Residents will soon get a chance to learn about Long Beach’s historically underserved neighborhoods from people who grew up in the areas themselves.
The Youth Leadership Institute is back for a second year of My Hood, My City, where youth in the city take part in a summer-long program to learn about their neighborhood through photography, interviews, writing and more.
The program comes to a culmination with youth-led tours in August, where residents can learn about the Washington neighborhood as well as the North and Westside of Long Beach from youth who live in the area. This is where participants will share all they’ve learned during their time in the program.
Beginning in late June, youth from ages 14 to 24 will meet up weekly with members from the Youth Leadership Institute and learn multimedia methods to tell the stories of their neighborhood. Participants will be paid for their time, earning at least $600 each while they explore their city through photography, writing, interviewing local leaders and gaining important skills.
Youth will be encouraged to add in their own experiences of growing up in historically divested areas through writing exercises, as well as learn about the history and makeup of their neighborhoods by interviewing people who may not usually be in the media spotlight.
The Washington neighborhood, as well as North and West Long Beach, have mostly Latino populations and all have average household incomes below the Long Beach 2021 median, according to the U.S. Census. Bureau.
The goal of My Hood, My City is “to highlight the community in a way where it highlights the knowledge of the youth,” said Carlos Omar, a senior programming coordinator.
Media packages from youth participants will be displayed at local libraries, businesses and across the City of Long Beach’s social media and online channels.
Omar said that people should not be intimidated by a lack of knowledge in these fields, as they will be fully trained from the beginning.
Equipment such as cameras will be provided, and any participants who need a ride to events and meetings will be aided by members of the Youth Leadership Institute.
Gisselle Becerra Murillo attended the program last year when she was 17 years old. She told the Signal Tribune that her mother is involved in many city events, and encouraged Becerra Murillo to apply upon hearing about My Hood, My City.
“I was iffy and then I heard I would be getting paid and I was like yes please!” Becerra Murillo said, laughing. “It was good because I had nothing else to do during the summer, I had a lot of free time.”
Becerra Murillo quickly took a liking to photography, as she began to see her Washington neighborhood in a new light. She began to photograph local business El Sol Bakery Plus, where she frequented as a child, and was invited to a behind-the-scenes look at their operation.
The photos Becerra Murillo took were featured in the youth-led tours along with other participants, and the bakery volunteered to host last year’s Washington neighborhood tour.
Since then, Becerra Murillo joined the media youth enterprise Voicewaves and was part of the steering committee for the city’s participatory budgeting process. She created proposals on behalf of community organizations to help residents choose how they want the city to spend its budget.
Becerra Murillo told the Signal Tribune that she plans on returning for this year’s program.
“This gives me a reason to go out and it was fun last year to go around taking pictures and talking about it,” Becerra Murillo said, reiterating that the pay would once again be a big reason to return.
Becerra Murillo said that part of her education was learning about things that can be improved within her neighborhood. My Hood, My City aims to give its participants a full picture of their surroundings, not shying away from the reality of underserved areas in the city.
Part of the goal is to show “these areas are worth investing in,” said Omar. “It’s to try and change some of the perceptions that people have of the area without ignoring the reality of things that happen in the area.”
Highlighting local businesses, such as El Sol Bakery Plus, is part of creating a positive association with the underserved areas in Long Beach.
Omar grew up in North Long Beach, where the population is 61% Latino, 18% African American, 10% Asian and 7% white, according to Niche.com. He said hearing gunshots in his area was just part of growing up there; the knowledge that it may not be safe to leave your home after certain hours.
“Some of the youth don’t go out much in their neighborhood because of safety. [My Hood, My City] gives them an opportunity to connect with neighborhoods and create the relationships that are so vital to a healthy community.”
-Carlos Omar, leader with Voicewaves.
My Hood, My City was born out of the desire to bring attention to historically underserved areas in a city. It’s based on the Chicago program of My Block, My Hood, My City which was created in 2018 to give youth the microphone to tell the story of their neighborhood.
This year, students from the Chicago program are going to visit Long Beach and participate in events from My Hood, My City, experience a “cross-pollination of ideas” and for many of them, visit the beach for the first time.
Erron Harris from the Youth Leadership Institute said that in the coming years, they’re hoping Long Beach participants will be able to visit Chicago to see the original program in action.
The first two weeks of the program will be spent with all 30 participants together, giving them a chance to connect with other youth in the city. The rest of the program through August will have participants broken up into groups of 10, each representing the areas of North and West Long Beach as well as the Washington neighborhood.
Attendees will spend weeks learning how to work an SLR camera, how to interview people and how to write about their experiences. All of the work for the program will be done within the hours of these meetings and there will be no homework assigned.
My Hood, My City participants will host a portrait shooting day within their neighborhoods. Youth will be offering free photo portraits to anyone who wants a headshot, professional portrait or just wants to get their photo taken for fun.
Dates for the portrait photos and youth-led tours have yet to be announced and will be posted on the Youth Leadership Institute’s social media channels. Tours do not require advanced registration and will be offered for free.
Residents ages 14-24 can apply for a spot in My Hood, My City through their online application. Anyone who falls outside of this age range can check with the Youth Leadership Institute and Voicewaves for other learning opportunities.
