Signature Programs
Boyle Heights Beat Ramona Gardens/Bravo Magnet Project: $34,100
Community Partner: Boyle Heights YouthSource Center (Scott Lee)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School of Journalism (Michelle Levander)
Website: https://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 news 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 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 editions.
Med-COR (Medical Counseling, Organizing, and Recruiting): $54,075
Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Millicent Dypiangco)
University Partner: USC Keck School of Medicine (Joyce Richey)
Website: https://medcor.usc.edu/
Med-COR supports, motivates, and prepares students to be competititively 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.
USC Kid Watch: $74,000
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kimberly Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://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 Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van Prevention Program: $35,000
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: https://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 improves oral hygiene behaviors and raises 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 engage 3,000 children and community members, covering oral health, nutrition, and anti-tobacco education, in addition to oral cancer screenings.
USC Thornton JazzReach: $39,989
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/
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.
Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative: $12,855
Community Partner: NFTE Greater Los Angeles (Estelle Reyes)
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 work together to provide an entrepreneurship course to 50 high school students at Foshay Learning Center. Participating students learn financial literacy and business skills within the context of starting and operating a small business. NFTE students are invited to a USC Marshall entrepreneurship course for undergraduates and a day-long youth conference on entrepreneurship. The Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative inspires students to stay in school, recognize business opportunities, and plan for successful futures.
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/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 an original production. The culminating performance, fully staged with cued lighting and sound, is given to family members, community members, and University Park Campus residents.
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 program enhances the quality of education for youth ages 15-25 by engaging them in the development of an artistic and policy response to improving health outcomes in neighborhoods around the University Park Campus. The resulting visual narrative serves as both a reflection of the participants’ 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/
The Leadership Academy is 24th STreet Theatre’s year-round teen leadership development and mentoring program, which increases high school graduation rates and develops key workforce and critical-thinking skills among its participants. Students take part in professionally taught master classes in drama, conducted on 24th STreet Theatre’s stage, as well as in 30 weeks of performance workshops for 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, serving as role models for the younger After ‘Cool students.
USC Thornton Outreach Program: $32,000
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) provides high-quality music training and appreciation activities to students in the USC community while developing the teaching, mentoring, and community engagement skills of USC Thornton students. Student education is enhanced as TOP mentors assist local teachers, augment existing in-school music programs, and provide supplemental programming. During the 2016-17 school year, 70 USC Thornton students are providing music programming to more than 5,743 students and families in the USC neighborhood schools. This includes 808 students participating in weekly music instruction and 4,935 constituents attending short-term music opportunities and field trips to a USC campus.
Education Programs
Adventures Ahead After-School Program: $22,575
Community Partner: Redeemer Community Partnership (Lauren Tigrett)
University Partner: Richard Parks, Executive Director of the USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation
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.
Engineering for Health Academy 2016-2017: $23,282
Community Partner: Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Maria Torres Flores)
University Partner: USC Keck School of Medicine (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 recently founded Institute of Biotherapeutics partnered with Bravo Medical Magnet High School to establish the Engineering for Health Academy (EHA). The EHA offers students in tenth through twelfth grade an innovative, multi-year course of study focused on biomedical engineering. Mentoring is a key component of the EHA, as is first-hand lab experience. USC graduate students meet with Bravo High School students on a weekly basis to help them in their core EHA classes. As seniors, EHA students are matched with laboratories at USC and become integral members of investigatory teams.
Groceryships: $20,000
Community Partner: Groceryships (Dana Rizer)
University Partner: USC Department of Spanish and Portuguese (Sarah Portnoy)
Website: http://www.groceryships.org
The Groceryships program improves the quality of life for children and families by reducing obesity and diabetes through health and nutrition education. In the fall of 2016, Groceryships is offering three new unique Groceryships Groups, each of which provide 10 parents with nutrition education, emotional support, and scholarships for fresh produce and whole grains for a six-month period. Class cooking demonstrations offer simple, creative examples of how to utilize more fruits and vegetables in meals. USC students from the Spanish and Portuguese departments continue to document Groceryships Group members’ food histories, progress, challenges, and outcomes, while students from the USC School of Social Work recruit, form, and lead the three new Groceryships Groups.
