Since 1994, USC faculty, staff and friends have donated more than $23 million dollars to support local community programs. Congratulations to the Good Neighbors Campaign (GNC) grant awardees for the 2018-2019 academic year. Funded programs’ diverse scope of projects enables USC’s partnerships to impact various educational and scientific pathways. A couple of this year’s funded organizations include After ‘Cool Theatre Program and the Robotics and Coding Academy.
24th STreet Theatre’s After ‘Cool Theatre Program provides after-school, standards-based arts education programming for neighborhood children, as well as leadership development and mentorship opportunities for high school students. GNC funds are also prepping the techies of tomorrow through the Robotics and Coding Academy, which fosters a “culture of coding” among the USC Family of Schools community. Through this program, fourth and fifth-grade students work with USC undergraduate mentors to gain coding skills and learn how to build their own robots.
These are just a few of many programs partnering with USC through the Good Neighbors Campaign. Congratulations to all the organizations for all the work they do to advance educational, health, arts, public safety and economic programs in the vastly talented community. Thank you to the USC faculty, staff and friends who continue the university’s legacy of service and collaboration with our fellow neighbors by generously investing funds to make a difference in the lives of many.
Signature Programs
Boyle Heights Beat: $32,400
Community Partner: Boyle Heights YouthSource Center (Scott Lee)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School of Journalism (Michelle Levander)
Website: http://www.boyleheightsbeat.com/
Boyle Heights Beat builds capacity and leadership among young storytellers, strengthening their research, writing, and analytical skills, as well as motivating and preparing them to pursue higher education. Launched by La Opinión, The California Endowment, and USC Annenberg in 2010, Boyle Heights Beat has been hailed by the Associated Press as a new model that could “close the widening inner-city information divide.” La Opinión distributes the newspaper to 28,000 households in Boyle Heights and to community centers, churches, schools, and cafes. Another 8,500 copies are delivered in the 90033 ZIP code and to each apartment in the Ramona Gardens public housing complex. Youth reporters produce the print edition, while adult contributors report for its sister websites in English and Spanish: boyleheightsbeat.com and pulsodeboyleheights.com. As part of the program’s commitment to serving 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 editions.
USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van Prevention Program: $33,250
Community Partner: St. Agnes Parish School (Kevin Dempsey)
University Partner: USC Ostrow School of Dentistry, Community Oral Health Programs (Carlos Sanchez and Linda Brookman)
Website: http://dentistry.usc.edu/community-programs/mobile-clinics/
The USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van Prevention Program (NMDVPP) is the only school-based mobile dental sealant and cavity prevention program in the City of Los Angeles. The NMDVPP’s long-term goal is to reduce dental caries through preventive care among 200 elementary school children in the USC Family of Schools. The program will 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. Additional educational sessions will reach 3,000 children and community members and cover oral health, nutrition, and anti-tobacco education, in addition to oral cancer screenings.
Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative: $12,200
Community Partner: NFTE Greater Los Angeles (Kim Small)
University Partner: The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC Marshall School of Business (Patrick Henry)
Website: http://www.nfte.com
The Greif Center, The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and USC student volunteers will work together to provide an entrepreneurship course to 50 high school students at Foshay Learning Center. Participating students will learn financial literacy and business skills within the context of starting and operating a small business. NFTE students will also be invited to a USC Marshall entrepreneurship course for undergraduates and a day-long youth conference on entrepreneurship. The Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative will inspire students to stay in school, recognize business opportunities, and plan for successful futures.
Arts Programs
After ‘Cool Theatre Program: $20,000
Community Partner: 24th STreet Theatre (Jay McAdams)
University Partner: USC School of Dramatic Arts (Brent Blair)
Website: http://www.24thstreet.org/after-cool/
24th STreet Theatre’s After ‘Cool Theatre Program provides after-school, standards-based arts education programming for neighborhood children, as well as leadership development and mentorship opportunities for approximately 20 high school students. The after-school program provides much needed arts education for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, and was recently expanded to include both 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 designed for maximum arts learning, with daily exercises that support student engagement and creative exploration. Students use improvisation to bring their stories to life and improve their communication, collaborative, and problem-solving skills. The students help write the script and work with professional theatre artists on the original production. The culminating performance, fully staged with cued lighting and sound, is given to family members, community members, and University Park Campus residents.
