L.A. Youth
When Los Angeles teens read L.A. Youth, the newspaper by and about teens, they say, “I relate to it.” That has been their greatest accomplishment since they started publishing student journalism in 1988. They have helped thousands of teachers make their classrooms more relevant, interesting places to learn by publishing the first-hand accounts of teens’ experiences with college stress, racial identity, homophobia, censorship, broken families and many more topics. They have investigated serious problems in our community such as teen pregnancy, teen prostitution, drug addiction and dilapidated schools.
Along the way, their coverage has earned honors and scholarships for many of their writers, artists and photographers, helping them with college admission and future job prospects. They have gone on to careers in journalism, teaching and other fields, and often stay in touch with L.A. Youth as they continue through life.
They have grown from a small, upstart publication produced at a kitchen table to an established non-profit with five full-time adult staff and more than 80+ teen staff members. A long list of funders and individual donors have supported our coverage of such tough issues as juvenile justice, foster care and sexuality. In addition to bringing these important topics to an audience of 350,000 youth in Los Angeles County through our newspaper and website L.A. Youth has been written up and had articles reprinted in other media from the Los Angeles Times to NPR.