Signature Programs
Med-COR (Medical Counseling, Organizing, and Recruiting): $51,500
Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Millicent Dypiangco)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC (Joyce Richey)
Website: https://medcor.usc.edu/
Med-COR supports, motivates, and prepares students to be competititively eligible for college admission. Med-COR students are empowered to develop their goals, continue their education, and ultimately pursue careers in the healthcare profession. Students are supported with tutoring in science, math, and English, in addition to intensive SAT test preparation and career counseling. Admitted students begin the program in the ninth grade and commit to meet two Saturdays per month annually during the school year until graduation. Bravo Medical Magnet High School students can also participate in a six-week summer internship at Keck Hospital of USC on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
USC Kid Watch: $73,800
Community Partner: USC Family of Schools – UPC (Brenda Cortez)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/health-and-safety/kid-watch/
Kid Watch is a partnership between the Los Angeles Police Department-Southwest Division, the Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department, L.A. County Metro, USC Department of Public Safety, USC Civic Engagement and the USC Family of Schools at UPC. Since 1996, more than 1,253 USC Kid Watch community members have watched over approximately 9,000 children from the USC Family of Schools as they walk to and from school. The members are committed to our University Park neighborhood and community empowerment. In 2013-14, USC Kid Watch added emergency preparedness as a focus, sending members to Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) and developed partnerships with USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning, City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, and the City of Los Angeles Fire Department.
USC Thornton JazzReach: $39,900
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Thornton School of Music (Susan Helfter)
Website: https://music.usc.edu/departments/scholarly-and-professional-studies/outreach/schools/
JazzReach is a stimulating jazz enrichment program that provides weekly group/individual instruction and in-school concerts for students in the USC community and opportunities to gain teaching and administrative skills for the Thornton students. JazzReach provides high-quality, low-cost jazz programming to approximately 2,300 students and families from USC neighborhood schools, with 70 USC Thornton students serving as teachers. Nearly 233 neighborhood students participate in weekly classes and an additional 2,100 students and/or families experience concerts performed by Thornton jazz ensembles and JazzReach ensembles.
Arts Programs
After ‘Cool Theatre Program: $28,250
Community Partner: 24th STreet Theatre (Jay McAdams)
University Partner: USC School of Dramatic Arts (Brent Blair)
Website: http://www.24thstreet.org/arts-education/
24th STreet Theatre’s After ‘Cool Theatre Program provides after school, standards-based arts education programming for 75 neighborhood children, and leadership development and mentoring opportunities for up to 20 high school students. The after school program provides much needed arts education for children in grades K-8 and was recently expanded to include a teen mentoring element for older students and a two-week summer program called Summer ‘Cool. The year-long curriculum for the After ‘Cool program is set for maximum arts learning, with daily exercises that support student engagement and creative exploration. Students use improvisation to bring their stories to life and work toward a resolution. Throughout the program year, After ‘Cool participants work towards producing a culminating performance. The students help write the script and work with professional theatre artists on the production. The free perfomance is fully staged with cued lighting and sound.
Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center: $22,500
Community Partner: Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center (Fernando Pullum)
University Partner: USC Civic Engagement (Craig Keys)
Website: http://www.fernandopullumcommunityartscenter.org/
The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center (FPCAC) provides quality arts instruction to 300 students ages 5-18 in South Los Angeles. Working closely with local schools, FPCAC expands its programs to include 50 youth from neighborhoods surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses. World-renowned performers will provide music instruction and teach students to write and produce their own music. Youth will attend entertainment business workshops, and perform at community venues throughout the West Adams area.
Our Neighborhood: Youth Artists as Civic Leaders: $14,500
Community Partner: LA Commons, a project of Community Partners (Karen Mack)
University Partner: USC Office of Local Government Relations (David Galaviz)
Website: http://www.lacommons.org/
Leveraging the ongoing and successful partnership between USC’s Office of Local Government Relations, LA Commons and the EXPO Center, the Our Neighborhood: Youth Artists as Civic Leaders partnership uses an artistic approach with youth as leaders in an effort to address USC’s university-community initiatives to improve educational and health outcomes. The resulting visual narrative serves as both a reflection of the youths’ development and a tool to communicate key health concerns and solutions to policymakers and the community-at-large.
