Neighborhood & Community Development:
According to Montez Fowler, South Los Angeles
Beautification Team (SLABT) Manager, the beginning of 2007, (SLABT) continued to improve the quality of life for residents in South Los Angeles by removing and/or covering more than 750,000 sf of graffiti, and disposing of more than 120 tons of bulky items through its Bulky Item Pick-Up Program in an area with the highest concentration of street gangs in Los Angeles. SLABT worked with Councilwoman Jan Perry's Office, LAPD Newton Division, several community block clubs, and neighborhood councils to coordinate six community beautification projects. SLABT was also honored by the State Environmental Protection Agency during Earth Day for efforts made in South Los Angeles to keep neighborhoods clean.

Youth Report:
28 high school students from Jefferson High School completed the Civic Education and Service Learning program. In partnership with the Caesar Chavez Foundation, CRCD staff delivered a curriculum that encouraged youth to become "community agents of change", learning to access resources that improve neighborhoods, and to work directly with local political and city representatives. Youth expressed improved communication skills, ability to speak in public and self-confidence. Students applied their learning by assisting with the coordination of the Mayors Big Sunday event held at Harmony Elementary School where 150 community residents participated in planting trees, removing graffiti, and disposing of bulky-items.

During another project, students at Manual Arts High School and Jefferson High School worked with staff on resident surveys of more than 165 households in South Los Angeles (Maple and Main Street). Youth unveiled the results of the survey at a Community Forum, where they pulled together a panel of local leaders that could address the community’s concerns and carve out methods to work collaboratively. The result is that local block club participation has increased, with residents participating in community beautification efforts. Furthermore, the local Senior Lead Officer reports an increase in phone calls reporting crimes.

CRCD worked with the LAPD-Newton Division to develop a Teen Community Police Advisory Board (TCPAB), which will work directly with the Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB). As Youth make up over 50% of target area population, CRCD youth program is recognized as an asset. Young people will work directly with the CPAB and TCPAB to develop safety plans around schools and neighborhoods impacted by street gangs. CRCD youth leaders will work with Newton Divisions SLO to recruit participants from local high schools.

Economic Development:
With support from the Local Initiatives Support
Corporation (LISC) and Community Redevelopment Agency-Los Angeles (CRA-LA), CRCD facilitated a process to create the Central Avenue Collaborative, a partnership made up of the CRA-LA, Councilwoman Jan Perry's Office, LAPD, Los Angeles City Attorneys Office, Valley Economic Development Centers, and local merchants. Efforts made by the Collaborative are directly tied to the CRA-LA Five-Year Plan, which highlights Central Avenue as a priority area. The goal is to improve the Central Avenue business corridor by providing merchants/business owners with small business development trainings, resources to improve their business operations, and the creation of a merchants association that will work with city leaders and law enforcement with ongoing efforts to revitalize the corridor.

For more information about CRCD programs, please contact Montez Fowler or Mark Wilson.

Youth Development is an instrinsic part of CRCD's mission, and we've devoted a significant amount of our resources to a population that is high at risk. Whether in transition from fostercare, or on the brink of adulthood, CRCD is committed to providing Angeleno youth with the necessary support that will secure their role as productive citizens. In our newsletter section "Transition & Transformation" CRCD will cover stories that highlight our success in fulfilling this goal.

Eliseo Haro joined CRCD's Neighborhood Beautification Program as a Crew Member in November 2006. He had wanted to be part of a youth program and heard about The Coalition through a community service agency. After sucessfully completing the Summer Civic Education and Employment Readiness Training, Eliseo was offered full-time employment with the CRCD Beautification Team. “I currently operate a sidewalk sweeping machine keeping Central Avenue clean... to assist businesses with attracting more foot traffic...” Most of his assignments cover the area of Central Avenue, just south of Downtown Los Angeles.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Eliseo moved to Los Angeles in 2000, and generally enjoys his new home, though "...you do have bad influences going around like other neighborhoods..." While Eliseo believes that he pretty much could have found work on his own, he credits CRCD with making him "a better person and kept (me) out of trouble...it’s made me work better in a group." He also believes working with CRCD gave him confidence, and improved comminciation skills. Eliseo truly appreciates the opportunity to be involved in community buiilding projects such as the Central Avenue Jazz Festival, Bolero Festival, and Tofu Festival.

Being a teenager transitioning into adulthood in Los Angeles is no joke: Eliseo is very proud of the day he walked the stage for his High School graduation, fully appreciating how his hard work paid off. His achievement gave him the strength of spirit to deal with a family crisis when his brother was shot three times, and, fortunately, survived. “ I decided to...focus on being productive.” he says

What are Eliseo's plans for the future? "I’m still thinking about it." he says. Eliseo is considering a career as a teacher. In the meantime, he actively encourages youth involvment in CRCD. He believes in sharing these stories with pre-teens ”as those programs are responsible for changing my life."

For more information about CRCD Youth Programs, visit us here.