LA Rooted
Our History
LA Rooted emerged as a beacon of transformative youth advocacy. Founded in March 2013 in collaboration with Everything is Medicine, LA Rooted is more than just a program; it’s a journey embracing community leadership, ancestral wisdom, and environmental stewardship. Our hands-on, inquiry-based approach draws from the rich tapestry of cultures and biodiversity in Los Angeles, focusing on empowering underserved communities. With recent expansions, including a dedicated queer collective component, we’re committed to celebrating youth heritage and ancestry, paving the way for a more inclusive and resilient future.”
What We Do:
Address Youth Challenges: Equitable Access and Empowerment
Urban youth of color face daily challenges stemming from inequitable access to healthy food, resources, and safe physical spaces. Alarming obesity rates among youth disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Moreover, an inequitable system of punishment and violence impacts students of color across the nation. Socioeconomic limitations and inadequate city planning further compound these challenges, affecting health, opportunities, and the environment.
Empower Youth for Transformation
L.A Rooted is committed to empowering every young person through an education that fosters self-esteem, self-identity, and healthy daily practices. Our philosophy aligns with Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of education as a means to develop critical thinking and character. The program centers around youth leadership and encompasses areas like community wellness, empowerment, healthy lifestyles, food equity, safe transportation, and environmental sustainability.
Holistic Educational Program
The program employs a transformative pedagogy that equips youth with perspectives and tools to address real-world challenges within their communities. Core program components include:
- Zero Waste Initiative: Teaching youth about reusing, repurposing, and recycling through practical daily practices.
- Self-Healing and Physical Wellbeing: Nutritional workshops and kinesthetic activities like cycling, hiking, and yoga promote mental and physical wellness.
- Cultural and Environmental Connection: An interdisciplinary curriculum engages students with the natural world through activities like backpacking and vermicomposting.
Fostering Positive Relationships: The People’s Museum and Outdoor Connections
The People’s Museum broadens students’ perspectives by connecting them with professionals, activists, and artists. This innovative approach combines field trips, oral histories, and hands-on experiences to enrich students’ knowledge and understanding of their surroundings. Outdoor connections allow students to explore their impact on nature and practice Leave No Trace principles.
Promoting Self-Healing and Self-Love
L.A Rooted emphasizes the importance of self-appreciation and care through activities like cycling, yoga, and nutrition workshops. By nurturing a strong mind-body connection, students develop self-love and resilience. The program believes that caring for one’s body through physical and mental exercise and proper nutrition leads to transformative change.
Summer Program
Paar: Water as our teacher
Our 2025 Summer program just concluded. Read more about everything our amazing youth accomplished here.
Summer Fundraiser
Help us keep this up!
We’re fundraising to support LA Rooted’s programming. Our incredible summer program recently wrapped up its 4th week (Which you can read about here), and without your support we won’t be able to do it again next year. We’re trying to meet a fundraising goal of $10,000 by the end of September, and there are loads of ways that you can help out. Firstly, you can purchase a raffle ticket to help us reach our goal AND get a chance to win an awesome bundle of RIM swag worth over $45 containing:
1x T-Shirt
1x Fanny Pack
1x Water bottle.
And Stickers!
All the awesome things that Roots In Motion and LA Rooted have been able to achieve are thanks in huge part to community support. The incredible summer program was free for all participants, and in order to keep doing these kinds of programs, we need your help! We are officially naming September our month of Fundraising.
Being able to run our incredible summer program takes a huge team of amazing people and number of other resources. This year’s program cost around $44,000, 58% of which went to paying staff and facilitators. Thanks to the high ratio of facilitators to students, all of the students receive high engagement and attention from facilitators during the program. This is an important part of making it a once-is-a-lifetime educational experience for youth from under resourced communities
Your donation can make a huge difference in our communities and in the lives of our youth. Recurring donations are especially impactful for future programming. From as low as $5/month you could make a huge impact. You can also make one time donations, or purchase some of our Roots In Motion swag to support us. Check out our Zeffy now and help us reach our goals.