About Provider
Lost Angels is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering distressed communities by actively creating opportunities to divert disadvantaged youth and young adults through innovative vocational training, creation of social enterprises, and traditional outreach programs.
What does this mean?
Lost Angels is working to ensure that oppressed communities have an opportunity to succeed. This is rooted in social change, in support of social justice, and to promote equity.
So, what does that mean?
- Social change: Changes in human interactions and relationships that transform cultural and social institutions.
- Social justice: Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.
- Equity: The quality of being fair and impartial.
Why is this important?
Lost Angels headquarters is located in Lancaster California, at the edge of L.A. County. In this area, we have the highest percentage of youth from low-income foster care backgrounds.
Studies show that youth placed in foster care are 2.5 times more likely to enter the justice system, and 90% of youth with 5+ foster care placements will enter the justice system at some point. It’s also been reported that almost 25% of those who have exited foster care have reported being homeless at least once since leaving the system.
We’re fighting systemic inequity by creating empowering opportunities for young people, because we believe everyone deserves a chance at creating a good life for themselves. Through these efforts, we hope to dismantle the School/Foster Care-to-Prison Pipeline and to repair the intergenerational harm it is causing to youth, families, and communities across the nation.
How are we doing this?
GOOD+LIFE Apparel Screen Printing Shop
Our in-house screen print shop is the first of many social enterprise opportunities we hope to develop. In this program, students learn the in’s and out’s of the T-Shirt Silk Screening business. Students learn how to properly set up equipment, create screens, push ink, maintain inventory, make sales, generate invoices, fulfill orders, and help develop the GOOD+LIFE Apparel brand.
All revenue from merchandise sold goes right back into the program and is used to keep the students enrolled in this program gainfully employed.
GOOD+LIFE Manufacturing
Our industrial manufacturing training and job placement program focuses on teaching transition-age-youth hands-on skills through an intensive apprenticeship at our facility. The apprentices of this program go through a 12-week paid training course and learn everything they need to succeed in the workforce, from interpersonal and coping soft skills to hands-on fabrication practices.
For more program information, visit https://www.lostangelscp.org/the-program
What do we expect to happen next?
As we continue to develop more opportunities for disadvantaged youth we hope to see our community revitalized with hardworking productive members, not only empowered by education and training but employed and financially independent.
