Building Youth Engagement, Compassion, and Community

Social support networks

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

The Giving Spirit works with local government, non-profits, LAUSD, and businesses to directly provide life- and dignity-preserving emergency resources and community education on topics surrounding poverty, equity, and homelessness. Every night, some 75,000+ Angelenos seek shelter. While the physical manifestations of the problem are evident, the non-physical repercussions are equally damaging: lack of knowledge, harmful stereotypes, and fear drive the prevailing narratives. Empathy is at a 20-year all-time low, as is voting and volunteerism (CA ranks 46 out of 50 in the nation). We also have a critical shortage of young people entering compassionate careers (e.g., teachers, nurses, veterinarians, firefighters, social workers). The ability to “put ourselves in the shoes of others” profoundly influences how our society addresses the complex issues of our time and is critical to ensuring our city’s viability and future. BeSocialChange.Us will help Los Angeles’ youth lead the way.

With increasing numbers of teens reporting chronic stress and loneliness, a dramatic drop in volunteerism, and an increase in time spent on social media, there is an opportunity for greater connection, compassion, and purpose. We are several months away from launching BeSocialChange.Us. This new platform will educate people ages 13 and up on the challenges that face our city; provide new ways to build community and fight civic and social isolation; and improve understanding and how we care for those less fortunate. It is based on 2½ years of extensive study of data, expert knowledge, and academic and field research. Our first course, “Youth Homelessness,” will be tested by students ages 14 through 16 in eight local schools. It features interactive modules authored by The Giving Spirit and developed with Curtin University, a graphic novel-like experience created with Faultline Studios, poignant storytelling from lived-experience youth, and will immerse learners in the life of a homeless teen named Skylar and the challenges that affect their life. Highly engaging and relatable to early teens, this multi-media tool is designed to help students grow from “learners” to “change makers”. Participants can access the material individually, create or join a team with others, and connect with other volunteer opportunities across the city. LA2050 support would enable us to increase key staffing to pilot test the platform, analyze effectiveness, and prepare for a full 2025 launch.

Los Angeles has the capacity to lead the nation in constructive, citizen-led activism and fact-based problem-solving. If our work is successful, in 3 to 5 years we will see:
1) A significant increase in the number of youth who are knowledgeable about the issues confronting our city and the ways they can help; 2) A boost in empathy, compassionate thinking, and volunteerism in LA’s social services sector; and, 3) A rise in the number of young people pursuing jobs in compassionate career fields in our region. Future plans include creating additional curricula on a range of social justice issues. The Giving Spirit will share this tool across generations and through multiple channels (e.g., community organizations, corporations, government). Within a decade, we envision the program evolving into a municipal masterclass on how to reengage and reconnect with people of all ages in cities across the country, with LA as a shining example of success.

The platform is being built to gauge before and after responses of participants and measure changes in empathy, knowledge, attitudes, and career interests over time. It is a dynamic tool that we will continually refine to meet annual impact and participation goals. During year one, we will engage 400 youth ages 14-16 for the pilot program. This age is ideal; it is a time when teens are defining their own independent values and thinking more seriously about their futures. Mid-range indicators include an increase in empathy, knowledge, and civic action through volunteering. Long-range success will be based on higher rates of voting, an increase in socially-minded careers, and legislation/policies that favor human-centered, non-punitive interventions. BeSocialChange.Us will shine a light on the vital role project- and problem-based measurable learning tools can play in schools, living rooms, board rooms, and legislative corridors, and it is ripe for replication at a much larger scale.