Wildfire Relief: Uplifting the Experiences of LA Youth

Wildfire relief

Gateway Cities San Gabriel Valley South Bay

Applying a proven solution to a new issue or sector (using an existing model, tool, resource, strategy, etc. for a new purpose)

We are seeking to address wildfire relief by improving the social and emotional wellbeing of young people who experienced the fires in Altadena and Palisades communities. One of the major impacts of the fires is increased post-traumatic stress and challenges emotionally processing the experience. The full project–from story-building with students to publishing a final anthology–is designed to help them process their collective experiences, strengthen community bonds, and preserve their perspectives within the historical record. PLUS ME workshops honor identity, safety, support, and healing by taking an asset-based approach to positive youth development. We strive to begin relationships with youth that first identify what young people do well and then reinforce that behavior. By working with young people to collectively reflect on their experiences, identify generative lessons, and share their personal stories with each other we help rebuild their sense of agency and community.

This project will address wildfire relief by providing storytelling workshop series to 200 high school students who experienced the fires (100 in Altadena/Pasadena and 100 Palisades/Malibu), compiling final personal story submissions into a book, and hosting a launch celebration for both communities in Summer 2026.

The Storytellers PLUS ME workshop series teaches young people how to reflect on past experiences and turn them into a compelling and cohesive narrative. Over five sessions, the curriculum supports students with identifying and making meaning of the significant aspects of their life experiences by organizing them into characters, settings, events, and lessons. In Writers PLUS ME youth take their narrative draft and build on their writing skills to transform them into powerful personal statements for college applications. Each student leaves with a completed journal filled with small moments from their lives that have shaped who they are.

Those stories are compiled and edited (with student consent!) into a book and then published. We will host a launch event inviting both school communities to eat, receive a book, and listen to select students share their stories live. The final element of this project is to offer the compiled anthology to local and statewide archives, libraries, and museums to ensure the voices of this student community are preserved in perpetuity.

If this work is successful, Los Angeles County will see a renewed opportunity to learn from the unique experiences of this recurring seasonal trauma shared by all Angelenos–from the perspective of those most affected. We will also experience improved social ties for the high school students who experience our programming. At this time when youth mental health concerns and loneliness rates are at an all-time high, a trusted social network is more essential than ever. Finally, we will have added the essential and often overlooked voices of youth to the record about these historical fires. Future reflections on this moment will be more inclusive and therefore tell a fuller picture allowing clearer meaning to be made.

The culminating celebration launch will also allow more Angelenos to hear and/or read more about the direct impact of this natural disaster directly from youth to enhance their understanding of the impact this had on residents.