TEAM 24 Leadership Academy: $16,150
Community Partner: 24th STreet Theatre (Jay McAdams)
University Partner: USC School of Dramatic Arts (Brent Blair)
Website: http://www.24thstreet.org/arts-education/
TEAM 24 (Teen Enrichment And Mentoring) Leadership Academy is 24th STreet Theatre’s teen theatre program serving high school students. The program increases graduation rates while developing key leadership, workforce and critical-thinking skills of the students served. Students participate in professionally taught master classes in drama, conducted on 24th STreet Theatre’s stage. Teens participate in 30 weeks of performance workshops, one afternoon per week. They also work one day per week in 24th STreet Theatre’s free after-school program as student teachers and mentors, learning to serve as role models for the younger After ‘Cool students.
USC Thornton Outreach Program: $33,650
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Thornton School of Music (Susan Helfter)
Website: https://music.usc.edu/departments/scholarly-and-professional-studies/outreach/
The mission of the USC Thornton Outreach Program (TOP) is to provide high-quality music training and appreciation to students in the USC Community while developing the teaching, mentoring, and community engagement skills of Thornton students. Student education is enhanced through TOP mentors assisting our local teachers and existing in-school muisc programs and providing supplmental programming. During the 2015-16 school year, TOP will provide music programming for over 5,888 students and families in the USC neighborhood schools, delivered by 100 USC Thornton students. This includes 798 students participating in weekly music instruction and 5,090 constituents attending short-term music opportunities, and field trips to campus.
Education Programs
Adventures Ahead After School Program: $21,500
Community Partner: Redeemer Community Partnership (Lauren Tigrett)
University Partner: Richard Parks
Website: http://www.redeemercp.org/adventures-ahead/
Since 1996, Adventures Ahead has partnered with USC students, alumni, and staff to transform local elementary school students reading several grade levels behind into lifelong readers who can reach their full academic potential. Adventures Ahead offers an individualized reading curriculum to 30 students, nine hours per week during the academic year. An all-day, academically rigorous summer program also incorporates math, science, and health education. The program provides a 6:1 student to teacher ratio and supplements instruction with one-on-one reading buddies, many of whom are USC undergraduate volunteers.
Adventures in Robotics: $10,000
Community Partner: Redeemer Community Partnership (Lauren Tigrett)
University Partner: Mark Redekopp
Website: http://www.redeemercp.org/
Adventures in Robotics builds excitement about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) among elementary school students through engineering and programming mentorship experiences with members of the USC and Exposition Park community as part of a FIRST Lego League team. The program inspires local students to consider STEM related jobs and addresses the growing need for quality K-6 science programs.
Boyle Heights Beat Ramona Gardens/Bravo Magnet Project: $32,500
Community Partner: Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center (Scott Lee)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School of Journalism (Michelle Levander)
Website: https://www.boyleheightsbeat.com/
Boyle Heights Beat builds capacity and leadership skills for young storytellers by strengthening their research, writing, and analytic skills, as well as motivating and preparing them to pursue higher education. Launched by La Opinión and USC Annenberg, it has been hailed as a news model that could “close the widening inner-city information divide.” La Opinión trucks deliver the newspaper to 28,000 households in Boyle Heights. Another 8,500 copies are distributed in schools, cafes, churches and community centers. Youth reporters produce the print edition and adult contributors report for its sister websites in English and Spanish: boyleheightsbeat.com and pulsodeboyleheights.com. As part of the program’s commitment to serve as a voice for neighbors in the community, residents are also encouraged to share photos, illustrations, memories, poems and other contributions to the print and online edition.
Breed Street Shul History in a Box: $19,827
Community Partner: Breed Street Shul Project, Inc. (Orly Olivier)
University Partner: USC Center for Diversity and Democracy (George Sanchez)
Website: http://breedstreetshul.org/
History in a Box is a multifaceted program that includes educational activities at the site, in the classroom, and at home. It incorporates a wide range of participants including, primary and secondary students, educators, parents, USC students and faculty and community organizers. Led by USC interns, 3rd and 4th grade participants get to touch, examine and interpret historical objects and artifacts from their their community’s past. USC and high school interns lead activities that encourage particpating students to consider how buildings and landmarks like the Breed Street Shul connect us to a place and help us feel that we belong.
