Join SoCal Grantmakers, the LA County Arts Ed Collective Funders Council, the Center for Strategic Partnerships, and the Child and Family Well-Being Collaborative to learn about ways in which arts-based, healing-centered approaches can advance strengths-based care and mental health models within child welfare and foster care systems in LA County.
A growing area of research and innovation is the role of the arts in health and wellbeing. Over the past few decades, arts-based activities as a form of prevention, advocacy, and treatment have increasingly served to promote healing and wellbeing for individuals who have experienced trauma. For young people in particular, the arts can be an outlet for healing and building resiliency against painful experiences. Studies also show that the arts can promote academic achievement, reduce justice system involvement, and enhance positive socio-emotional factors.
Since 2019, the LA County Department of Arts and Culture has collaborated with the Office of Child Protection, Department of Mental Health, Department of Children and Family Services, and nonprofit member organizations of the Arts for Healing and Justice Network to implement non-traditional, arts-based strategies for supporting vulnerable young people. Titled Creative Wellbeing, this Countywide initiative pairs mental health practices and the arts to build school-based and foster care environments centered around the healing and social-emotional needs of youth.
This event will convene cross-sector funders, youth leaders, teaching artists, nonprofit partners, and LA County agencies interested in learning about and exploring ways that the arts can create environments in which young people are embedded in a web of community supports and in relationship with healthy, regulated, and caring adults. Attendees will experience an example of “Creative Wellbeing” that integrates the arts and non-traditional mental health strategies, learn from practitioners and youth formerly in care about how healing-centered arts engagement can support those impacted by the child welfare system, and connect with colleagues to collectively address challenges, barriers, and opportunities to support healing-centered arts engagement in the field.
The Arts Education Forum is presented by the Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective Funders Council and SoCal Grantmakers. These Forums examine the powerful roles arts education can play in youth, community, and economic development in our region. They also offer space to discuss and refine strategies that promote the growth, healing, and success of young people, particularly those from communities that have been historically excluded or precluded from investments in arts and arts learning. This includes Black, Indigenous, and other youth of color, current or former foster youth, youth who are currently or formerly homeless, impacted by the justice system, LGBTQ+, migrants, English language learners, living in poverty, in rural areas, and/or with disabilities.
The LA County Arts Education Collective (Arts Ed Collective) is the regional initiative dedicated to making the arts a core part of every child's growth and development. Established in 2002 by the LA County Board of Supervisors, the Arts Ed Collective is coordinated by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture and is implemented in partnership with 13 other County agencies, 74 school districts, five charter school networks, and hundreds of community-based organizations, teaching artists, educators, grantmakers, and advocates. Over its 22-year history, it has earned recognition as a national model of collective impact in arts education.
In October 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted the Arts for All Children, Youth, and Families: Los Angeles County’s New Regional Blueprint for Arts Education (Arts Ed Blueprint) which puts forward a vision of expanding arts education in schools, after school, and in communities. It is both an aspirational policy statement and a roadmap for practitioners and leaders working collectively to advance youth development across LA County over the next decade.
The Arts Ed Collective Funders Council, active since 2004, offers a roundtable for foundation and corporate grantmakers to share knowledge, develop strategy, and provide fiscal oversight of shared investments in arts education in the County. Funders Council members pool resources, track and respond to trends in arts and education, and help determine how to allocate funds to advance the goals of the Arts Ed Blueprint.
