Event designed to offer solutions for L.A.’s nearly 5,000 system involved black male youth
Actor and BLOOM spokesperson Larenz Tate Will Tweet Live From The Event – Follow @LarenzTate To Ask Questions
LOS ANGELES – The California Community Foundation (CCF) will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its Building a Lifetime of Options and Opportunities for Men (BLOOM) initiative with a town hall meeting at the Los Angeles Trade Technical College on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Actor and BLOOM spokesperson Larenz Tate will tweet live from the event and will take questions via twitter, @LarenzTate.
A blueprint initiative for other cities across the nation, BLOOM is a five-year, $5 million grantmaking initiative focused on black male youth between 14-18 years of age in South Los Angeles who have been involved with the Los Angeles County probation system.
“There’s a moral imperative to act on behalf of our young people,” said Robert Lewis, BLOOM Initiative Director. “Ultimately, BLOOM cannot fail. Too many eyes are watching across the country. We could light a fire for a BLOOM Detroit, BLOOM Chicago and BLOOM New Orleans.”
Today, approximately, 5,000 black male youth are under probation supervision in Los Angeles County. BLOOM’s goal is to help 1,200 youth complete high school and 1,000 youth become gainfully employed by 2017. A possible ripple effect could mean a 10 percent decrease in the number of black male youth on probation in the county. This translates into a significant financial impact on Los Angeles County. To house a youth in a probation camp, Los Angeles County taxpayers pay $100,000 per youth, per year. BLOOM’s potential impact on Los Angeles County would save the county approximately $50 million, by 2017.
The California Community Foundation’s BLOOM initiative is the only philanthropic organization in the nation specifically focused on black male youth involved with the probation system. BLOOM youth are under the direction of BLOOM’s community partners, which include Brotherhood Crusade, Los Angeles Urban League, Community Coalition, Youth Justice Coalition and Youth Mentoring Connection. In addition, BLOOM will add several more youth-serving community partners later this month. These partners will be announced to the community at the event.
Information will also be available for parents, guardians, service providers and concerned citizens on how they can get probation-involved youth enrolled in BLOOM programs and help steer these youth toward educational and employment success. In addition, a number of celebrity advocates have been invited to join this important discussion.
During the past year, BLOOM has enrolled more than 170 youth through its community service partners. BLOOM has also partnered with multiple businesses within Los Angeles County to provide BLOOM youth with job opportunities and/or internships. Partnering companies include: AEG, Metro Transit Authority, Martin Outdoor Media, Buffalo Wild Wings and many more.
The CCF/BLOOM Town Hall Meeting is free and open to the public. For more information on BLOOM or to RSVP for the event, visit www.calfund.org/BLOOM. Follow BLOOM on Twitter at @BLOOMSouthLA and “like” BLOOM the BLOOM Facebook page at http://Facebook.com/BLOOM.CCF. Los Angeles Trade Tech College is located at 1937 S. Grand Ave, North Tent, Los Angeles, 90015.