Coding and Robotics Mentoring Academy: $19,450
Community Partner: 32nd Street/USC Visual and Performing Arts Magnet (Nelly Cristales)
University Partner: VAST (USC Viterbi Adopt-a-School, Adopt-a-Teacher) (Katie Mills)
Website: https://viterbi.usc.edu/k-12/
The Coding and Robotics Mentoring Academy is a collaboration between the USC Viterbi School of Engineering K-12 VAST (Viterbi Adopt-a-School, Adopt-a-Teacher) program and three elementary schools in USC’s Family of Schools program (32nd Street/USC Visual and Performing Arts Magnet, Dr. Theodore T. Alexander Jr. Science Center School, and John W. Mack Elementary School). Fifth grade students connect with USC undergraduate mentors who engage them weekly in technology skills building and teach them to program and build innovative robots. Activities involve math and science, computer programming and teamwork.
Community-Based Social Work Interns: $56,500
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://www.foshaylc.org/
In this partnership between USC School of Social Work, USC Civic Engagement, and the USC Family of Schools, MSW interns will become integral members of the counseling teams that serve students and families in the community and at the USC Family of Schools. Once the interns are chosen from the USC School of Social Work’s graduate MSW program, they will work part-time during the 2015-2016 school year with one of ten University Park Campus Family of School as well as some of our USC programs, like the Neighborhood Academic Initiative and School for Early Childhood Education.
Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles: $26,125
Community Partner: Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles (Amanda Colligan)
University Partner: USC Rossier School of Education (Lawrence Picus)
Website: http://www.eccla.org
The Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles (ECCLA) seeks to enrich K-12 education for students and educators by creating a culture of resource sharing between local schools, museums, colleges and community resource providers. ECCLA fosters these connections through its Teacher Liaison Program, scholarship essay contests, and through coordinating field trips and other academic development programs. ECCLA also serves as a critical partner to USC Good Neighbors by serving as fiscal agent for many Good Neighbors programs.
Engineering for Health Academy 2015-16: $26,200
Community Partner: Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Maria Torres Flores)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC (Joseph Cocozza)
Website: http://bravoweb.lausd.net/eha
In an effort to promote and support science and engineering among pre-college students, the Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems Engineering Research Center and the newly founded Institute of Biotherapeutics have partnered with Bravo Medical Magnet High School to establish the Engineering for Health Academy. The Academy offers students in grades 10 through 12 a new and innovative multi-year course of study focused on biomedical engineering. Mentoring is a key component of the EHA, as is firsthand lab experience. USC graduate students meet with the high school students on a weekly basis to help them in their core EHA clasess. As seniors, EHA students are matched with laboratories at USC and become integral members of investigatory teams.
Expanding STARs Program: $26,600
Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Maria Torres Flores)
University Partner: USC School of Pharmacy (Roberta Diaz Brinton)
Website: http://pharmweb.usc.edu/USCSTAR/
The USC Science, Technology and Research (STAR) Program is a collaborative science education venture between the USC and Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School. Students working with USC researchers have the opportunity to collect and analyze data as well as to prepare a research presentation. The program provides mentorship training for college-bound STAR II students in order to mentor incoming STAR II students. Students also participate in seminar presentations, field trips, workshops, receive college admissions counseling, and participate in school health and science fairs.
HSC Science Fair: $17,295
Community Partner: Murchison Elementary School (Jeremiah Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC HSC Community Partnerships (Lourdes Ortega)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/about/our-neighborhoods/health-sciences/
The USC Health and Science Expo (Science Fair) is an annual, unique, interactive project that introduces 350 local students in the three elementary USC Family of Schools at HSC to science and health related principles, curriculum, and potential careers. The fair, to be held in April of 2016, will utilize HSC resources, including graduate students, to enhance the science and health curriculum of 5th grade students attending the three local elementary schools.
Jumpstart for Young Children: $15,675
Community Partner: Hoover Intergenerational Care, Inc. (Lara Lanoix-Brown)
University Partner: USC Volunteer Center (Thea Quigley)
Jumpstart’s mission is to ensure that every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. In addition to Jumpstart’s in-depth, in-classroom program, Jumpstart provides books and resources to parents and caregivers. Jumpstart Corps members also provide families with strategies to incorporate learning and literacy into everyday life. Jumpstart will reach more than 550 children, resulting in higher preschool quality and greater kindergarten readiness among children in the University Park neighborhood.