HSC Health and Science Fair: $17,295
Community Partner: Murchison Elementary School (Jeremiah Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Health Sciences Campus Community Partnerships (Zul Surani)
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 approximately 350 students in three elementary schools in the USC Family of Schools to science and health principles, curriculum, and potential careers. The fair utilizes Health Sciences Campus resources, including USC graduate students, to enhance the science and health education of fifth grade students attending Griffin, Murchison, and Sheridan Elementary Schools. Students develop a class health/science related project, enter a science fair competition, and participate in an essay contest that requires applying scientific thinking to current events.
Jumpstart for Young Children: $15,675
Community Partner: Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc. (Atalaya Sergi)
University Partner: Jumpstart at USC (Thea Quigley)
Website: http://www.jstart.org
Jumpstart ensures that every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. In addition to Jumpstart’s in-classroom language, literacy, and socio-emotional programming, Jumpstart provides books and resources to parents and caregivers. Jumpstart Corps members—trained USC students—provide local families with strategies to incorporate learning and literacy into everyday life. This year, Jumpstart is training 40 USC students to reach more than 100 pre-school children in University Park. At least 550 children are engaged through the Jumpstart Club and community literacy events.
Mission Science 2016-2017: $37,100
Community Partner: Gates Street Elementary School (Jennifer Maclean)
University Partner: USC Viterbi School of Engineering (Darin Gray)
Website: https://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/ced/stemprograms/mission/
USC Mission Science provides elementary and middle school students near the University Park and Health Sciences campuses the opportunity to learn science, technology, and engineering through hands-on projects, exhibits, simple experiments, field trips, and supplementary parent workshops on STEM activities and careers. Two types of sessions are offered: a USC student worker or volunteer teaches STEM concepts and skills in one type of session; a credentialed teacher, school staff, or a parent volunteer leads an open-ended application of STEM concepts in another type of session. Throughout the school year, students engage with engineers, scientists, and professors to develop a deep understand of science, technology, and engineering concepts.
Peace Camp/Peace Kids/Youth Leadership: $7,800
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 and violence prevention in order to create a safer community and world. Youth interns build leadership skills while helping younger participants work through activities that address cyber-bullying, stress, and violence. All participants learn and practice specific tools, such as peaceful communication, mediation, conflict resolution, empathy, and nonviolent social transformation, partly by studying peace and justice movements in Los Angeles and around the world.
PressFriends: $6,250
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Jasmine Tigolo)
University Partner: PressFriends Club at USC (Deborah Chan-Southwell)
Website: http://www.pressfriends.org/
PressFriends, formed by kids for kids in 2008, is a group of secondary and college student volunteers who mentor 400-500 elementary students per year in programs that take place after school at 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 third through fifth grade students create articles for their school or program newspaper, in addition to participating in writing workshops and field trips.
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, 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: $21,395
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/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.
Science Outreach: $6,000
Community Partner: Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary (Lynn Brown)
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.
Student Success Mindfulness Project: $39,500
Community Partner: Legacy LA (Maria Lou Calanche)
University Partner: USC Keck School of Medicine (Ricky Bluthenthal)
The Legacy LA Student Success Mindfulness Project has expanded this year to provide 80 more youth and 80 more parents living in Ramona Gardens mindfulness training and academic support services to reduce the high school drop-out rate and increase access to college. Middle and high school students and their parents participate in 10 one-hour mindfulness sessions with professional JoAnna Harper. Comprehensive academic support services offered include after-school tutoring, college club, college field trips, and mentoring activities.
