RISE (Resilience, Independence, Skills, Employment) Program

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

South LA

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

Inspire Together will serve youth (12-26) in South LA, where youth success is hindered by poverty, low rates of education, and, for our target populations, trauma and adverse childhood experiences. 29% of South LA residents have incomes below the poverty level, and 47% of South LA adults have less than a high school diploma. Outreach will be targeted to youth who are justice-involved, youth in foster care, youth who are homeless, LGBTQ youth, and survivors of trafficking.

To effectively support the youth served in progressing towards a stable, healthy adult life, we recognize the importance of addressing their immediate and long-term needs using a trauma-informed approach. The proposed program empowers young adults with leadership development training, and provides at-risk youth with life skills education to set them up for future success.

RISE will begin by providing 6 months of leadership training for 20 youth peer leaders (ages 18-26), helping them improve their public speaking skills, learn to use their experiences to serve others, and recognize their unique strengths.

Youth Peer Leaders will then work with Inspire Together staff to implement RISE for youth visiting the Youth Center. RISE will be implemented in 12-week cohorts, and will empower youth to identify their skills and strengths and tie their strengths to career exploration and community service. The program will support youth with employment soft skills (resume development, interview skills), as well as life skills such as budgeting, communications, and stress management.

The program will incorporate civic engagement training on how to register to vote, identify your elected officials, how a bill moves through the legislature, how to contact elected officials, and the importance of remaining engaged in your community.

The program will also incorporate substance abuse prevention training using the evidence-based curriculum “This is Not About Drugs” (TINAD). TINAD consists of six 45-minute lessons, covering the science of addiction, mindfulness, peer pressure, and the negative impacts of drug abuse.

In addition to RISE, youth will have access to resources at the Youth Center, including essential needs supports (food, clothing, hygiene supplies), case management, employment services, and referrals for housing and supportive services.

If RISE is successful, South LA will benefit from a new generation of empowered, civic-minded young leaders. Youth Peer Leaders will be equipped to use their lived experience to uplift others, while participants in RISE will gain the tools to pursue stable employment, manage life challenges, and engage in their communities. As youth develop job readiness, life skills, and knowledge of civic processes, they will become advocates for change and role models for their peers. The program will reduce substance use risk, increase community involvement, and foster long-term resilience, helping build safer, healthier, and more connected neighborhoods. The program will produce youth who are capable of securing and sustaining living-wage employment, and prepared to invest their time, talent, and treasures in their community. The program will contribute towards increasing employment, increasing civic engagement, and reducing poverty in South Los Angeles.