Leadership Academy: $16,150
Community Partner: 24th Street Theatre (Jay McAdams)
University Partner: USC School of Dramatic Arts (Brent Blair)
Website: https://www.24thstreet.org/leadership-program
Leadership Academy is an after-school leadership development program that uses theatre arts to support academic achievement and prepare and encourage high school students to attend college. In this program, high school students participate in drama master classes taught by 24th Street Theatre Artistic Director Debbie Devine. Meeting on Wednesday afternoons from 3:00-5:00 p.m. for 30 weeks during the school year, the teens’ complete leadership development activities and theatre exercises designed to enhance their confidence and strengthen team building and creative skills. Moreover, participants volunteer one day per week for 2.5 hours as teen mentors for the 60 students participating in the theatre’s After ‘Cool extracurricular arts program. The program also provides development resources including mock interviews, financial literal assistance, etc. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase high school graduation rates and prepare as well as encouraging youth to attend college.
USC Kaufman Connections: $10,600
Community Partner: 32nd Street/USC Visual & Performing Arts Magnet K-5 (Nelly Cristales)
University Partner: USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance (Tiffany Bong)
Website: https://kaufman.usc.edu/collaborations/kaufman-connections/
USC Kaufman Connections is a 24-week, hip-hop-oriented dance program that introduces students to choreographic process, prepares them for their annual arts showcase, increases teacher aptitude in integrating dance into their curriculum, and offers an ample service-learning opportunity for Kaufman students. Throughout the school year, Kaufman’s partnership with its neighbor ensures that all 264 elementary students in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade receive 24-weeks of integrated dance instruction for one hour per week during regular school hours. The fall semester focuses on the study of dance vocabulary and elements, the development of basic skills in physical coordination, and performance. The spring classes promote a deeper level of personal inquiry and creative study, as Kaufman teaching artists guide students to incorporate the choreographic process, critical thinking, and community practice into their own student-designed group works. The program offers students the opportunity to work closely with USC Kaufman students as well as developing important social, emotional and cognitive skills.
USC Thornton JazzReach: $37,400
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/community-engagement/schools/
JazzReach is a stimulating jazz enrichment program that provides weekly group/individual instruction and in-school concerts for students in the USC community, while also creating opportunities for USC Thornton students to gain teaching and administrative skills. JazzReach provides high-quality, low-cost jazz programming to more than 2,300 students and families from USC neighborhood schools, with almost 70 USC Thornton students serving as teachers. More than 260 neighborhood students participate in weekly classes and an additional 2,100 students and/or families experience concerts performed by USC Thornton jazz ensembles and JazzReach ensembles.
USC Thornton Outreach Program: $30, 400
Community Partner: Vermont Avenue Elementary School (Patricia Ferguson)
University Partner: USC Thornton School of Music (Susan Helfter)
Website: https://music.usc.edu/departments/scholarly-and-professional-studies/community-engagement/
The USC Thornton Outreach Program (TOP) is a diverse and far-reaching music education-oriented program that supports local in-school music programs with supplemental learning opportunities for students in the community and significant service-learning opportunities for Thornton students. The mission of the USC Thornton Outreach Program (TOP) is to provide low or no-cost, high-quality music-learning opportunities to underserved students in the USC community while developing, concurrently, the teaching, mentoring, and community engagement skills of USC Thornton students. USC Thornton students in TOP are called “mentors,” given the role they play for the younger students in the community. Student learning is enhanced through TOP mentors assisting our local teachers, current in-school music programs and providing supplemental programming in schools where possible. One of the main goals of the TOP program is to facilitate student learning of core musical skills and knowledge through vocal and instrumental music-making.
RAD in the Neighborhood: $17,800
Community Partner: California African American Museum (Conseulo Velasco Montoya)
University Partner: USC Roski School of Art and Design (Suzanne Lacy)
RAD in the Neighborhood is an ongoing partnership between the California African American Museum and USC Roski. It provides a weekly after-school visual arts and design program for students from nearby Ánimo Jackie Robinson High School. Taught by Roski volunteer faculty and graduate students with the assistance of volunteer undergraduate mentors, the program includes instruction in a variety of artistic 2 and 3-dimensional media such as creating sculptures, ceramics, and graphic novels. By offering high-quality, year-round, weekly after-school visual arts and design programming and mentorship, RAD in the Neighborhood aims to strengthen the high school-to-college pipeline through art and design education and instill an understanding of the professional pathways.