USC Community-Based Social Work Interns: $55,852
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kimberly 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. The interns, chosen from the USC Master of Social Work program, work part-time during the 2016-17 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 Family of Schools Facilitators 2016-2017: $80,000
Community Partners: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kimberly Thomas-Barrios)
USC Family of Schools Facilitators streamline the delivery of grant-funded program activities at USC Family of Schools. The program supports 15 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: $49,000
Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kimberly Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://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 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 Saturday Academy: $71,000
Community Partner: El Sereno Middle School (Joyce Dara)
University Partner: USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (Kimberly Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://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 the new school year, NAI continues its expansion into East Los Angeles, serving 310 students in sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, plus 640 near the University Park Campus. The NAI Saturday Academy takes place on the USC campus over 21 Saturdays per academic year. 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 Penny Harvest Program: $43,000
Community Partner: Gates Street Elementary School (Jose Rodriguez)
University Partner: USC HSC Community Partnerships (Zul Surani)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/partnerships/pennyharvest/
The USC Penny Harvest Program develops civic capacity and neighborhood participation by engaging teachers and students in philanthropic fundraising and discussions. Each of the participating schools organizes a Leadership Roundtable of students who plan and implement Penny Harvest sessions to gather pennies, discuss philanthopy and community issues, make allocation recommendations, and carry out a service project. USC students serve as assistant coaches and help organize and facilitate the project.
USC ReadersPLUS: $90,000
Community Partner: Norwood Street Elementary School (Bruce Onodera)
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 deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. 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 Troy Camp: $61,500
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 attending 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.
Young Researchers Program: $11,000
Community Partner: Manual Arts High School (Michelle Park)
University Partner: Young Researchers Program at USC (Erin McParland)
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 66 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
Garden Gateway Nutrition Education Project: $30,000
Community Partner: Community Services Unlimited (Neelam Sharma)
University Partner: Francois Bar, Associate Professor of Communication and Spatial Sciences at USC School for Communication
Website: http://www.csuinc.org
The Garden Gateway Nutrition Education Project improves the health of children and adults by teaching them 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 are 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.
Imagine Health – The Pediatric Village Metabolic Health Clinic: $25,000
Community Partner: LA County / USC Medical Center Auxiliary AKA (Margie Dolinski)
University Partner: USC Keck School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics (Marc Weigensberg)
The Imagine HEALTH program takes an innovative approach to improving the health of approximately 100 obese adolescents and their families in the neighborhoods surrounding the USC Health Sciences Campus and the LA County / USC Medical Center. Through family medical appointments, healthy cooking demonstrations, stress-reduction activities, parenting classes, gardening, and physical activity programs, local youth and their families learn to sustain healthy lifestyles and prevent obesity-related disorders. The program is integrated into the routine activities of the Pediatric Village Metabolic Health Clinic to ensure built in sustainability of the lifestyle intervention.
Lincoln Heights Certified Farmers Market 2: $20,000
Community Partner: Lincoln Heights Benefit Association of Los Angeles (Misty Iwatsu)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (Pauline Martinez)
The Lincoln Heights Certified Farmers Market provides sustained access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food choices, increases health awareness, and serves as an economic development catalyst in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Through the program, the Lincoln Heights Benefit Association (LHBA) works to educate the public on the value of organic foods, ensure affordability, and build trust with the residents and business owners. LHBA continues to recruit new farmers, local artisans, and prepared food vendors, in addition to promoting the Lincoln Heights Certified Farmers Market to local residents, community organizers, schools, USC on-campus students, and others, making it a consumer and social destination for 100-200 people weekly and potentially a community health hub for years to come.
Ramona Gardens Women’s Health Initiative: $32,900
Community Partner: Clinica Monsenor Oscar A. Romero (Ingrid Estrada)
University Partner: USC Health Science Campus Community Partnerships (Zul Surani)
The Ramona Gardens Women’s Health Initiative applies a “promotora” educational model to improve the health outcomes of 300 women ages 18-60 living in the Ramona Gardens Housing Projects. Through health education training, case management services, and text reminders, the Women’s Health Initiative aims to increase women’s knowledge about the leading causes of cancer and the preventive measures that can be taken in the present to avoid future health complications.
