AGENCY HISTORY

In 1992, three women artists founded REACH LA in response to the lack of HIV/AIDS prevention education for youth of color. The founders worked with teenage youth to develop HIV/AIDS education programming that was targeted to combat the rise in HIV infection rates among adolescent and young adults, especially young women of color. The organization has since evolved into a multifaceted entity that strives to educate, motivate and mobilize youth around health, culture and self-identity.

REACH LA is located in downtown Los Angeles and serves youth ages 12-24 from Central, South and East Los Angeles. REACH LA serves a diverse community of youth - 55% Latino, 20% African American, 10% Asian American, 10% Multiracial and 5% Native American. Program participants are from neighborhoods that are generally considered ìat-riskî due to exposure to high rates of school failure, reported physical and emotional abuse, inadequate medical care, and drug and alcohol abuse. Poverty limits their educational opportunities and lack of exposure to positive environments diminishes their lifestyle choices.

REACH LA's goals are to build the capacity of young people to affect social and systemic change in their community, and enable them to improve conditions that directly affect their emotional, physical, social, and intellectual well-being. For this reason all program development is based on youth advisory and leadership, and is tailored to "youth culture." Through its peer health education program, youth advisory council and youth media training programs, REACH LA positions its target constituency, teenage youth from Los Angeles, to take a leadership role in the design and implementation of all programming.

As REACH LA continues to grow, the youth participants collectively work with staff to develop organizational mission initiatives that reflect the needs of the youth community. It is through these initiatives that REACH LA focuses its efforts to educate, motivate and mobilize youth to make social change.