Long Beach
Youth Leadership Institute expanded into Southern California in the summer of 2018. It currently houses three yli programs and three yli projects that mix storytelling and advocacy strategies to create community and narrative change in Long Beach, Signal Hill, and Hawaiian Gardens.
Office-wide projects include:Ā
- Leading efforts to develop a comic book that asks, āHow did we get here?ā Through community engagement and research, the comic book will include the transportation, housing, and land-use policies that have shaped historical inequities in Long Beach.
- Leading local alcohol and gambling prevention projects, where youth leaders utilize their multimedia and advocacy skills to create and lead awareness and educational campaigns.
Current Programs
Past Programs
Timeline of Wins in Long Beach
Youth from North, West and Washington neighborhoods in Long Beach lead community tours to elevate their lived experiences
Youth Fund winners complete an educational zine to share the experiences of BIPOC, First Gen and LGBTQ+2
yli youth launch CORAL (College, Outreach and Learning) with their Youth Fund grant
Four Long Beach youth win yli’s Youth Fund grant
The winning project was to design and implement their own program advocating for educational equity through direct resources and a multi-media campaign.
yli Long Beach launches My Hood, My City
yli partners with the City of Long Beach Department Health & Human Services and Office of Youth Development to launch a new program, My Hood, My City. It was featured … Continued
Youth publish Health Resources in Long Beach zine
Twenty-five youth in the Miller Foundation Public Health Project distribute 450 copies of the zine throughout the City of Long Beach. Click here to read it!
yli Long Beach launches a flagship Instagram account @yli.lbc
Long Beach community walking tours
Local youth conduct safety assessments of a highly trafficked area of Long Beach, with a focus on accessibility, maintenance and safety for youth that walk, bike or take the bus.
First Long Beach summer program launched
For the first time, the Long Beach office established a summer program for local youth to learn about social justice issues in Long Beach.
VoiceWaves releases new youth-led publication
VoiceWaves publishes and begins to distribute its newest print publication, which collects stories published by our youth reporters throughout the pandemic.
Youth leaders present to Signal Hill City leaders on smoke-free multi-use housing
VoiceWaves launches Compound x VoiceWaves public workshops
VoiceWaves partners with Compound, a local culture and arts center, to host monthly workshops where Youth Reporters share the skills they learn with members of the public.
City of Long Beach receives and accepts youth strategic plan
The Long Beach City Council received a presentation on the 62-page youth strategic plan created by a coalition of local youth.
Youth successfully advocate for a permanent flavored tobacco ban
Long Beach adopts a permanent ban on the sale of most flavored tobacco products ahead of the statewide vote!
Launched Long Beach Youth Leadership Council
Launched a Long Beach youth group during the 2020 Covid pandemic that worked on making the temporary flavored tobacco ban a permanent ban.
VoiceWaves premieres My Brother’s Keeper short documentary
VoiceWaves Youth Reporters share findings of the My Brother’s Keeper youth survey and documentary focused on young people’s experiences with the juvenile justice system.
Youth Leadership Institute Acquires YouthWire
YLI welcomed YouthWire, a cutting edge statewide youth media program, into the organization on October 1, 2018.Ā