Trojan Kids Camp: $33,250
Community Partners: Kids in Sports of Los Angeles (Zayda Garcia)
University Partner: USC Trojan Kids Camp (Cynthia Brass)
Website: https://sait.usc.edu/recsports/fitness-and-recreation/youth-sports-programs/
The Trojan Kids Camp promotes a healthy and safe lifestyle among local youth ages 9-15 through quality sports programming and educational instruction. Participants learn about good nutrition and how to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, in addition to making educational field trips and meeting with professional sports players. Educational instruction in subjects such as robotics, math, science, and English is also provided to improve participants’ academic performance and motivate them to graduate from high school and attend college.
USC PT Fit Families: $17,887
Community Partner: Murchison Elementary School (Jeremiah Gonzalez)
University School: USC Division of Biokinesiology and 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 supports 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.
Public Safety Programs
Get It Straight (GIS): $29,000
Community Partner: Hollenbeck Police Activities League (Edwin Rodriguez)
University Partner: USC School of Social Work (Rosemary Alamo)
Through the Get It Straight (GIS) Program, neighborhood law enforcement officers, parents, and schools work together to reduce juvenile delinquency by offering case management, delinquency prevention training, parent skills training, and comprehensive mental health and coaching at Sheridan Street Elementary School. GIS staff train 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 are encouraged and equipped to be confident, strong, and knowledgeable advocates to support their child’s path toward a successful future.
Peer Mediation: $50,000
Community Partner: Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles (Avis Ridley-Thomas)
University Partner: USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (Kimberly Thomas-Barrios)
Website: http://invla.org/usc/
Formally adopted as a project of Community Partners in 2010, the Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles provides peer mediation services to schools throughout the city. This year, the Institute is expanding its peer mediation services at five USC Family of Schools campuses: Foshay Learning Center, LAUSD/USC Cinematic Arts and Engineering Magnet, Murchison Street Elementary School, Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary School, and Vermont Avenue Elementary School. Conflict resolution and peer mediation help individual students feel safer at school, improve their academic performance, alleviate stress, and prepare for challenging situations in their lives. These methodologies also improve school climate and, by extension, make communities safer, as students’ household members learn about constructive ways to resolve disputes.
USC Department of Public Safety Cadets: $12,900
Community Partner: 32nd Street/USC Performing Arts Magnet (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 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.
Economic Development
USC Family of Schools Concurrent Enrollment – Dental Assistants Program: $48,500
Community Partners: West Los Angeles College (Carmen Dones)
University Partner: USC Government Partnerships and Programs (Theda Douglas)
The USC Family of Schools Concurrent Enrollment-Dental Assistant Program provides a career pathway for high school juniors and seniors interested in the dental field by allowing them to complete their high school diploma while also working toward college-level dental assistant certificates. Students attend 180 hours of class instruction, clinical, and lab over 15 weeks. Their training covers career-readiness skills in the dental field, such as checking vital signs, completing oral inspections, sterilizing instruments, performing CPR, taking patient X-Rays, administering fluoride treatment, educating patients on proper oral hygiene, and maintaining accurate records and office supplies.
Pathways to Construction Employment: $25,000
Community Partner: UAW-Labor Employment and Training Corp. (Henryetta Andrade)
University Partner: USC Finance & Administration Capital Construction & Facilities Management Services (Wendy Kaszycki)
The Pathways to Construction Employment program transitions at least 30 residents of the University Park Campus and Health Sciences Campus neighborhoods into high-wage, union jobs in the construction industry by providing support services (tools, work boots, and transportation assistance) required for employment. This program makes union jobs in the thriving Los Angeles construction industry more accessible to local residents. Participants receive free GED and ESL classes, counseling and family support services, assistance locating shelter or low-cost housing, and other services, in addition to construction skills and safety training, employment readiness workshops, assistance with the job search and job retention, union initiation fees, OSHA safety training, and connections to contractors.