PressFriends: $6,000
Community Partner: PressFriends, a project of Community Partners (Debora Chan-Southwell)
University Partner: University of Southern California (Deborah Chan-Southwell)
Website: http://www.pressfriends.org/
Secondary and USC college students mentor 400-500 elementary students in afterschool programs in Title I schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, a public library, and a public aquarium. PressFriends aims to improve writing skills and self-esteem while exposing students to new opportunities in a safe and educational environment. The elementary students work on articles for their school or program newspaper in addition to participating in writing workshops and field trips.
Mission Science 2015-2016: $36,400
University Partner: Mission Science (Darin Gray)
University Partner: USC Viterbi School of Engineering (Larry Lim)
Website: https://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/ced/precollege/misson/
USC Mission Science provides five neighborhood elementary and one middle school’s students the opportunity to learn science, engineering, and technology on an informal, inquiry basis by providing hands-on projects, exhibits, simple experiments, machinery to take apart, and a workshop in which to work STEM themed-based projects and activities. Each session is led by a pair of USC undergraduates under the supervision of teachers, staff, and parent volunteers. Mission Scientists are equipped to be scientists, trained to use lab data, and earn Mission Science Merit Buttons.
Reading Makes A Difference: $23,800
Community Partner: The Jester & Pharley Phund (Barbara Saltzman)
University Partner: USC Dornsife/Joint Educational Project (Tina Koneazny)
Website: http://www.thejester.org
The Reading Makes A Difference program ignites an interest in reading and bolsters community engagement, aiming to raise test scores through a personal impact on elementary students. Their reading generates donations of “The Jester” book & doll to local hospitals in the name of the school and sponsor. A Recognition Assembly caps the five-week program when all reading logs have been tallied. Top readers are recognized with a special Jester Jingle certificate, special Jester & Pharley bookmark and Jester & Pharley button. In addition, the teacher of each top-reading classroom at every grade level is recognized with a special Jester Jingle certificate, bookmark and button.
Science Outreach: $6,000
Community Partner: Weemes Elementary (Lynn Brown)
University Partner: USC Science Outreach (Susumu Takahashi)
Website: http://www-scf.usc.edu/~scout/
Science Outreach (SCout) is a USC Student Organization with the goal of giving USC undergraduate and graduate volunteers the opportunity to present fun, entertaining, and safe science lessons to elementary school students. SCout is organized around weekly in-classroom volunteer sessions, in which volunteers are organized into groups of 5 to 7 volunteers per classroom. Sessions usually begin with a pop quiz on the concepts covered the previous week, followed by students conducting guided experiments such as making slime, launching bottle rockets, freezing objects with liquid nitrogen and extracting DNA from strawberries.
USC Bridges to Business Success Program: $23,750
Community Partner: U.S. Small Business Administration (Victor Parker)
University Partner: USC MBDA Los Angeles Business Center (Sergio Gascon)
Website: http://www.uscbridgesprogram.com/
The USC Bridges to Business Success Program (USC Bridges) provides specialized contract and procurement-focused business training to veteran and minority business owners in the real estate asset management industry. In partnership between Citi Community Development, Los Angeles Minority Business Development Agency Business Center (a program of the University of Southern California), the Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council, the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, and the Small Business Administration, USC Bridges builds the capacity of minorities and business owners to successfully secure and complete profitable contracts.
USC Department of Public Safety Cadets: $20,000
Community Partner: 32nd Street/USC Performing Arts Magnet (Ezequiel Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Department of Public Safety (John Thomas)
Website: http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/dps-cadets
The cadet program is designed to offer youth ages 13-20 with an opportunity to develop professional and academic skills that will help them throughout their lives while working with the Department of Public Safety officers and the surrounding community. The Cadets and Recruits perform under the supervision of full-time Department of Public Safety officers that serve as Post Advisers/mentors. By exposing the Cadets to a career path in law enforcement and/or becoming a USC (or college) student, the interaction offered to a Cadet has the potential to broaden employment and academic options within the University community.
USC Family of Schools Concurrent Enrollment: Dental Assistants Program: $46,000
Community Partners: West LA College and USC Family of Schools (Carmen Dones)
University Partner: USC Government Partnerships and Programs (Theda Douglas)
USC Family of Schools Concurrent Enrollment-Dental Assistant Program provides a health career pathway for junior and senior high school students while completing their high school diploma. Students attend 16 weeks of training for career readiness and partake in hands-on activities including taking radiographics and impressions, vital signs, and oral inspections, as well as sterilizing instruments, training in CPR, processing X-Ray procedures, administering fluoride treatment, educating patients on proper oral hygiene and maintaining records and office supplies.