Angelina McCormick Soll, Program Officer, Foster Youth, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Angelina McCormick Soll is a Ventura County native, having grown up in Santa Paula and now residing in Ventura with her husband and busy three-year-old. She received a bachelor’s degree with distinction in Psychology from UC Berkeley, a master’s in Social Work from UCLA and returned home to Ventura County shortly after completing her education. Having worked in public and nonprofit settings as a licensed clinical social worker, Soll has provided therapeutic services to children and their families, developed an innovative therapeutic preschool program, conducted assessments for children entering the child welfare system, and trained many staff to implement early childhood mental health evidence-based practices. Soll has worked to develop and implement trauma-informed support services for foster/resource caregivers, expand recruitment and support efforts for teens in care, and supported local implementation of Resource Family Approval, the Quality Parenting Initiative, and Continuum of Care Reform. Most recently, Soll has managed the day-to-day operations of a public mental health clinic serving children and families. She brings more than a decade of micro and clinical experience to support the national macro level work of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Foster Youth initiative. When she’s not working or chasing her threenager, Soll enjoys yoga, cycling and fitness, all things food, the outdoors, and live music.
Ashley Resurreccion, Teaching Artist, Upward Together
Ashley Abigail Gruezo Resurreccion (siya/they) is a Filipina Asian-American, certified 200-Hour Yoga Teacher, and Returned United States Peace Corps Volunteer (Thailand 130) who graduated from Seton Hill University with a MA in Art Therapy. Art therapy is their main instrument for healing the weights of cultural somatic impressions and empowering their communities. In their spare time, Ashley dedicates their time to environmental justice as a California naturalist, backpacking through-hiker, and ultra trail marathon runner. For collaborations and more information, follow them @twiichii X twiichii.wordpress.com
Cristopher Espino, LA County Youth Commissioner, Fourth Supervisorial District
Cristopher Espino is a third-year student pursuing dual majors in Political Science and Education & Social Transformation Studies. He is a leader, public servant, researcher, community member, and, most importantly, a dancer. Currently, he holds the position of Academic Affairs Commissioner within UCLA's Undergraduate Student Association Council, representing a constituency exceeding 30,000 students. In this capacity, Cristopher manages all facets of academic affairs, stewarding a substantial budget and orchestrating programs and initiatives aimed at advancing academic equity, particularly among marginalized demographics. Moreover, Cristopher serves as a Youth Commissioner for the Los Angeles County Youth Commission, appointed by the LA County Board of Supervisors. Here, he wields influence over policy formulation and the development of programs and services, with a primary focus on enhancing opportunities for system-impacted and former/current foster youth. In addition to his leadership and advocacy roles, Cristopher engages in rigorous research at the UCLA Pritzker Center, where his work primarily centers on issues such as blind removal and domestic violence. His research portfolio spans a diverse array of disciplines including education, sex education, disability studies, political science, and sociology, reflecting his comprehensive commitment to scholarly inquiry and social impact. In his leisure time, Cristopher finds joy in dancing, a passion deeply rooted in his heritage. His family hails from Mexico City, where the rhythms of cumbia are woven into the fabric of everyday life. Immersed in this rich cultural tradition, Cristopher mastered cumbia and other dance styles, which sparked a broader love for dance and led him to explore diverse rhythms like samba, cha-cha-cha, and beyond.
Ahmani (Mani), Artist
Mani is a 17-year-old lyricist/poet from South Central LA who uses writing as therapy for herself and others who can relate to her story. Mani has been writing for almost 3 years now, and completed an internship with Street Poets Inc. last year. She graduated from high school in June 2024 at 16 years old, and is continuing to pursue more.
Tracie Andrews, Mental Health Program Manager, LA County Department of Mental Health
Tracie Andrews is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with the LA County Department of Mental Health. She received her bachelor’s degree from Lewis-Clark State College and her Master’s in Social Work from Aurora University. Tracie has worked in a variety of settings and has extensive knowledge working with underserved children, adults, and families and marginalized communities. She has expertise in early childhood mental health, crisis services, and suicide prevention. In her role at the Department of Mental Health, Tracie is a Program Manager with Outpatient Services–San Fernando Child and Family Center. She also currently serves as Co-Chair for the LA County Suicide Prevention Network (LASPN).
Zacarías Bernal, Teaching Artist, Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural
Zacarías Bernal is a program assistant at Tía Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore where he organizes cultural arts classes and ancestral knowledge workshops in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. He also supports the Tía Chucha's Trauma to Transformation program as a co-facilitator to a Cultural Music class in Chino State Prison, bringing in cross-cultural healing practices through vibrations and talking circles.