Education Programs
Adventures Ahead After-School Program: $21,400
Community Partner: Redeemer Community Partnership (Lauren Tigrett)
University Partner: USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation (Richard Parks)
Website: http://www.redeemercp.org/#!adventures-ahead/c1tkp
Since 1996, Adventures Ahead has partnered with USC students, alumni, and staff to transform local elementary school students who are reading several grade levels behind into lifelong readers who are prepared to reach their full academic potential. Adventures Ahead offers an individualized reading curriculum to 30 students for 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.
BOTS Building Opportunities with Teachers in Schools: $20,500
Community Partner: Murchison Elementary School (Jeremiah Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Viterbi School of Engineering (Katie Mills)
Website: https://viterbipk12.usc.edu/bots
Building Opportunities with Teachers in Schools (BOTS) fosters digital equity in three East LA elementary schools serving low-income neighborhoods. USC Viterbi supports 10 1stand 2ndgrade teachers by boosting their ability and self-confidence to teach coding and introduce robots as authentic, real-world digital learning opportunities. Participants co-create a teacher-centric, sustainable, and scalable program to enhance computational skills for urban schools. The program hopes to create affordable in-school robotics, develop student computational thinking, and support LAUSD Tech goals.
Community Applying Systematics STEM Education to Schools (Community ASSETS or C-ASSETS): $55,000
Community Partner: Norwood Elementary School (Irene Worrell)
University Partner: USC Viterbi School of Engineering, STEM Educational Outreach Programs (Rochelle Urban)
Website: https://dornsife.usc.edu/joint-educational-project/young-scientists-program/
Combining the successes of the Young Scientists Program and Mission Science, the C-ASSETS program provides opportunities for students in their USC neighborhood elementary schools to engage in authentic, hands-on, standards-aligned science and engineering experiences. The program supports events including field trips to local STEM institutions and a special after-school workshop about biotech and cancer science. The goal of the program is to cultivate and nurture students’ interest in STEM in order to contribute to a K-12 pipeline of underrepresented and disadvantaged students who wants to pursue STEM as a major in college and embark upon careers in STEM.
Digital Promotoras: $20,000
Community Partner: Las Fotos Project (Eric Ibarra)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (Amara Aguilar)
Website: http://lasfotosproject.org/
Digital Promotoras empowers girls to become agents of change in their communities by providing photography and storytelling tools to capture and share stories. They document health disparities in their community and use social media to raise awareness and share resources to help find a solution. The program is modeled after the culturally and linguistically competent community-based health education “promotora” model with an infusion of artistic expression through participatory photography, digital media storytelling, and social media. The Digital Promotora Program aims to enhance community engagement and address the cultural stigma held in Latino communities in talking about health and diseases, specifically related to obesity and diabetes. By using photography and digital media storytelling as a tool to identify and address health disparities, 12 Digital Promotoras create photography exhibitions, multimedia screenings and social platforms that showcase stories about local residents affected by these chronic diseases.
Empowerment for Independent Living: $18,000
Community Partner: Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (Johnson Ng)
University Partner: USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology (Maria Henke)
Website: http://gero.usc.edu/
PACE partners with the USC Davis School to train 40 individuals from the UPC & HSC areas to become certified & registered home care providers serving LA’s growing senior community. The program creates living wage jobs with benefits & a career ladder in the high growth healthcare industry. Participants undergo a 2-month specialized, home care aide training program utilizing curriculum which has been developed in-house by PACE in partnership with our wholly-owned healthcare subsidiary, PACE Care. Upon successful completion of the training, participants receive certification and are registered in the State of California Department of Social Services caregiver’s database. One of PACE’s main goals is to enhance the quality of life for older adults in our community by training home care providers to assist them in their homes, thus allowing seniors to remain in their homes surrounded by friends and family.
Expanding STAR/EHA Program: $48,000
Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Luis Lopez)
University Partner: University of Southern California School of Pharmacy (Daryl Davies)
Website: http://www.uscstar.org/
USC Science, Technology and Research (STAR)/ Engineering for Health Academy (EHA) program prepares high school students, including underrepresented minorities, for careers in life sciences, biomedical engineering & biotherapeutics. Key components of the program include mentoring and hands-on experiences. The main goal for this project is to provide life science and bio-engineering/biomedical education for inner-city high school students. Students conduct their own research project with a mentor who guides them through hands-on scientific investigation and discovery. Additionally, students gain exposure to an inquiry-based and problem-solving learning environment that facilitates science literacy.
