Shop at Whole Foods Playa Vista today,
Tuesday, July 19th
for their 5% Giving Day. On this day, 5% of the store's net sales will go toward SJLI.
Get your grocery shopping done for the week, or stop by for lunch or dinner at the market's in-store Astro Pub! Market hours are 7am-10pm.
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La Tijera Garden Build
SJLI is building a garden for
La Tijera K-8 Academy of Excellence Charter School in Inglewood! This build is sponsored by the Whole Kids Foundation and supported by volunteers from Southern California Edison and AT&T.
We are looking for volunteers to help prepare the site on Tuesday, July 26th and Saturday, July 30th. If you have a green thumb or just want to build with your community, contact Linda Reyes at [email protected].
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SJLI's
Urban Scholars program exists to ensure that young men of color attain academic success and critical consciousness by building knowledge of self. Male youth of color face the highest high school dropout, imprisonment and recidivism rates in the country. In 2013, the national high school graduation rate for Black males was 59%, and 65% for Latino males. Our students also live in neighborhoods where young men of color are more likely to become incarcerated than they are to enroll in college. At SJLI, we work to make sure these students graduate and are equipped to go on to college, vocational school or full-time work. We also empower them to explore social issues in their community and grow into leaders and agents of change.
During the 2015-16 school year, we worked with 46 seniors from high schools including Augustus F. Hawkins, Animo Watts, Roosevelt and Long Beach Jordan. The average graduation rate for Black males in LAUSD is also at 59%. At these schools, the overall graduation rates range from 74% to 83%. Among SJLI's seniors, 40 young men (87%) graduated high school in June -- 37 are headed to college while others are entering the workforce. Of the six young men who did not graduate in the spring, 3 will graduate in the fall, 2 will receive their diploma in the next year, and one continues to receive support from SJLI to earn his GED.
We are excited to send these young leaders off to college and the workforce and see the impact they make on their campuses and communities.
Check out where our Urban Scholars are headed this fall:
We celebrated the accomplishments of our youth at our 2016 Urban Scholars Culmination Event in June. Teachers, parents, volunteers and partners were also recognized for their commitment to our students.
See pictures from the event here.
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SJLI is bringing Inglewood access to fresh, healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables! Adding to our Health Equity efforts that include our 100 Seeds of Change initiative, our Community-Supported Agriculture program, and our healthy lifestyle classes, SJLI launched the City of Inglewood's first ever farmers' market last September!
The goal of the Inglewood Certified Farmers' Market is to support local California farmers while providing access to healthier, more affordable and tastier fresh fruits and vegetables to the Inglewood community. In partnership with the Inglewood Business Expansion Club as well as sponsors including Kaiser Permanente, Market Match, the California Department of Public Health, SoCalGas, and Inglewood Today, SJLI has hosted a farmers' market every month since September. The market features local farmers, Inglewood-based artisanal entrepreneurs, and live music!
Join us at our next farmers' market this Thursday, July 21st on Market Street between Manchester Blvd and Nutwood Street! The market runs every 3rd Thursday from 3pm to 7pm.
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SJLI formalized a partnership with Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall this past spring as part of its work on California Community Foundation's (CCF) BLOOM initiative.
BLOOM, which stands for
Building a Lifetime of Opportunities and Options for Men,
was launched in 2012 by CCF to work with young Black males who have been under the supervision of the Los Angeles County Probation Department. As a partner to CCF, SJLI offers its Urban Scholars program to these young men to help them navigate pathways to success.
The Los Padrinos partnership allows SJLI to facilitate the Urban Scholars course within the detention center two days a week for dozens of system-involved young men. The program offers academic and career counseling, addresses issues related to trauma, and engages the young men in brotherhood activities, life coaching and educational field trips.
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SJLI's 2016 Urban Health Fellowship cohort hears from a panel of SJLI alumni about their experiences in college.
On June 27th, SJLI began its
2016 Urban Health Fellowship, a six-week fellowship program dedicated to exposing young Black and Latino males to careers in the Allied Health and Medical Fields. The ultimate goal of the fellowship is to place fellows at the end of the six-week period in August. In addition to career placement, fellows are trained in a variety of topics such as CPR certification, blood pressure training, and reading cholesterol levels. Students will also learn how to cook and prepare nutritious meals and will gain the tools to become community health advocates.
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 At the 2016 UCLA Awards this past May, SJLI Founder and Executive Director D'Artagnan Scorza received the
2016 Recent Graduate Achievement Award.
This award is granted to recent alumni who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a commitment to serving the community.
Dr. Scorza, who received both his B.A. and Ph.D. from UCLA, was recognized for his academic and teaching achievements, and his service to the UC and greater Los Angeles community. SJLI's work to support the success of boys and men of color, health equity and local economic development was also highlighted in the awards presentation.
Since 1946, the UCLA Awards have paid tribute to distinguished alumni whose contributions impact the world. Past honorees include Jackie Robinson, Francis Ford Coppola and Carol Burnett.
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