JANUARY NEWSLETTER

CENTURY

COMPTON

EAST LOS ANGELES

INDUSTRY

LAKEWOOD

MARINA DEL REY

NORWALK

PALMDALE

PICO RIVERA

SANTA CLARITA

SOUTH LOS ANGELES

TEMPLE

WALNUT

WEST HOLLYWOOD

YOUTH ACTIVITIES LEAGUE

CENTURY Y.A.L January 2012

.

The kids this month are very excited to see all the new art supplies we received. Enthusiastically, we organized, sorted, and made room for all the new materials .Our goal is to eventually work on a mural on one of our blank walls in the art room. Century YAL's Leadership Council is going strong thanks to its dedicated members. Our president, Robin Sanford, is a confident and strong leader who always brings great ideas to our meetings. I am very excited to see what else the council is going to accomplish this year.

For community service this month our kids returned to the Huntington Park Nursing Center as volunteers. The kids helped the staff with handing out the morning coffee or hot chocolate, and with greeting the seniors. It didn't take long for the kids to warm up to the cheery seniors at the center who joked and played with them. The high light of the day was when the kids participated in a game of “Loteria” (a Spanish game similar to bingo) with the seniors. At the end the staff encouraged us to review their Calendar of events and to return soon.

COMPTON Y.A.L January 2012

We had our 1st ‘YAL Earth Day’ of 2012. We cleaned up all the leaves and trash in the surrounding area of the program building and the neighboring residents lot. We talked about the importance of keeping our community clean and presentable. Students were able to bond while working together and learning the importance of team work.

EAST LOS ANGELES

Y.A.L

This month our YAL participated in a beach clean up. We went to the Belmont

Shore area of Long Beach and removed trash that we

found on the sand.

January 2012

At the end of this month we said good-bye to one of our most active and involved YAL members, our Leadership Council President Kathreen. Everyone will miss the commitment, hard work and friendship she brought to our YAL.

The kids were happy to help clean up and show their love and appreciation for their natural environment.

INDUSTRY Y.A.L

January 2011

The Industry YAL was fortunate enough to take the LEA students to the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego. The day trip to San Diego was a once in a lifetime trip for the students. With a private tour of the aircraft carrier , the kids had looks of amazement when they saw the aircrafts on the flight deck and the living condition of the navy sailors. Their law enforcement background made this trip a special trip close to their hearts for the students.

For this months community service project, the kids visited the Emeritus Senior Living Center where they got to spend a few hours with the residents learning about their daily lives, history and got to play some card games.

The YAL took 15 local youth to Las Vegas, Nevada for the International Vegas Soccer Cup where they played teams all they way from Canada. This 15 and under boys team played their hearts out and took a well earned 2nd place. Many parents came to support their kids and a great time was had by all.

LAKEWOOD Y.A.L

During winter break, the members of the Lakewood YAL participated in several events including a hike in Altadena, Ca on Echo Mountain trail. The teens successfully completed a 5 mile hike with support from Deputy Harcrow and Ms. Sandra. On this hike, members enjoyed a challenging workout, a grand view of Los Angeles County and shared lunch at the mountain top.

Members of the YAL attended ‘Cooking 101’ lead by librarian Karen. This event was hosted by the County Library in Hawaiian Gardens, CA. During this program, the teens were able to practice following basic cooking instructions to make fruit smoothies, bagel pizzas and guacamole. In addition, the teens assisted in setting-up for the event, volunteered for demonstrations and lead clean-up at the culmination of the cooking activities.

January 2012

MARINA DEL REY

Y.A.L January 2012

Our students worked on a self-portrait project based on Andy Warhol’s Pop Art. The students were able to creatively express

themselves in a variety of colors.

This month, our students brought back to life our

YAL Snack Shop. The Snack Shop is run by the

student council and other leaders at our YAL. Through this they learn

about leadership and business by servicing their student based

community.

NORWALK Y.A.L

On January 25, 2012 The Norwalk YAL Kids cleaned the St.

