transforms lives one child at a time through collaborate social, educational, and recreational programs. Programs include music lessons, summer camps, a leadership academy, after school programs, and an awards night.

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Better Lives Partner Since: 2013

Programs

Music Lessons
Los Alamitos Youth Center staff use music as a vehicle to empower children while sharing their talent with humanity. Participants – from beginning level to advanced – can select any instrument they wish to learn. Many children have been invited to accept esteemed positions with middle and high school bands and orchestras.

Summer Camp
The Youth Center offers summer camps for children and teens. Summer camps give youth structure and social time while school is out. The teen summer camp offers participants the opportunity to design the camp.

Leadership Academy
The Leadership Academy helps children become happy adults by helping them build competence. Children learn to handle every day adult tasks like laundry and banking so they can be more happy and confident. The Youth Center partners with local businesses and residents to start teach teens life skills and built their self-sufficiency. The academy includes “expert” workshops, mentoring, and internships. Upon completion of the academy, each participant takes away the following tangible items: Certificate of Completion, Written Goals, Letter of Recommendation, Resume, Bank Account, Professional Photo, Exposure to Local Businesses, mentor, Friendships.

After School Programs
The programs provide an alternative to children going home to an empty house and idle activities. The Youth Center opens up after school for for kids who want to take part in after school activities including games and sports, homework help, and tutoring.

Awards Night
Better Lives support of Los Alamitos Youth Center supports their youth award ceremony called “A Night with the Stars.” The awards recognize young people involved in volunteer work in their communities who demonstrate exceptional leadership. 2013 was the first annual awards ceremony and each recipient received a scholarship for further education.

Community

For 63 years, the Youth Center has been an integral part of the community by providing youth development programming to thousands of young people each and every year.  The organization’s goal has remained the same throughout its long history of service: providing programs and activities for young people that best address the needs of the community and contribute towards an improved quality of life.

Today, there is a partnership between the Youth Center and the City of Los Alamitos for the daily use of the Youth Center’s building.  The Youth Center officially starts the programming day at noon when children begin to come to the center.  During the morning hours, the Youth Center’s administrative staff is able to work in offices in the building, while the City of Los Alamitos uses the organization’s main room for a senior meals program.  Due to the Youth Center’s collaborative culture, the building is always being used for productive, positive programs benefitting those in need. The Youth Center’s building has truly become a shared landmark in the community as it has assisted countless groups, including other non-profit organizations requiring use of the facility for valuable events on evenings and weekends.