USC Family of School Facilitators 2015-16: $79,550
Community Partners: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
The USC Family of Schools Facilitator grant streamlines the delivery of grant funded program activities at USC Family of Schools. The program supports part-time facilitators for schools located at the Health Sciences and University Park campuses who will ensure that programs reach the maximum number of students. Facilitators play a key role in meeting program goals by ensuring proper and timely information; availability of proper facilities; proper managmeent of USC students while on campus, and communication between all programs and those that take advantage of programs including teachers, parents, and students.
USC Kinder2College Program: $49,000
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/kinder-2-college/
The overarching goal of the Kinder2College program is to assist our Family of Schools Kindergarten teachers with struggling male readers. Kinder2College will work to achieve this goal by creating an environment in which 100 young K-3 grade boys learn to read, creating a community of practice amongst K-3 teachers, engaging the parents of students in family-specific training, and engaging USC students and USC NAI scholars in training that allows for the strategic tutoring needed for this project.
The USC NAI Saturday Academy, Providing Educational Equity: $71,000
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Mamie Funahashi)
University Partner: USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/college-access/nai/
The Neighborhood Academic Initiative program began as a college access and success program for students from the neighborhoods surrounding USC. In the new school year, NAI will continue the expansion to East Los Angeles by serving 240 students, 80 in each grade, 6th, 7th and 8th. NAI Saturday Academy takes place on the USC Campus over 21 Saturdays per academic year. Those who complete the rigorous, seven-year enrichment program, meet USC’s competitive admission requirements and choose to attend USC are rewarded with a 4.5 year full-tuition scholarship.
USC Penny Harvest Project: $48,000
Community Partner: Griffin Middle School (Leonel Angulo)
University Partner: USC HSC Community Partnerships (Lourdes Ortega)
The primary goal of the USC Penny Harvest project is to develop a sense of civic capacity and neighborhood participation by engaging teachers and students in philanthropic fundraising and discussions. Each of the schools will organize a student Leadership Roundtable that will plan for and implement Penny Harvest sessions to gather pennies, discuss philanthopy, make allocation recommendations, and carry out a service project. Seventy USC students will serve as assistant coaches and will help organize and facilitate the process, as well as engage students in the project and raising pennies.
USC ReadersPLUS: $90,000
Community Partner: JEP – USC ReadersPLUS (Bruce Onodera)
University Partner: USC Joint Educational Project (Tina Koneazny)
Website: http://www.dornsife.usc.edu/readersplus
USC ReadersPLUS has placed 80-100 USC students in neighborhood schools as academic tutors during the school day and in after school programming since 1997 beginning with the original five Family of Schools. Elementary literacy tutors engage in one-on-one tutoring in reading, writing and language development. Math mentors focus on helping students develop fundamental problem-solving skills, mastery of basic math facts, and deeper conceptual understanding. The after school curriculum is designed to provide homework help and enrichment activities in STEM through the WonderKids program alongside lessons in focus and self-control through Little Yoginis lessons.
Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative: $12,855
Community Partner: NFTE Greater Los Angeles (Estelle Reyes)
University Partner: The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (Patrick Henry)
Website: http://www.nfte.com
The Greif Center partners with The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship to provide entrepreneurship education at the USC Family School Foshay Learning Center. The Greif Center works with USC student volunteers to inspire 50 high school students by teaching them financial literacy and business skills within the motivating context of starting and operating a small business.
Health and Sports Programs
Cracking Down on Osteoporosis: $13,000
Community Partner: Proyecto Pastroal (Marlene Stang)
University Partner: Lambda Kappa Sigma – Lambda Chapter, USC School of Pharmacy (Cynthia Lieu)
Website: http://www.uscassp.org/organizations/lks/
Cracking Down on Osteoporosis increases awareness of osteoporosis in communities of Los Angeles by providing free bone density screenings, individualized counseling and education on ways to reduce the risk for osteoporosis and improve overall bone health. The project expands services in the Hispanic/Latino community by holding osteoporosis screenings and educational workshops at Proyecto Pastoral’s Centro de Alegria. USC School of Pharmacy faculty present an educational workshop on osteoporosis, followed by osteoporosis-screening event.
