DAYS Long Beach

YOUTH PROGRAMS: The Summer Program is offered free of charge for a 6-week day program for children ages 5 and up. In 2023, 180 children and youth participated in the program, with 20 high school and college age students volunteering daily. Ths program engaged in topics that increased youth engagement in school by learning through activities directly linke to Long Beach Unified School District goals and objectives. We foster a love for learning by implementing diverse activities, including but not limited to academic enrichment, field trips, videos, guest speakers, hands-on activities, cooking, craft and science activities, engleish language development through storytelling, music, technology instruction, recreation, physical activity to increase a sense of belonging and social understanding. We incorporated activities to address in an age-appropriate manner issues that have affected the youth and their community over the previous year and to provide continued support through our after-school program.Our age format allows for an entire family to attend the program, freeing the older youth, who traditionally were responsible for providing child watch while parents worked, to attend as well. Staff is comprised of former summer participants and an army of volunteers. CSULB service-learning students joined the summer staff and introduced specific workshops to address self-identity, art expression, nutrition, and the impact of social media platforms, to name a few topics.

Leadership and Academic Success: Leaders Long Beach (LLB) stands as a beacon of youth-driven program, dedicated to tackling crucial challenges within the Long Beach community since its inception in 2012. LLB prioritizes the cultivation of vital skills among young individuals, including effective communication, collaborative teamwork, and adept conflict resolution. LLB offers ongoing avenues for volunteering throughout the year and opens doors to summer employment for youths showcasing a keen interest in its endeavors. Through its distinctive framework, LLB emboldens youth to assume responsibility, fostering the growth of their leadership ability and community engagement capabilities.

Community Engagement: Our free Grocery Distribution/Delivery program served over 125 families weekly, totaling 73,500 lbs of produce. We were awarded a grant specifically to purchase dairy and protein to add to the grocery packs. The entire process of grocery distribution and delivery is labor intensive, requiring a substantial amount of coordination and time. We have been fortunate to have a cadre of volunteers to work alongside us.The Church of Latter-Day Saints Long Beach volunteers join us to prepare the produce bags, and pack the cars with produce, milk, protein, and eggs. CSULB service-learning students have participated, ensuring that grocery bags are complete and then help distribute the grocery packs. This program has enabled us to stay connected and engaged with families and children. Over the last several years, in response to the pandemic, DAYS LB, along with its partners and LLB members, came together to create ReTreatish, designed to address the challenges faced by local schools in engaging parents as partners in their youths education, interrupting learning loss, as well as the related social isolation and mental health challenges experienced by youth. The program targets local elementary and middle schools with a disproportionately high number of underrepresented students, inviting students, families, and school staff to participate in a variety of school site activities and wellbeing workshops, promoting vaccine education, distribution groceries, art, and school supplies. We held six community school events in the highest unvaccinated zip codes within the city, with approximately 1,000 individuals attending. In Fall 2023, DAYS LB launched Thriving Families, a 10-233k project funded by Best Start Long Beach, focusing on child development and effective parenting skills. Over 30 families participated in zoom or in-person workshops. During our weekly senssions, participants built trust with each other and the presenter, shared stories, and identified areas of concern. Through anecdotal notes, we discovered families still want more information on reducing stress, the power of resiliency, adverse childhood experiences (ACE), the impact of trauma, and increasing effective communication skills. Not only were the virtual workshops informative but the in-person sound bath meditation and yoga were effective tools for participants to unlock some of their own stress and trauma. Thriving Families contributes to building stronger, more resilient families within the community. Our goal is always to support families by providing a safe, loving, and nurturing environment where children, youth, and adults can thrive and reach their full potential.