Youth STEAM Advancement Initiative

K-12 STEAM education

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

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

In Los Angeles, thousands of students, especially Black, Latinx, foster, immigrant, and low-income youth attend underfunded schools with little access to quality STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education. These inequities are worsened by the digital divide, language barriers, unstable housing and lack of culturally relevant mentorship. As a result, students often graduate without the skills, confidence, or exposure needed to compete in the innovation economy. According to LAUSD data, math and science proficiency remains disproportionately low in historically marginalized communities. Without early, trauma-informed, equity-centered interventions, these youth remain underrepresented in tech, design, and STEM fields deepening cycles of poverty, unemployment, and systemic exclusion.

The Youth STEAM Advancement Initiative is a dynamic, trauma-informed program that addresses systemic barriers to education by combining hands-on STEAM learning with mentorship, mental health support, and career exploration. Designed for marginalized youth ages 12–18 including foster-involved, immigrant, and low-income students, our initiative engages participants in weekly afterschool and summer sessions focused on robotics, AI, coding, digital arts, and green technologies. These sessions are led by trained educators, industry professionals, and peer mentors who reflect the communities we serve.
Beyond technical training, youth participate in mental wellness workshops, one-on-one therapy sessions and SEL (social-emotional learning) activities that build resilience, confidence and self-advocacy. We host community showcases and exhibitions where students present their projects to families, local leaders, and employers, reinforcing real-world relevance.
This grant will enable us to expand to three new school sites in LA County, increase youth stipends, upgrade equipment and provide consistent access to culturally responsive, equity-centered education that builds both academic success and long-term career pathways.

If successful, EXPOSE will help close opportunity gaps in STEAM, tech, and creative industries for over 500 historically marginalized youth in Los Angeles. These students, many of whom face systemic barriers due to race, immigration status, foster care, or poverty will gain access to transformative education, mentorship, and mental wellness support. They’ll be equipped not only with technical skills but with confidence, purpose, and a vision for their future.
We expect measurable increases in school attendance, emotional resilience, leadership and postsecondary readiness. Over time, this model will help diversify LA’s innovation workforce, reduce cycles of poverty, and spark lasting systems change. Communities will benefit from more engaged youth, stronger school partnerships, and grassroots solutions that center healing, opportunity and hope.