Children and Youth Engagement

What WE DO

Focus areas

LHA’s new Children & Youth Engagement (CYE) Department is a safe, fun, and inspiring space for children and youth to lead, grow, and activate their peers, families, and communities to promote health equity, focusing on low-income, immigrant communities. The programs actively engage and support socio-emotional health, academic enrichment, recreational activities, leadership development, civic engagement, and policy advocacy. Activities are held virtually and in person.

Children and youth are introduced to local and countywide policy advocacy concepts such as health equity, youth advocacy, systems policy change, government structure, budgets, and youth-to-prison pipeline.
Children, youth, and families participate in active living opportunities in recreational and physical health programs such as bicycle and pedestrian safety and healthy eating (including childhood obesity prevention).
Children and youth are provided with academic enrichment activities through tutoring and mentoring services, learning to navigate the school system, participating in college and career readiness, navigating school and college for undocumented students (including DACA), navigating IEPs, and participating in field trips.
Children and youth are introduced to concepts related to emotional wellness such as mental health, substance use disorder prevention and intervention, trauma-informed practices, and resiliency.
Parents are provided strategies and guidance in children’s learning and development in: cognitive, language and literacy, social-emotional, and physical development, physical and mental health, and learn to navigate the school system in supporting their child’s academic careers.