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Sharefest Community Development

Many of the students in the Sharefest Youth Leadership Council have been with us since their middle school years. They have worked diligently to find their voices and use them to lead change in their communities. As the class of 2021 moves onto college, we are confident they will be part of the generation that changes the world.

A couple of weeks ago we were able to gather with them at the Lundquist Youth Leadership Center to celebrate their accomplishments and send them off to college. We can’t wait to hear how their journeys transform our communities.

 

OPICA

Learn more about OPICA by watching their new video!

LOVE

CORE VALUES:

Living a Legacy of Love: We heal the broken heart of society by transforming lives with love through persistence and perseverance. With whole-hearted living, our youth are reconnected with their purpose to live a life of strength and passion, alive with integrity and character.

Vision:

Leading lost youth home to their hearts – emancipation from homelessness, incarceration, and addiction through discovery of their true value, purpose, and power.

Mission:

L.O.V.E. Foundation transforms the lives of homeless and vulnerable youth in Los Angeles through educational mentorship and support services to heal the mind, body, and spirit, empowering youth to be self-sufficient and innovative leaders.

The Friends of the Children’s Museum at La Habra

California Science Quest

A science-based scholarship program benefiting low income schools. Schools with 80% or more of their students on free or reduced lunch are eligible for an in-class visit by a Museum Outreach Coordinator and a fully funded field trip to the museum. Each in-class lesson will be grade specific and will focus on the state of California. Students will receive an educational science based interactive lesson corresponding with NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math). Kindergarteners will use their 5 senses to explore the world of weather, First graders will learn about the 4 regions of California, and Second graders will be introduced to California’s ecosystems. The California Science Quest Program will create a deeper understanding of the study of California and allow students to make the connection from the classroom to the Museum experience.

H2O Here We Go!

A water conservation program designed for Kindergarten, first and second graders. The grant will cover pre and post tour activities, a 90-minute Museum tour, and bus transportation costs. The tour aligns with the CA Core Standards and will provide a hands-on experience with a focus on water conservation, exploring the Museum’s permanent exhibits and examining how water conservation is related to animals, space, food, and our everyday life. Using a water cycle model, the students will also observe the different functions of water that completes the water cycle. The students will walk away contemplating how to save their next water drop. 

On the Road

Students will be able to visit the Museum to complement school curriculum.

How to qualify for outreach and scholarship programs:

  • Participants are Kindergarten through 3rd Grade students
  • 80% or more of the school’s students must receive free or reduced lunches
    On The On the Road Program includes the following:
  • Free Museum Tour
  • Bus fee reimbursement (up to $250)
    There are 3 post-visit requirements:
  • Complete a program survey
  • Submit a teacher letter and classroom activity

The Foundation for Living Beauty

Our “signature” programs are Wellness Retreats. Wellness Retreats are 3-4 day journeys that transport our participants out of their everyday grind of coping with cancer into a peaceful environment where they are fully immersed in holistic lifestyle training. These empowering retreats encourage our participants to incorporate self-care, wellness and healing practices as they return to the obstacles of their daily lives. From our special healthy menus, co-education workshops and classes, as well as lifestyle consultations, every aspect of their stay on a retreat envelops Living Beauties with healthy and compassionate care. Additionally, Living Beauty provides an array of activities for our Living Beauties including yoga, guided meditation, art therapy, swimming, and nature walks. The four retreats we offer annually are:
 

HEART HEALING RETREAT

The HeArt Healing Retreat is an intimate gathering of Living Beauties who are invited to go deep within and focus on love…for themselves and in their connections with others. Living Beauties are able to explore art and personal narrative as a tool for emotional wellness; including meditation, journaling and body movement.

 

SERENITY YOGA RETREAT

Living Beauty Yoga Ambassador and y4c (Yoga 4 Cancer) Founder Tari Prinster guides the Living Beauties in Gentle and Restorative y4c yoga. The goal of this retreat experience is aimed toward overall wellness in mind, body and spirit by way of yoga, meditation, education and nourishment. Set in a beautiful retreat environment, the Serenity Yoga Retreat is ideal for our personal healing and rejuvenation.

