Model and Strategy
At Life Learning Academy, we believe that every single kid, no matter what has happened to them or what they've done, can turn their life around. Our students have dropped out, been kicked out or bullied out of other schools. They have been exposed to profound levels of violence, loss, and trauma. Life Learning Academy gives opportunity youth what they need to live successful lives by providing academic and job skills in a safe place with reliable relationships. Students graduate with a high school diploma, a job, a plan for college, non-violent conflict resolution skills, and a range of social-emotional tools that make them more positive, productive adults.
As San Francisco’s housing crisis wages on, an increasing number of our students need a place to stay. In response to this alarming unmet need, we built a family-style dorm on campus for the most vulnerable among our disadvantaged student population.
Life Learning’s short-term goal is for opportunity youth to transition to adulthood with stable housing, productive work with a living wage, and college access. Our long-term goal is for Life Learning graduates to become agents of change, hope, and power in their communities.
Impact
At Life Learning Academy, we work to transform the outcomes for opportunity youth. Through our program they earn a diploma, a job with a livable wage, and college prospects. We connect them to services like housing, health, and vocational training. These objectives are critical to achieving our larger goal of creating whole people who become community leaders.
We are trying to alter the trajectory of our students’ lives. They come to us disconnected from school and work. They have witnessed family members and friends die of violence and have often been victims and/or perpetrators of violence themselves. With Life Learning Academy’s support, these students learn self-efficacy and accountability for their community. They learn their capacity for setting and achieving goals. They learn the value of giving back. Perhaps most importantly, they learn how to stop, think, and make reasoned decisions that keep them on the path to a healthy life. Our kids have always been resilient and powerful, but at Life Learning, they become young people that finally see that they have value, they are worthy, and they can succeed.
Our youth development approach has resulted in a 95% graduation rate. In their first semester at LIfe Learning Academy, our students improve their GPA from a 0.7 to a 2.4 and have 17 fewer absences than the semester before LLA. Ninety-five percent of students who were arrested prior to LLA did not get arrested for a new crime after 6 months. Every senior graduates with a job. The impact of this transformative work can’t be overstated for the individual students at Life Learning Academy, or the lives of their families and friends. It is also paramount for the health, cohesion, economic strength, and safety of our San Francisco community.
Leadership
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Teri Delane
Executive Director
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Cassie Blazer
Project Lead