Health Science Mentors Mentoring Juvenile Hall Kids: $14,440
Community Partner: Detention Services Bureau (Dalila Alcantar)
University Partner: USC Health Science Mentors (Eugene Moon)
HSM goal is to provide sustained attention, encouragement, and guidance to incarcerated teenagers to imbue better judgment, improve behavior, and embrace a more positive attitude. The program provides mentor-based guidance and fosters professional development for disadvantaged youth to prepare for work or college after high school. The program offers advisement at the Central Juvenile Hall Facility, located directly across the street from HSC. From the past, the program has witnessed positive incremental outcomes and significant changes from mentoring troubled youth. The program envisions similar improvements from incarcerated youth including reduced recidivism, greater interest in finding a career path, integration into the community, and a more positive outlook on life. At the end of the program, the coordinators will measure the impact of the mentorship with surveys to understand what can be improved.
Med-COR (Medical Counseling, Organizing, and Recruiting): $51,300
Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Millicent Dypiangco)
University Partner: USC Keck School of Medicine (Joyce Richey)
Website: http://medcor.usc.edu/
Med-COR supports, motivates, and prepares students to be competitively eligible for college admission. Students are empowered to develop their goals, continue their education, and ultimately pursue careers in the healthcare profession. Med-COR provides students with tutoring in science, math, English, and SAT test preparation, in addition to intensive career counseling. Admitted students begin the program in the ninth grade and commit to meet two Saturdays per month annually during each school year until graduation. Currently, Med-COR is integrated into four high schools in LAUSD: Bravo Medical Magnet High School, King Drew Medical Magnet High School, Orthopedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School, and Van Nuys Medical Magnet High School. Select students also participate in a six-week work/study experience at Keck Hospital of USC and at LA County + USC Medical Center.
Personalized Medicine and Community Health Disease Program: $20,800
Community Partner: UNITE-LA (Brian Boyle)
University Partner: USC Viterbi School of Engineering (Megan McCain)
To expose students to real-world biotech careers, the program conducts a 10th-grade community health disease project that examines health disparities in South Los Angeles and educates how personalized medicine impacts disease treatment. Participants are selected students from Orthopaedic Medical Magnet High School who demonstrated an interest in healthcare and biotech career. Professionals in the related field speak to students about their career path, invite them to the workspace, and advise them on their projects. On the other hand, McCain Laboratory at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering helps develop experiences for students that build their interest and proficiency in the biosciences as well. The program hopes to provide career awareness, exploration, preparation and training to students with the goals of cultivating interest and proficiency for high-growth, high-wage careers in Los Angeles.
Reading Makes A Difference: $22,600
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, bolsters community engagement, and boosts standardized test scores among elementary school students in the USC Family of Schools. After a three-week, school-wide Read-A-Thon, students’ reading logs are tallied. The more that a participating student reads, the more donations of “The Jester” book and doll are made to local hospitals in the name of the student’s school and sponsor. During a Recognition Assembly, top readers are recognized with special Jester Jingle certificates, bookmarks, and buttons. The teacher of the top-reading classroom at each grade level is similarly recognized.
Robotics and Coding Academy: $18,000
Community Partner: 32nd Street/USC Visual and Performing Arts Magnet (Nelly Cristales)
University Partner: VAST (USC Viterbi Adopt-a-School, Adopt-a-Teacher) (Gisele Ragusa)
Website: http://viterbi.usc.edu/k-12/coding/robotics-coding-academy/
The Robotics and Coding 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. The Academy is intended to foster an inter-school cohort of coders and a “culture of coding” among the USC Family of Schools community. Each week, fourth and fifth grade students work with USC undergraduate mentors to gain technology skills and learn to program and build robots. Activities improve participants’ skills in math, science, coding, computational thinking, and teamwork.
STEM-After School: $5,275
Community Partner: Legacy LA (Maria Lou Calanche)
University Partner: STEM Community Outreach for Graduate Students (Lauren Bobzin)
Website: http://www.legacyla.org/
STEM After-School is a major project of the USC STEM Community Outreach for Graduate Students (SCOGS) which focuses on utilizing the experience and knowledge of the USC graduate school students to provide tutoring, homework help, and hands-on experience to middle school- aged children. USC graduate students volunteer as members of SCOGS to provide homework help, lead hands-on experiments and activities, and to act as professional role-models to middle school students participating in the Legacy LA after-school program. Students in this program are from schools with large minority populations, and are often first-generation U.S. citizens. One of STEM’s main goals for this year is to help maintain or increase the grades of 80% of their participants in STEM topics.
