Youth Leadership
Empowering the next generation of storytellers, advocates, and community leaders.
We believe young people deserve the tools, knowledge, and support to tell their stories and advocate for the world they want to see. From healing-centered arts classes to teen filmmaking intensives, our Youth Leadership programs help participants (ages 10-18) build confidence, media literacy, and community-rooted leadership. Keep reading to learn more about our Youth Leadership programs.
Are you a student ready to join us? Check our program’s calendar and eligibility and start an application on our Applications page.
Afterschool Arts Programs
Healing-centered multidisciplinary classes in filmmaking, theatre, music, and visual art for youth ages 10-18 throughout Los Angeles County.
Launched in 2018 as pop-up park workshops, our Afterschool Arts programs now partners with the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, Parks & Recreation, and OurSPOT to deliver free, multidisciplinary training at community sites county-wide. Over twelve weekly sessions, students learn about camera, lighting, sound, acting, songwriting, and media as well as narrative structure non-violent communication, and mindfulness. Each cohort ends with the Justice for My Youth Film Festival and Arts Showcase. Students present their work on stage, gaining real experience in production and public speaking.
To date, the program has served more than 1,400 young people, with post-program surveys showing marked gains in media literacy, confidence, and peer collaboration. Graduates often move into our Workforce Development track, screen at regional festivals, or return as peer mentors, extending the program’s impact across new cohorts and communities.
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Recap of our Summer 2021 filmmaking class with Roosevelt Park:
Nuevas Novelas
100-hour media-production intensive for teens of color ages 13–18.
Launched in 2017, Nuevas Novelas gives emerging filmmakers training in media literacy, story development, camera work, sound, and editing. Our curriculum embraces themes of identity, public health, migration, and neighborhood history, encouraging participants to examine how race, gender, and class are framed in news, social media, and pop culture.
Students form production teams, pitch ideas, and produce a three-to-five-minute documentary or short-form project on a topic of their choosing while engaging with the community. Mentors include working directors, editors, and journalists who provide meaningful feedback to participants.
Ready to tell your story? See requirements and key dates on the Applications page.
Listen to a podcast developed by our students in 2020:
Teen Dating & Healthy Relationships (TDHR)
An interactive workshop series that equips middle and high-school students with the skills to identify unhealthy behaviors, communicate boundaries, and build respectful relationships.
DHR combines media analysis, scenario-based activities, and peer dialogue to make relationship education relatable and action-oriented. Facilitators lead students through role-plays and reflective exercises that strengthen non-violent communication, conflict-resolution, and empathy. Lessons also address how race, gender, sexuality, and media stereotypes influence expectations in dating.
TDHR serves more than six hundred students across Los Angeles County each year, partnering with public schools, charter networks, and community centers. Workshops are free to host, require one class period per week for five weeks, and include bilingual materials for caregivers. Schools also receive a digital resource kit—lesson plans, discussion guides, and the video series—for continued use in health or advisory classes.
School administrators, counselors, or youth organizations interested in bringing TDHR to their site can review requirements and request scheduling on the Applications page.
Questions? Email info@justiceformysister.org for details.
Creative Wellbeing & Youth in Corrections
Healing-centered arts training for young people navigating detention, re-entry, or family incarceration.
Creative Wellbeing delivers eight-week cycles of filmmaking, animation, music production, and visual journaling inside juvenile halls, shelters, and re-entry programs. Teaching artists open each class with brief mindfulness exercises before guiding participants through hands-on projects that translate personal stories into short films, stop-motion pieces, digital murals, or beats. Participants are provided with gear kits that allow the work to continue in housing units and dayrooms, and every cycle concludes with an on-site showcase where students present their projects to peers, staff, and family, strengthening their public-speaking skills and community connections.
Graduates receive a resource packet outlining next-step arts programs, paid internship options, and pathways into Justice for My Sister’s Workforce Development track. Youth ages 14–20 join through referrals from counselors, probation officers, or partner-agency staff; once accepted, they commit to weekly two-hour sessions for the full term.
Agencies interested in hosting a cohort can find eligibility details and referral guidelines on the applications page. Questions are welcome at info@justiceformysister.org.
thank you to our sponsors and partners
Are you a student interested in joining a program?
Visit our applications page to learn more about our programs, find the best program for you you, check program availability, and apply today.