 

SOUL NOURISHMENT RETREAT

Nourishment. “It’s a word we use to describe what food can do for our body, but it’s also used to describe what we get from relationships with others, with our family and with ourselves. It can describe joys, pleasure and all things that contribute to our health and well-being and a place of belonging and fullness.” ~FFLB Ambassador Caspar Poyck. Although the focus of this retreat is nourishment of our bodies through nutritional workshops, Living Beauties come away with peaceful minds and rejuvenated souls.

 

GODDESS WELLNESS RETREAT

Living Beauties are introduced to the holistic lifestyle through workshops and classes at the Goddess Wellness Retreat. From the very first day, Living Beauties experience an immersion into a world of healing through education, nature, nourishment and sisterhood.

 

DAY RETREATS

Day Retreats are one-day snapshots of our wellness retreats, usually located in the greater Los Angeles area. Mind, Body and Soul are awakened and strengthened so that our Living Beauties can continue their courageous journeys.

Echoes of Hope

The purpose of Be a Light is to spread love to the Los Angeles community through tailored experiences.

This program gives our Leaders of Tomorrow, volunteers, and Echoes of Hope Staff an opportunity to give back.

Be a Light was originally designed in response to the strong desire of youth in our Leaders of Tomorrow program to echo the spirit of hope throughout their own communities.

This program directly supports children, youth, young adults, and families in need.

Click here to learn more about other 2020 recipients.

Sharefest

 

Founded as a community service organization, Sharefest believes strongly in giving back to our communities. Because of those roots, service learning has always been a central component of the Sharefest curriculum. The Harbor Community Benefit Foundation (HCBF) looks for opportunities to invest in port communities to improve the quality of life and the environment. HCBF provided Sharefest with a generous grant to fund service learning and empower youth to take action to improve their communities and environment.

For the Spring 2021 semester, the service learning course focused on the port. Each class was challenged to find ways to mitigate the impacts of Port of Los Angeles and Port-related activity on health and well-being. The course took students through a process of internal and external exploration. Students performed research and uncovered ways to effect community change. Each school planned service projects to benefit and engage their community. As part of the process students were also challenged to engaged community leaders.

Once their plans were in place, each class led a community service project. The projects from each school were creative and demonstrated their learnings from the course.

Avalon

The Avalon students chose to focus on the problem of illegal dumping in the Wilmington area. The students recruited volunteers and engaged Council District members in their efforts. On their community cleanup day, they filled two large dumpster bins with large items such as couches and mattresses . They also raised awareness of civic resources such as the 311 app which links Los Angeles residents to a wide range of services.

Angel’s Gate

The problem of trash making its way to local beaches was the challenge Angel’s Gate students took on. They engaged with the Marine Mammal Center and discovered more about the ways trash impacts marine life. Using social media the students ran a fundraising campaign for the Center. They also organized and took part in a beach cleanup day at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro.

Simon Rodia

Students at Simon Rodia learned about the impact of air quality and urbanization on the ecosystem. Knowing they wanted to make a small change in their area they worked with community members to build and plant a protected garden that will serve as a breeding space for Monarch butterflies. Monarchs are important pollinators and have been declining in population for many years. The students hope to contribute to a better urban environment with their garden project.

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Patton

The students at Patton decided to take a different approach to their project. They were inspired by grassroots advocacy efforts and focused on the air quality issues in the Harbor City area. Together they put together a comprehensive presentation and presented it to the South Coast Air Quality District. 

Moneta

The lack of greenery on the Moneta campus concerned the students there. They learned about the importance of plant life for air quality and a healthier environment. Working with the leadership of the school the students installed plants throughout the school campus to help create a healthier learning environment.

The partnership with HCBF was fruitful for Sharefest’s youth. They worked hard to uncover the many environmental challenges the Port area faces and came up with creative solutions to make change. More importantly, they learned the importance of caring for and contributing to their communities to create healthier spaces for all. 

 
 

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