Matthias Soup Kitchen dining area after they served the homeless.

They had a great time working together for a good cause.

January 2012

On January 2, 2012 the children observed the Dia De La Candelaria (Day of the Candles or Candle Mass), which is a Mexican Celebration that is a fusion of Catholic influences and a Native Mexican tradition . The kids at the YAL celebrated by eating the traditional “Rosca de Reyes” which has a hidden figurine inside and determines who hosts a celebration on February 2nd. On February 2, 40 days after Christmas is celebrated, Catholics and native Mexicans have a traditional feast of purification, which is the day Jesus was taken to the temple. The feast typically serves Tamales and other traditional Mexican dishes.

Rosca de Reyes ( Spiral of kings )

PALMDALE Y.A.L

January 2012

The kids did their ongoing decorating for the senior citizens luncheon and they also held a MLK coloring contest in the community. Pictured are the 1st- 3rd place winners.

Girls Talk group attended the Women of Troy Basketball Game and had a chance to meet Olympian Lisa Leslie.

PICO RIVERA Y.A.L.

January 2012

.

Kicking off the New Year with a bang!! The YAL teens from Pico Rivera started juicing fresh fruits and vegetables in the power juicer. They learned about the healthy nutrients and the healthy benefits of juicing opposed to drinking sodas. As part of our community service, the YAL teens worked together to improve the appearance of our center . The teens gathered books and toys that were not being used and donated them to the city parks for their after school programs.

Santa Fe Dam was our last field trip for the winter break. We started off our day with a picnic and proceeded with games that involved team work such as volleyball and football. Lastly, a group picture for future memories.

SOUTH LA Y.A.L.

January 2012

.

South LA YAL kicked the new year off with a welcome back party for the YAL students hosted by the leadership council. The SLA boxing program has been doing well. Boxing students have been spreading the word to their friends and bringing them in to join the YAL. We have just added a new conditioning circuit to the class that is fun but challenging. Photo top left : After school tutoring for YAL students. Photo top right: We would like to share the sunset taken from the SLA skate park. One of the YAL students stopped a pointed out this beautiful shot for all of us to see.

TEMPLE Y.A.L January 2012

In our weekly Art class, the youth created Martin Luther King Jr. Pop Art to honor the civil rights activist. They enjoyed using their creativity to show how the color of your skin doesn’t affect the type of person you are.

To finish out the winter break, the youth, along with the East LA YAL took a 4 day camping trip to Malibu. Here they practiced their leadership skills through team building exercises, and by cooking, cleaning and maintaining their own campsite.

Thanks to CALPAL we took a group of kids to the Staples center for a LA Kings game. For many of them it was the first time they had ever being to a hockey game or even watched one so they really enjoyed the opportunity.

WALNUT Y.A.L

The youth at the YAL decided to make thank you cards for wounded warriors as their community service project for the month.

January 2011

The youth at the Walnut YAL started off the new year with a trip to Big Bear mountain! We took the trip as an incentive for the youth with the highest GPA for the semester. For most of the kids it was their first time ever touching or seeing snow!

Thanks to CAL PAL we were able to take our SYLC board along with other leaders of the YAL to see a LA Kings hockey game!

WEST HOLLYWOOD

Y.A.L January 2012

Above: s.h.e (support.health.empowerment) for

High School Girls. A new class especially for our teenage girls, where

topics such as love, beauty, parents, school, career, passions, and dreams

will be discussed and entertained.

To the left: Students

participate in Imagine! A class

designed to explore the creative process

of writing and filming a movie.

Students learn the basic elements of story telling, and

unleash their

creativity!

Did you know almost 40% of the homeless in the United States are under the age of 18?

Our YAL member didn't, until now. This month we brought awareness to the problem, and worked together to bring jeans to homeless

teens. Through an annual donation drive called Teens for Jeans, our YAL has collected nearly

200 pairs of jeans and counting! We are accepting jeans through Feb. 10th, so it isn't to

late to join in on the cause!