Soundworks: Uplifting Creative Futures for Overlooked Youth

Access to tech and creative industry employment

South LA

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

Justice-affected and transitional-aged foster youth in Los Angeles face systemic barriers to employment, education, and long-term wellbeing. Many lack stable housing, access to quality training, and networks that open doors to sustainable careers. These challenges are compounded by trauma, gaps in care, and a lack of pathways into sectors like the creative economy; industries that thrive in LA yet remain difficult to access for youth from under-resourced communities. Despite being deeply connected to music, media, and culture, these young people are rarely positioned behind the scenes as engineers, designers, or producers. According to LA County data, youth ages 18–24 remain among the most disconnected in terms of employment. We believe the intersection of technical skill-building, healing-centered mentorship, and creative expression can interrupt cycles of poverty. The time is now to equip our most vulnerable youth to participate fully, and lead, in LA’s creative economy.

Soundworks is a 5-month workforce development initiative designed to train transitional-aged foster and justice-affected youth ages 18-27 in sound engineering, video production, and lighting design. Participants complete a 200-hour intensive course at White Hall Arts Academy and partner facilities such as Ashanti United Church of Christ, The Grammy Museum, Solotech and AEG Worldwide events and venues throughout LA County. The curriculum includes live and recorded audio engineering,video and still camera operation, video editing, lighting systems, rigging safety, production software, and set-up protocols. After training, qualified participants will begin a paid apprenticeship at one of our partner venues, gaining real-world experience in concerts, community events, worship services, or live streams. We also integrate holistic supports: trauma-informed coaching, transportation and meal stipends, mental health referrals, and job placement assistance. The final two months culminate in a capstone project—youth will design and run a live event. Our model is rooted in culturally responsive education and community healing, merging technical excellence with purpose, creativity, and confidence. With existing partners like JCOD, Arts for Healing Justice Network, California Community Foundation/Liberty Hill Foundation, Solotech, AEG, and Sony Music Global’s Social Justice Fund, we are poised to scale this high-impact initiative and prepare youth for long-term careers.

Soundworks will empower 25 justice-affected and transitional-aged foster youth annually with career-ready skills in sound, video, and lighting—sectors where representation remains deeply unequal. Within one year, participants will gain paid experience, technical certifications, mentorship, and job placements in LA’s live entertainment and production venues. That immediate transformation—from disconnected to employed, from overlooked to in-demand—has ripple effects across housing stability, mental health, and long-term economic mobility. As we scale across LA County, Soundworks will build a workforce pipeline that reflects LA’s cultural brilliance and economic potential. Our vision is a creative economy that includes and uplifts those historically excluded—making LA not only a hub of innovation, but a model for equity-driven, healing-centered economic development. If successful, Soundworks will shift who gets to create, who gets to lead, and who gets to thrive.