Friends of the Children - Los Angeles

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Friends of the Children - Los Angeles

Our mentors, who we call Friends, become their families’ advocate in multiple settings, ensuring the needs of the whole family are met.

Friends of the Children – Los Angeles’ mission is to impact generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what. Three years ago, Friends of the Children -- Los Angeles (Friends LA) launched as part of a national network of 22 Friends of the Children sites dedicated to impacting generational chang

e by empowering youth facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what. A Friend walks along side each child to develop socio-emotional skills, school success, coping strategies for stress and more, while also supporting caregivers in accessing housing, gainful employment, post-secondary education, and/or therapeutic resources. Our Friends are paid, professional mentors with training in trauma-informed care and are empathetic to the challenges our families face. Network-wide, we have a positive impact on the life-course trajectories of the children with whom we work:
· 83% of our youth earn a high school diploma or GED; while 60% have parents who did not.
· 93% avoid the juvenile justice system; though at least half have parents who have been incarcerated.
· 98% avoid early parenting; despite 85% having been born to a teen parent. Friends LA is leading our national network by providing support to parents, as well. Our two-generation (2Gen) framework supports both child and parent(s) to ensure whole family success. This means our caregivers have access to resources provided by Friends. Our work also entails creating a community amongst our families, ensuring that they also have peer-to-peer support to lean on.

08/21/2026

The right support can make all the difference. 💛 When families feel encouraged, celebrated, and supported, those smiles come naturally.

08/19/2026

Back-to-school fun with our West Valley youth! 🎒✨ Friends and youth headed to Off the Wall Game Zone for a day filled with games, laughs, and quality time together before the new school year begins. 💙

We love creating moments where our youth can connect and head into the school year feeling supported and celebrated! 📚

08/15/2026

Summer at Friends LA is about more than outings—it’s about connection. 💛 Our youth get the chance to spend time together, build friendships, laugh, and create memories with kids who are part of the same community. Because sometimes the best part of belonging is finding your people. ☀️

08/12/2026

Our Metro South youth had an unforgettable day at their Back to School Event at Topgolf! 🚍⛳️ A huge thank you to Wilmer Hale for generously providing backpacks filled with school supplies, helping our youth head into the new school year feeling confident and prepared. We’re so grateful for partners who invest in our kids and their bright futures. 💙🎒

08/10/2026

Friends LA takes a two-generation approach. 🤗 The organization supports not only children, but also their caregivers—helping families access resources, build advocacy skills, and strengthen their support systems.

08/05/2026

Summer brings sunshine, memories, and a break from the school-year routine—but it can also bring added stress for parents and caregivers. Every child deserves a network of caring, committed adults, and every parent and caregiver deserves a community they can lean on. 🤗

Those ideas are at the heart of our latest column, now live. In it, our Executive Director, Jorie Das, shares her thoughts on parenting during the summer, navigating changing routines, the "summer slide," and why the caring adults surrounding a child are just as important as any summer workbook.

08/03/2026

Our Pasadena youth had an unforgettable day at the Long Beach Aquarium, exploring ocean life, strengthening friendships, and making the most of summer together. 🌊🐠 Every shared adventure helps build confidence, connection, and a stronger sense of community. 🤞

07/31/2026

Behind every child we serve is a team of passionate, dedicated people working together to create brighter futures. 🧡

Our Friends LA staff recently gathered in Pasadena for a day of connection and collaboration. Thank you to for helping create such a meaningful experience for our staff!

07/29/2026

🤝 Our mission is to create generational change by pairing youth with professional mentors for 12+ years—from kindergarten through high school graduation.

Each professional mentor works with 8–10 children at a time, allowing them to provide individualized attention and consistent support.

Friends receive specialized training and ongoing clinical support to help children develop healthy coping skills and connect families with mental health resources when needed.

07/23/2026

How does mentorship build confidence in children?🦋

A mentor provides consistent encouragement, celebrates milestones, helps children overcome challenges, and reminds them that mistakes are opportunities to learn—not reasons to give up. Through a trusted relationship, children gain the courage to try new things, develop resilience, and believe in their own abilities.

When a child has a caring mentor by their side, they're more likely to:
✨ Believe in themselves
✨ Build healthy relationships
✨ Develop problem-solving skills
✨ Take on new challenges with confidence
✨ Discover their strengths and potential

At Friends of the Children–Los Angeles, we know that confidence isn't built in a day—it's built through years of trust, support, and showing up. 💞

Address

672 S. Lafayette Park Place, Suite 33
Los Angeles, CA
90057

Telephone

+12133780704

Website

http://www.friendsla.org/

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