Dr. Jewel Jackson, Founder/Director, African Soul International
Dr. Jewel Jackson began studying West African dance at the age of 18. She has studied with Ballets National Du Senegal, Ballets Africains, Ballets Merveilles, Ballet Joli, and more from Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast. She is one of only two African-Americans that have been admitted into the Mandinka Music Society of The Gambia. She is the founder of African Soul International and has received several Congressional Awards for her work in advocacy and the arts.
Kristin Sakoda, Director, LA County Department of Arts and Culture
Kristin McDonald Sakoda Esq. is Director of the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, a local arts agency with a mission of advancing arts, culture, and creativity throughout the largest county in the U.S. Appointed by the LA County Board of Supervisors, Ms. Sakoda previously served as Executive Director of the LA County Arts Commission and led the organization during its historic transition into the County’s first Department of Arts and Culture. Ms. Sakoda is an arts executive, attorney, and performing artist with over 25 years in the field. She has appeared as a speaker around the world and performed on national and international stages including with dance and social justice company Urban Bush Women and in musicals Rent and Mamma Mia! on Broadway. Prior to her work at the Department, she previously served in leadership roles at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs overseeing a portfolio of strategic, programmatic, policy, legislative, and funding programs with a $200M annual budget, and was instrumental in advancing diversity and inclusion; public art; creative aging; cultural facilities; and affordable workspace for artists. She holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law with honors in Entertainment Law and B.A. from Stanford University with a specialization in Race and Ethnicity and a secondary major in Feminist Studies. She is a Board member of Grantmakers in the Arts, the national association of public and private arts funders in the U.S.
Rochelle Alley, Consultant, LA County Center for Strategic Partnerships
Rochelle Alley is an expert in child wellbeing system change whose professional experience spans over 20+ years in Los Angeles and East Coast child welfare and early education spaces. Following years growing and improving services at Children’s Bureau of Southern California and Westside Children’s Center, she founded Big Orange Splot, LLC and has since advised and facilitated numerous Los Angeles County prevention and system change efforts. She works closely with philanthropic, County, and non-profit partners on behalf of the Center for Strategic Partnerships and the Office of Child Protection, and is known for bridging cross-sector resources and leveraging operational acumen to maximize collaborative impact. Rochelle earned an MBA with a focus on cross-sector management and marketing from Yale University and a B.A. degree in Government magna cum laude from Harvard University. She loves to swim and has two fantastic kids who keep her on her toes every day!
Stefanie Gluckman, Senior Project Director, LA County Office of Child Protection
Stefanie Gluckman is a Senior Project Director with the Office of Child Protection, focusing on healthcare and equity for system-involved youth in LA County. This is a role that she assumed after serving as the Director of the LA County Education Coordinating Council, a collaborative body charged with raising the educational achievement of foster and probation youth. Earlier in her career, Stefanie worked at a Los Angeles–based children’s policy organization, The Children’s Partnership, where she focused on obtaining healthcare coverage for all children and enhancing care coordination for youth in foster care using electronic information exchange. Prior to this, Stefanie worked as a civil-rights attorney for Los Angeles–based firms and nonprofits focusing on representing the LGBTQIA2S+ population. Stefanie’s work in these fields began with the years she spent doing research, evaluation, and program implementation at Abt Associates Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Stefanie received a B.A. in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley; an M.A. in Economics from Brown University; and her J.D. in Public Interest Law and Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Child and Family Well-Being Collaborative convenes quarterly to focus on policy reform and related advocacy efforts in the areas of child welfare and foster care; and to explore opportunities for private support for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services related projects.
Center for Strategic Partnerships is an initiative of SoCal Grantmakers, the Center for Strategic Partnerships is a collaboration between government and philanthropy that is located within the LA County Chief Executive Office.