Youth HEAL Mobile Farm Stand: $52,250
Community Partner: Proyecto Jardin, A Project of Community Partners (Irene Pena)
University Partner: USC Department of Spanish & Portuguese (Sarah Jo Portnoy)
Website: http://www.proyectojardin.org/
The Youth HEAL Mobile Farm Stand project uses a bicycle driven farm stand to increase the presence of healthy, locally farmed foods in the Boyle Heights’ Ramona Gardens public housing development. Through interactions with local residents, the farm stand also acts as a vehicle for Proyecto Jardin and the USC Department of Spanish & Portuguese to educate, inspire and mobilize collective action for food justice through urban farming in conjunction with food justice advocacy.
Fotonovela on Immunization: $35,000
Community Partner: Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero Community Health Centers (Dr. Geoffrey Booth)
University Partner: USC – El Centro (William Vela)
Website: gbooth@clinicaromero.com
Fotonovela on Immunization is a project that develops, produces, and distributes a fotonovela, an effective health communication tool that tells a dramatic story using photographs and dialogue to increase knowledge on important health issues among Latino families in the neighborhoods surrounding the University Park Campus and the Health Sciences Campus of USC. Members of this project team will develop six fotonovelas that focus on reducing birth defects, demystifying immunization beliefs, and preventing diabetes, as well as understanding depression, dementia, childhood obesity, and breast cancer.
FUENTE Initiative: $7,725
Community Partner: HSC USC Family of Schools (Margarita Gutierrez)
University Partner: USC School of Pharmacy (Irving Steinberg)
Website: https://www.usc.edu/pharmacy
This project uses the educational resources of the University’s School of Pharmacy to coordinate pharmacists and student pharmacists to provide poison prevention education, appropriate drug use and self-management education and health screenings. The focus of the FUENTE Initiative is: 1) poison prevention and medication education for children and adults, 2) screening and health education information to improve adult awareness of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and 3) health awareness and preventive health behavior education for both adolescents and adults through health information fairs. The program is delivered at the East Los Angeles Occupational Center, the East Los Angeles Skills Center, at least 3 elementary schools (Murchison, Sheridan and Vermont Avenue Elementary) and a pharmacy where students operate screenings weekly.
Garden Gateway Nutrition Education Project: $29,150
Community Partner: Community Services Unlimited (Neelam Sharma)
University Partner: USC School of Cinematic Arts, Department of American Studies and Ethnicity (Kara Keeling)
Website: http://www.csuinc.org
The Garden Gateway Nutrition Education Project improves the health of children and adults by teaching gardening and healthy cooking skills that increase their opportunity to access and consume fresh fruits and vegetables. The Good Neighbors grant funds a two-series gardening and healthy cooking workshops–one for community residents of all ages, and the other for pre-school age children. By providing health education and training that increases consumption of fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods, instances of obesity and diabetes among community residents will be reduced.
Peace Camp/Peace Kids/Youth Leadership: $7,400
Community Partner: The Peace Center of United University Church (Susan Stouffer)
University Partner: USC – El Centro Chicano (William Vela)
Website: http://www.uuc-la.org/the-peace-center/
Peace Camp/Peace Kids/Youth Leadership programs offer year-round opportunities for more than 100 children, youth, and parents in the neighborhoods around USC to become leaders in peacemaking, conflict resolution, and violence prevention in order to create a safer community and world. Youth ages 15+ build leadership skills while leading children activities that address cyber-bullying, stress, and violence while studying peace and justice movements in Los Angeles and around the world.
Promotoras Contra la Violencia: $12,600
Community Partner: East Los Angeles Women’s Center (Stephanie Alvarado)
University Partner: USC Department of Emergency Medicine and USC Center for Trauma, Violence and Injury Prevention (Deidre Anglin)
Website: https://www.usc.edu/programs/ctvip
Housed in the new Wellness Center at the Historic General Hospital, this program is a project of the East Los Angeles Women’s Center that mobilizes, trains, and empowers women from the community to reach out to other women who are at risk or living with intimate partner violence (IPV). The Promotora model of community peers sharing similar experiences, culture and language as their service population has a proven track record of success. The Promotoras help to break the silence and isolation of survivors and helps to pave a way to find safety and healing for even the most isolated women in the community who have no other support systems or linkages to services.
Ramona Gardens Women’s Health Initiative: $32,900
Community Partner: Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero (Ingrid Estrada)
University Partner: USC Health Science Campus Community Partnerships (Zul Surani)
Website: http://www.clinicaromero.com/
The Ramona Gardens Women’s Health Initiative will apply a “promotora” educational model to improve the health outcomes of 300 women ages 18 to 60 living in the Ramona Gardens Housing Projects. Through health education training and case management services to ensure compliance with preventive health screenings, the Women’s Health Initiative aims increase women’s knowledge about how to prevent leading causes of death including heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes.
