UrbanPromise Los Angeles
UrbanPromise Los Angeles is working to provide jobs, academic/spiritual development, and college access to the children and youth of Los Angeles - specifically in lower income/under-resourced communities. With the help of a group of local teen leaders, Dionté Grey and his wife launched UrbanPromise Los Angeles in 2019 in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and weathered the pandemic by running CommunitySchool - a full day of care for the children and teens in LA who needed wifi access and adult supervision to do their distance learning.
Post-pandemic, UPLA hosts a free AfterSchool Program and Summer Camp for elementary students, employs local high schoolers via the StreetLeader Program and continues their support via our Alumni Support Program for former StreetLeaders who are now first-generation college students. Our ultimate goal is to restore community by discipling a generation of leaders to engage in prolonged servant leadership within their communities in the most influential city in our nation.
ABOUT THIS MINISTRY
The mission of UrbanPromise Los Angeles is to develop the children and youth of LA as they grow into Christian leaders determined to restore their communities.Â
We strive to fulfill this mission through our programs - ultimately working to set in motion a Cycle of Restoration led and sustained by the youth being raised up to engage in servant leadership in their neighborhoods all throughout Los Angeles. We envision the campers in our AfterSchool & Summer Camp Programs being inspired to become StreetLeaders in high school, where they are trained and equipped for leadership on their college campuses, obtaining the skills and knowledge they need to return back to their communities to engage in long-term servant leadership through a meaningful career.Â
UPLA currently runs programs in the Canoga Park neighborhood of LA - providing a free AfterSchool Program and Summer Camp for elementary-aged children, year-round youth employment and leadership development training through our StreetLeader Program, and continues their support via our Alumni Support Program for former StreetLeaders who are now first-generation college students.
Donate Directly To UrbanPromise Los Angeles
DonateOur Programs
AfterSchool Program/Summer Camp
- Serves students grades K-6
- Reading and Fluency Support for bilingual students
- Daily Homework Help and Tutoring
- Hands-On Bible lessons
- Creative Enriching Options classes - music, gardening, fashion, etc.
- Daily physical activity and healthy snacks
- Opportunity to create positive relationships with caring StreetLeaders and adults
- Part-time job opportunity and hands on leadership development for StreetLeaders
StreetLeader Program
- Paid year-round employment for 24 high school students in grades 9-12
- Provides a “leadership lab” experience with daily hands-on leading experience and coaching by our adult staff
- Weekly college sessions to prepare for college and help in navigating the college application process as first-generation students
- Academic tutoring
- Weekly Bible Study & devotionals
Alumni Support Program
- Continued academic, social, financial and emotional support for StreetLeader Alumni
- Bi-monthly in person meet ups for peer to peer support
- Monthly check-ins across four main categories (academic, social, financial and emotional) with Alumni Director
- Continued participation in community service at UPLA throughout the year
- Weekly resources, challenges and incentives shared
Summer Camp
- Serves students grades K-6
- Camp songs and skits
- Daily Reading Practice to combat the Summer Learning Slide
- Hands-On Bible lessons
- Imaginative STEAM curriculum
- Enriching Options classes - music, art, gardening, fashion, etc.
- Daily recreation and healthy snacks and meals
- Friday Field Trips
- 6 weeks of full-time childcare provided free of charge to families
- 6 weeks of full-time pay for our StreetLeaders
