Youth Program

The mission of VCLA’s Youth Programs is to help children, parents, and community members become effective leaders and successful citizens. VCLA’s diverse Youth Programs address the needs of children and youth while supporting academic achievement, developing professional skills, promoting citizenship, fostering leadership, and nurturing the citizens of the future. VCLA’s Youth Programs range from traditional volunteering opportunities to service learning and restorative justice.

Last year, VCLA’s Youth Programs served over 10,000 Los Angeles County children ages seven through 17. Youth Programs are based at VCLA’s main office in Panorama City, at Probation Schools, and at elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the county. In addition, some VCLA youth programs train parents and community members in tutoring and mentoring.

VCLA ’s Youth Programs include: Project Teen Reach , Points of Light Leadership Institute, School Police Partnership Mentoring Program (SCCP), Juvenile Community Service Program (JCSP), Madison Community Collaborative Mentoring (MCC), West Athens AmeriCorps Tutoring Program, and Social Responsibility training. For more information about VCLA’s Youth Programs, please contact Program Coordinator, (818) 908-5004.

Project Teen Reach serves at-risk juveniles (first and second time offenders) referred to VCLA by the Juvenile Courts and Probation Department. Participants complete at least 10 hours of life-skills training and one four-hour community service project. For more information please contact Program Coordinator , (818) 908-5013.

The Points of Light Leadership Institute is a course that empowers young people to become leaders and practical problem solvers in service to their communities. For more information please contact (323) 777-9773.

The School Police Partnership Mentoring Program (SCCP) is an after school mentoring program that serves 25 at-risk students by matching them with 25 mentors for one-on-one mentoring and tutoring at three elementary schools: Monlux, Kittridge and Erwin. For more information please contact Program Coordinator, (818) 908-5004.

The Juvenile Community Service Program (JCSP) provides an alternative sentencing option for juvenile offenders, allowing them to be accountable for their behavior by doing volunteer work at community-based non-profit organizations. Annually, JCSP serves more than 7,000 youths -- aged 9 through 17 -- who are referred by the juvenile courts or probation department. For more information please contact Program Director , (818) 908-5001.

The Madison Community Collaborative Mentoring Program (MCCMP) is an after school program that matches high-risk students with volunteer mentors in one-on-one relationships. Once per week, students at Monlux, Kittridge, and Erwin Elementary Schools, and students at Madison and St. Elizabeth Middle Schools meet with their mentors for a period of no less than two hours. For more information please contact Program Coordinator, (818) 908-5004.

Through the West Athens AmeriCorps Tutoring Program, 56 AmeriCorps members -- recruited from Loyola Marymount University and Los Angeles Southwest Community College -- provide math and literacy tutoring and family literacy workshops to parents and children in the West Athens community. In addition, AmeriCorps members recruit community volunteers through grassroots organizing efforts and faith-based organizations. For more information please contact (323) 777-9773.

Social Responsibility training provides strong-willed, at-risk adolescents with techniques to build social responsibility and help unify the family. Participants spend up to 12 hours in a classroom setting where they receive a comprehensive overview of the physical, emotional, and social effects of tobacco use, substance abuse, and low self-esteem. Topics of discussion include, but are not limited to the substance abuse prevention, abstinence and sex education, and decision-making. For more information please contact Progam Coordinator ., (818) 908-5066.