Creative Career Pathways for LA's Opportunity Youth

Creativity is a critical part of the Los Angeles economy, comprising 1 in 7 jobs. In spite of so many jobs, gaining access to them is more difficult than you might think.

Elevate helps Opportunity Youth - young people who struggle to connect to education and creative employment - by identifying the multi-sector efforts that pave pathways to learning and work opportunities.

Elevate is a network and a tool, making it easier for creative opportunity providers to engage LA's most vulnerable youth.

Elevate's directory network shows what services are available and how to connect with them, fostering a more cohesive and efficient support system for LA's Opportunity Youth.

With support from Mayor Eric Garcetti's Evolve Entertainment Fund, Blanca received an 8-week internship with production company Native Content. She worked alongside Native Content Executive Producer and artworxLA Board member Ned Brown, learning the logistics of producing major advertising campaigns for print, online media, and television.

Supported by the Evolve Entertainment Fund, John worked alongside the President and executives at Film Independent to support the production of the LA Film Festival, the Spirit Awards, and attended screenings at the Writers Guild Theatre.

If you're a creative opportunity provider or supporting organization, learn how you can be a part of Elevate. We're all in this together.

Meet a few of the artworxLA students who have found creative interships through Elevate's pathways.

Emely (far right in front) joined a class of twenty at the Sanp Design Academy. This academy was a hands-on, paid, 100-hour technology and design program for LA-based community college students. Emely participated in custom creative workshops, fireside chats, and received mentorship from Snap employees. The internship was made possible with the support of Bixel Exchange.

Fresh from his residency program at the Penland School of Crafts, Alfredo (second to left) completed an internship with Angel City Lumber, an urban lumber yard in Boyle Heights. ACL is a small business specializing in fabricating wood products from the fallen trees of Los Angeles and Alfredo assisted in stacking and labeling fresh cut lumber, creating an inventory of collected logs and maintaining the showroom and wood samples for customers. Alfredo's internship with Angel City Lumber was made possible with the support of the Boyle Heights Youth Source Center