Case Manager to coordinate wrap-around services and a Child Psychologist to provide trauma-informed therapy. After launching as a pilot and witnessing the profound impact our services and social-emotional learning approaches have on youth, the need for expansion is clear. By enhancing support and providing appropriate interventions for these youth, Los Angeles gains the contributions of these resilient young people who can become cultural bridges and future leaders in our multicultural community.