Trauma to Triumph Through Solo Travel

Youth economic advancement

Central LA East LA South LA West LA San Fernando Valley Long Beach County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) Gateway Cities South Bay San Gabriel Valley Antelope Valley

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

Across Central, East, and South Central LA, plus South LA and the county’s valleys, 650,000 low-income adults aged 18-29 live at or below the 200% FPL (Federal Poverty Level). Many face domestic violence, gun crime, homelessness, foster care: 62% in South LA and 59% in South Central report ≥ 1 ACE—double the state rate. East LA has just 1 clinician per 3,200 residents, and provider ratios in the San Gabriel & Antelope Valleys sit 40% below the county norm; only 23% ever get consistent therapy. Unhealed trauma drives anxiety, job loss, and neighborhood violence, costing LA $5 Billion a year in lost productivity. Conventional workforce or clinical programs treat skills or symptoms in isolation; they rarely deliver the identity-shifting “I-can” moment that safe, purpose-driven solo travel sparks. Without a model that heals mind and builds real-world agency, young Angelenos stay locked in generational poverty, stunting the region’s inclusive growth.

Phase 1 Core Foundations Wks 1-8
• Weekly trauma therapy with TTT clinical team
• Financial coaching Wks 1-6 (World System Builder)
• Fitness / self-defense every other week
Goal: calm nervous system, master budget, reclaim body autonomy.
Phase 2 Skill-Up & Prep Wks 9-14
• Self-defense drills (5)
• Spanish & culture classes (4-6)
• Life-coaching check-ins
Goal: ensure safety, language confidence, purpose-driven plan.
Phase 3 Solo Journey Wks 15-16
• Fully funded 14-day overseas trip (e.g., Costa Rica)
• Participant manages $1.8 k stipend
• Daily reflections in TTT app
Goal: prove resilience, decision-making, cross-cultural savvy.
Phase 4 Reintegration Wk 17
• Final therapy + coaching session
• Résumé reframing & mock interviews (CTBC Bank volunteers)
Goal: convert gains into jobs, study, civic leadership.
Post-Grad Supports
3 mo free BetterHelp therapy, long-term financial mentorship & scholarship pathways (Modern Woodmen), lifetime Moodfit access, quarterly alumni circles.
Scale & Data Loop
LA2050 funds 24 scholarships and the weekly 12-item survey that tracks mental health, finances, purpose, confidence, fitness, and civic action from day 1 through 12 mo. Pilots: 100 % clinical improvement, 86 % ready to save/invest, 92 % clear life mission, 80 % log ≥ 30 volunteer hrs/yr.
Why STC stands out
Therapy, skill-building, and a solo trip unite to spark the “I-can” moment classroom programs miss, turning trauma into lasting economic and civic momentum.

Picture October 2026: twenty-four young Angelenos—from Boyle Heights to the Antelope Valley—return from solo service journeys as new community assets. Their clinical anxiety scores have plunged ≥ 40 %; median earnings have climbed from $24 k to $30 k (+25 %); and four-in-five now volunteer or organize locally—running South Bay park clean-ups, peer-mentoring foster youth in Central LA, and testifying at City Council on renter protections. Each graduate pledges to mentor ten peers, seeding an alumni corps of 500 change-agents by 2030 and creating a county-wide referral network that colleges, employers, and clinics rely on. Their stories—amplified through LA2050’s channels—prove that travel-based, trauma-informed care can break cycles of poverty and violence. As funders replicate the model, Los Angeles becomes the global epicenter of youth economic advancement through exploration, showing the nation how place-based innovation can rewrite generational narratives.