Trojan Kids Camp: $30,000
Community Partner: The Peace Center of United University Church (Susan Stouffer)
University Partner: USC Trojan Kids Camp (Cynthia Brass)
Website: http://www.redeemercp.org/#!adventures-ahead/c1tkp
The mission of Trojan Kids Camp is to provide a healthy and safe life style using quality sports and educational instruction to the youth. The mission also includes providing information about good nutrition to fight the obesity issue in youth. Trojan Kids Camp is a continuation of the NYSP program that was started in 1967 and used to be a federally funded program run at 106 different institutes throughout the country. The program has the following targets: educate the youth about healthy life styles through active participation in sports and proper nutrition; serve underserved youth between the ages of 9-15 years of age; provide a health start through good nutrition and physical fitness. Another goal is to teach youth-centered activities and educational session in a safe and positive college/university environment.
USC Community-Based Social Work Interns: $53,000
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://www.foshaylc.org/
In this partnership between the USC School of Social Work, USC Civic Engagement, and the USC Family of Schools, Master of Social Work interns become integral members of the counseling teams serving students and families in the community. Once the interns are chosen from the USC Master of Social Work program, they work part-time during the 2017-18 school year with one of the ten schools that make up the University Park Campus Family of Schools, as well as with USC’s Neighborhood Academic Initiative and School for Early Childhood Education. The program has mutual benefits, giving USC graduate students the opportunity to gain experience in their field while providing a much-needed resource to the local community.
USC Eye Care 2017-2018: $17,750
Community Partner: Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Luis Lopez)
University Partner: USC Ophthalmology (Joseph Cocozza)
Website: https://eye.keckmedicine.org/otep/
USC Eye Care, an economic development project provides job training in a specialized allied health field, and educational outreach on eye care to local K-12 students and their families. This years goals for USC Eye Care are to the address the vision and eye care needs of the communities surrounding the USC campuses and to train the next generation of ophthalmic technicians. USC Eye Care will enable OTEP students to provide vision and eye care to residents of the neighborhoods surrounding USC as well as disseminate information about the educational and professional requirements necessary for certification as an ophthalmic technician.
USC Family of Schools Concurrent Enrollment Clinical Medical Assistant Certicate Program: $46,000
Community Partner: West Los Angeles College (Carmen Dones)
University Partner: USC Government Partnerships and Programs (Theda Douglas)
The program is designed as a pipeline for student participants to get a better understanding of the medical profession. It provides medical training in emergency and first-aid procedures, from which students assist doctors with medical procedures, blood pressure, lab work and front office training. Participants attend class for 15 weeks and a total of 180 hours to achieve ‘Basic Medical Skill Certificates. After receiving the certificate, they can begin internships for 6-10 weeks in a medical facility. The purpose of the program is to expand the high school experience to include relevant career-path opportunities in allied-health occupations and job-ready skills to high school students in the 11th and 12th grades.
USC Family of Schools Facilitators 2016-2017: $76,000
Community Partners: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
USC Family of Schools Facilitators streamline the delivery of grant-funded program activities at USC Family of Schools. The program supports 12 part-time facilitators for schools located near the Health Sciences and University Park campuses who ensure that programs reach the maximum number of students, teachers, and families. Facilitators play a key role in meeting program goals by ensuring: collection and distribution of accurate and timely information; availability of suitable facilities; efficient management of USC student partners; and communication between stakeholders of all programs.
USC Kinder2College Program: $35,000
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://communities.usc.edu/kinder-2-college/
The Kinder2College program is designed to assist kindergarten teachers at seven schools among the USC Family of Schools in helping male students who struggle with reading. Kinder2College works to achieve this goal by creating an environment in which 100 young kindergarten through third grade boys learn to read, building a community of practice amongst teachers, engaging students’ parents in family-specific training, and engaging USC students and USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative scholars-in-training for strategic tutoring of elementary school students.
The USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI) Saturday Academy: $67,450
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://communities.usc.edu/college-access/nai/
The Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI) is a college access and preparedness program for students from the neighborhoods surrounding USC. In Fall ’17, NAI will continue its expansion into East Los Angeles, serving students in grades 6-10, as well as continuing its offerings to 6-12thgrade students in South Los Angeles near the University Park Campus. The NAI Saturday Academy takes place on the USC campus over 21 Saturdays per academic year, where students will take part in 3 academic classes in English, math and science. Those students 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 ReadersPLUS: $85,500
Community Partner: Theodore Alexander Science Center (Norma Spence)
University Partner: USC Joint Educational Project (Tina Koneazny)
Website: http://www.dornsife.usc.edu/readersplus
Since 1997, ReadersPLUS has placed approximately 90 USC students in neighborhood schools as in-school and after-school academic tutors. Literacy tutors engage elementary students one-on-one to help them develop their reading, writing, and language skills. Math mentors help elementary students develop fundamental problem-solving skills, mastery of basic math, and a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. From its inception, the program has placed approximately 60-90 trained work-study students each semester in partner schools, having provided a total of over 30,000 hours of individualized tutoring to approximately 500-800 students in our neighborhood schools each year. The after-school curriculum includes homework help, enrichment activities in STEM subjects through the WonderKids program, and lessons in focus and self-control through Little Yoginis. ReadersPLUS also organizes an annual writing contest and an interactive booth for the LA Times Festival of Books.
USC Science Outreach: $5,700
Community Partner: 32nd Street/USC Visual & Performing Arts Magnet (Nelly Cristales)
University Partner: USC Science Outreach (Susumu Takahashi)
Website: http://www-scf.usc.edu/~scout/
Science Outreach (SCout) is a student organization at USC that gives undergraduate and graduate volunteers the opportunity to present fun, safe, and hands-on science lessons to elementary school students. SCout is organized around weekly in-classroom sessions, in which volunteers are organized into groups of five to seven 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, extracting DNA from strawberries, and creating and testing circuits. In addition to the weekly volunteer sessions, SCout also organizes extra-curricular events that help connect students to the larger USC community, other elementary school communities, and science organizations across Los Angeles.
USC Troy Camp: $58,430
Community Partner: Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary School (Shirley Crout)
University Partner: USC Campus Activities (Jennifer Perdomo)
Website: www.troycamp.org
USC Troy Camp is a youth development organization that enriches the lives of children, broadening their horizons through long-term mentoring experiences with USC undergraduate students. USC students operate the program, which begins in May with a weeklong summer camp at Idyllwild Pines in Idyllwild, CA, with oversight from a small advisory board. The 210 children who will attend this year’s camp are third through 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, including trips to museums and a USC football game. Throughout the school year, Troy Camp also hosts after-school tutoring and endrichment opportunities for students. To date, Troy Camp has served more than 11,000 children in the south Los Angeles community.
Writing 150 and the Writers’ Room at Manual Arts High School: $19,000
Community Partner: 826LA (Joel Arquillos)
University Partner: The Writing Program at USC (Emily Artiano)
Website: www.826LA.org
The program brings USC undergraduate students into the Writers’ Room at Manual Arts High School. It aims to support to 750 Manual Arts students and 12 teachers through various writing projects and assignments. USC volunteers provide crucial one-on-one mentorship and tutoring, while developing a training for 826LA to use for future service learners. USC students can not only experience the work of volunteering themselves, but listen, ask questions, and engage in the recursive nature of both writing and social change. From the mentorship, Manual Arts students receive writing guidance, feedback, and skills that they can apply in their future writing.
Young Researchers Program: $9,300
Community Partner: Manual Arts High School (Michelle Park)
University Partner: Young Researchers Program at USC (Emily Burt )
Website: http://youngresearchers.usc.edu
The Young Researchers Program pairs 15 local high school students with USC PhD student mentors for a six-week summer research experience in USC science, technology, engineering, and mathematics laboratories. Besides this hands-on research work at USC, participating students also take part in weekly lunch seminars on college preparation, field trips to the USC Wrigley Marine Institute on Catalina Island and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a poster symposium, during which they present their projects (including a written paper and research poster) to USC faculty, graduate students, and their teachers, peers, and families. Since 2009, the Young Researchers Program has paired 74 local high school students with graduate student mentors working in a wide range of the sciences. Past participants are studying in STEM fields at universities such as USC, Emory, Carnegie Mellon, and Brown.