Trojan Kids Camp: $33,250
Community Partners: Kids in Sports Los Angeles (Zayda Garcia)
University Partner: USC Recreational Sports (Cynthia Brass)
Website: https://www.usc.edu/recsports
The mission of Trojan Kids Camp is to provide a healthy and safe lifestyle using quality sports and educational instruction to local youth between the ages of 9-15. The program also includes providing information about good nutrition to educate youth about obesity. Educational sessions in subjects such as robotics, math, science and English are also provided to support learning in various subjects.
USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van Prevention Program: $34,200
Community Partner: USC Partner of Schools (Paul Davidson)
University Partner: Community Oral Health Programs of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC (Carlos Sanchez and Linda Brookman)
Website: https://dentistry.usc.edu/community-programs/mobile-clinics/
The USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van Prevention Program is the only school-based mobile dental sealant and cavity prevention program in the City of Los Angeles, focusing on providing preventive dental care and education to the local community. The USC NMDVPP’s long-term goal is to reduce dental caries through preventive care among elementary school-aged children in local communities of Los Angeles. The program objective is to improve oral hygiene behaviors and raise awareness in the community regarding the importance of oral health care as it relates to an individual’s systemic health and quality of life.
USC PT Fit Families: $17,550
Community Partner: Murchison Elementary School (Jeremiah Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Physical Therapy Fit Families (Cheryl Resnik)
Website: http://pt.usc.edu/fit_families/
Fit Families provides pro-bono preventive and wellness physical therapy services to 6-17 year old children and their parents in the local community, either diagnosed with or at high risk for diabetes and conditions associated with physical inactivity. The grant supports a nine-month program that includes initial and discharge evaluations of activity level and cardiovascular fitness completed after participation in the six-week program. Development of a supportive family network is a crucial component of the Fit Families program, as families work together through health and exercise education modules.
USC Troy Camp: $58,700
Community Partner: UPC USC Family of Schools (Shirley Crout)
University Partner: USC Campus Activities (Lily Chowana-Bandhu)
Website: http://www.troycamp.org
USC Troy Camp is a student-led youth development organization that seeks to enrich the lives of children by broadening their horizons through long-term mentoring relationships with USC undergraduate students. With oversight from a small advisory board, USC students entirely operate this initiative, which begins in May with a weeklong summer camp at Idyllwild Pines in Idyllwild, CA. The 190 children who attend camp are third to fifth grade students from 19 partner schools in South Los Angeles. Counselors facilitate character development through daily programs, such as swimming, horseback riding, hiking, arts, and athletics. The mentoring relationship between counselors and campers continues after camp, with a series of monthly Kids Events. Throughout the school year, Troy Camp also hosts weekly tutoring and enrichment opportunities. To date, Troy Camp has served more than 11,000 children in the South Los Angeles Community.
Public Safety Programs
Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles: $50,000
Community Partner: Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles (Avis Ridley-Thomas)
University Partner: USC Civic Engagement (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://www.invla.org/
Formally adopted as a project of Community Partners in 2010, the Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles provides peer mediation services to schools throughout Los Angeles. The Institute seeks to establish and expand peer mediation at five schools in the USC service area, which include the Foshay Learning Center, John Mack Elementary School, John Muir Middle School, Norwood Elementary School, Weemes Elementary School, and Vermont Avenue School. Conflict resolution and peer mediation have a long history of helping individual students, and improving school climate. By extension, peer mediation can also improve families and communities by each household member learning constructive ways to resolve disputes.
Safe Streets-CHLA Injury Prevention Program: $43,800
Community Partner: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (Helen Arborgast)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC Pediatrics (Jeffrey Upperman)
Website: http://www.chla.org
In order to help decrease pediatric pedestrian injury in the community surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses, an educational campaign will be implemented, targeting elementary, junior high and high school students to learn about pedestrian and motor-vehicle related safety. USC students will be trained and then dispatched to the schools to provide age and culturally appropriate educational material. The culmination of the program will be a “Safe Streets” community fair hosted at both the University Park and Health Sciences campuses that will engage students, parents, teachers and other community members about pediatric pedestrian safety.