Health and Sports Programs
Comprando Rico y Sano (CRS) Buying Nutritious and Delicious: $30,400
Community Partner: Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero (Martha Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Health Science Campus Community Partnerships (Dulce Acosta)
Website: www.clinicaromero.com
CRS applies a promotora community health education model to improve the health outcomes of 500 high risk low-income diabetic patients ages 18 to 60 living in Ramona Gardens and Boyle Heights. The CRS is a 12-month program broken up in to quarters. For each quarter, the tasks are respectively strengthening the relationship with the community leaders, recruiting and training 20 promotoras on the Diabetes Nutrition Education curriculum, assisting promotoras to recruit 25 patients each and providing these patients six health educational classes, and performing post-test to see what the participants have learned. The program not only educates the community on their diabetes diagnosis, but also gathers health behavior data on all participants in order to build upon this program to better serve the needs of Ramona Gardens residents in the future.
Garden Gateway Nutrition Education Project: $28,500
Community Partner: Community Services Unlimited Inc. (Neelam Sharma)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (Francois Bar)
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 opportunities to access and consume fresh fruits and vegetables. Three series of gardening and healthy cooking workshops will be offered: one for community residents of all ages at the CSU/EXPO Urban Mini-Farm at the EXPO Center; one for community residents of all ages at the Wellness Center at LAC+USC Medical Center; and a third for pre-school age children and their families at the Ralph Parsons Preschool at the EXPO Center. Workshop participants are provided with garden supplies, fresh produce, and information they can use to implement their new skills and knowledge at home.
Groceryships Interdisciplinary Nutrition Program: $20,000
Community Partner: Groceryships (Dana Rizer)
University Partner: USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work (Stephanie George)
Website: www.groceryships.org
With the mission of promoting health and wellness in under-served communities, Groceryships implements20 groups over the course of a 12-month periodby providing ongoing public wellness classes and healthy food access, increasing health outcomes for 30 families and serving up to 100 additional community members. Participants learn practical skills such as nutrition education and healthy shopping, and they have access to peer-support and community engagement. Throughout the program, two USC students serve as committed, part-time interns and provide an interdisciplinary intervention that serves participants’ physical, emotional and behavioral health. They can fulfill their internship requirements of 16-20 hours of fieldwork and work onsite with groups 2-3 days per weekwhile the participants focus on learning and improving mental wellness and physical health.
Playworks Healthy Play Initiative: $32,500
Community Partner: Playworks Southern California (Roderick Burnley)
University Partner: USC Athletics (McCall Hall)
Website: www.playworks.org/southern-california
Playworks Healthy Play Initiative is designed to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity, building social emotional skills and exposing elementary school students to university life through the power of play. The program places a full-time Coach as the program coordinator to organize fun, play-based physical activities during the school day. Coach is present every day of the school year to offer students a consistent mentor throughout the school day and teach the joy of physical activity. The program also hosts a Playworks Play Day with USC student athletes and a Day of Healthy Play, where students get to tour USC campus and see “a day in the life” of a student athlete. The program aims to reach 88,000 children at 149 Southern California schools and benefit 46,000 kids at the 65 low-income schools it serves directly.
USC PT Fit Families: $16,900
Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Luis Lopez)
University School: USC Division of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy (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 who are either diagnosed with or at high risk for diabetes and conditions associated with physical inactivity. The USC Good Neighbors grant will support a nine-month program that includes evaluations of activity level and cardiovascular fitness completed before and 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 to achieve long-term lifestyle changes.
USC Dental Screening Initiative for Foster Children: $20, 700
Community Partner: The Violence Intervention Program (Astrid Heger)
University Partner: The Pediatric Dental Clinic (Thanh Ton)
Website: https://dentistry.usc.edu/programs/dental-hygiene/community/
Dental and oral health care remains one of the most difficult health services to access for children and teens in foster care. Approximately 35% of children and teens enter foster care with significant dental and oral health problems. Common dental and oral health problems include bottle tooth decay in very young children, multiple dental cavities in older children, and malocclusion. Students receive training from the medical and dental staff and under the supervision of a USC professor in pediatric dentistry. As part of their training to become dental assistants in the Concurrent Enrollment program, high school students need to go into the community and do an internship. One of the main goals for this program is to provide oral hygiene demonstrations, caries risk management, and oral health education to 1000 families.
Violence Intervention Program Mentoring & Tutoring: $30,300
Community Partner: Violence Intervention Program (Rebecca Reese)
University Partner: USC Dornsife College, Office of Pre-Health Advisement (Kenneth Geller)
Website: http://www.violenceinterventionprogram.org/
VIP’s mentoring and tutoring program offers individualized supportive services to promote healing from trauma both on-site and in community-based enrichment activities. It provides educational enrichment and positive role modeling for foster children and other victims of child abuse or neglect, ages 4 to 18, who currently receive services at VIP. It includes individualized mentoring and tutoring services as a part of a child’s comprehensive service plan, as well as a site-based Mental Health Activity Center that offers a safe space for healthy after-school activities. USC volunteers specializes in enriching the program through recruitment on USC’s campus, engaging volunteers in multiple opportunities, developing program activities, and supporting peers. The goal is to help the children we serve gain confidence, learn new ideas, have unique experiences, and help them achieve and succeed in school.
Public Safety Programs
Al Otro Lado $39,750
Community Partner: Al Otro Lado (Erika Pinheiro)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (Robert Hernandez)
Website: https://alotrolado.org/programs/medical-legal-partnership/
Al Otro Lado provides free, direct immigration legal services to homeless immigrants at the LAC+USC Wellness Center. The program dedicates to increasing Al Otro Lado’s capacity of offering legal services and integrating USC volunteers into the project. Students not only assist the clients with a range of need, but also create virtual reality and 360 media of Al Otro Lado’s clients. The program aims to elevate the voices of the vulnerable and make the virtual reality/360 content available to affected communities through public libraries and other community spaces.
Community Safety Peer Mediation Program: $45,000
Community Partner: Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles (Avis Ridley-Thomas)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://invla.org/invla/
The program introduces peer mediation, which effectively teaches students and adults how to deescalate and resolve conflict using a five-step process. Experienced volunteer mediators reach to school staffs and parents with the goal of training student mediators in the USC service area and establishing peer mediation programs at each school. The program provides six 1-hour training sessions for students and any staff who choose to participate, at the schools. Post training, school-based implementation is managed by a program administrator and serves a minimum of 10 students at each school. The mediation methodology, social emotional learning, and communication skills are tools that the students are able to use for the rest of their school careers, and beyond. The program hopes to help build a long-term safe and healthy community.
Get It Straight (GIS): $27,550
Community Partner: Hollenbeck Police Activities League (Lorraine Garcia)
University Partner: USC School of Social Work (Rosemary Alamo)
Through the Get It Straight (GIS) Program, neighborhood law enforcement officers, parents, and schools will work together to reduce juvenile delinquency by offering case management, delinquency prevention training, parent skills training, and comprehensive mental health and coaching to children ages 9-17 at Sheridan Street Elementary School. GIS staff will be trained in evidence-based intervention methodologies, including motivational interviewing, problem-solving therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy, so as to help students stay in school and improve their personal, social, and academic progress. Parents will be encouraged and equipped to be confident, strong, and knowledgeable advocates to support their child’s path toward a successful future.
USC Kid Watch: $70,00
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://communities.usc.edu/health-and-safety/kid-watch/
Since 1996, several thousand USC Kid Watch community members have watched over approximately 9,000 children attending the USC Family of Schools as they walk to and from school, helping to make the neighborhoods surrounding the University Park Campus safe. Kid Watch volunteers are committed to providing safe passage to children, assisting law enforcement agencies, and increasing community empowerment. Kid Watch partners with the LA Police Department-Southwest Division, LA Unified School District Police Department, LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, USC Department of Public Safety, USC Civic Engagement, USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning, City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, City of Los Angeles Fire Department, USC School for Early Childhood Education, and the USC Family of Schools at the University Park Campus.
USC Public Safety RAD & Safety Education Program: $11,300
Community Partner: 32nd Street/USC Performing Arts Magnet K-5 (Ezequiel Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Department of Public Safety (John Thomas)
Website: https://dps.usc.edu/about/cadets/
The Cadet Program is designed to offer youth ages 13-21 opportunities to develop professional and academic skills while working with the Department of Public Safety officers and the surrounding community. Cadets and recruits perform under the supervision of full-time Department of Public Safety officers who serve as Post Advisers and mentors. Participants explore careers in law enforcement and public service, broadening their employment and academic options within the university community.