PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Office of Youth Development, in partnership with the Youth Leadership Institute, will host My Hood, My City program’s youth-led neighborhood tours at the end of October in the North, West and Washington neighborhoods. The tours implement youth-led storytelling to raise awareness, pride and knowledge of the neighborhoods’ cultural and structural makeup.

“The My Hood, My City program is helping young people across Long Beach uplift their neighborhoods and increase pride in our communities,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “These tours will be a great opportunity to share stories about the neighborhoods they grew up in.” 

Each tour will include an in-person walk of the neighborhood led by youth who participated in the program and will end with a showcase featuring digital media pieces created and curated by youth, such as photography, videos, and other visual assets, that further tell the story of their community. The tours will be about 20 to 40 minutes long and will begin in a nearby library or business before moving into the surrounding neighborhood. The digital media pieces will be made available for those who are unable to participate in the walking tours.  My Hood, My City tours will take place at:

• Washington: El Sol Bakery (1503 Magnolia Ave.)
  • Thursday, Oct. 20, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
• West: Bret Harte Library (1595 W Willow St.)
  • Saturday, Oct. 22, 3:30 to 5 p.m.
• North: Michelle Obama Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.)
  • Friday, Oct. 28, 4 to 6 p.m.

Approximately 20 young people ages 14 to 24 participated in the My Hood, My City neighborhood storytelling program this summer. Under the guidance of Youth Leadership Institute staff, participating youth explored different multimedia platforms, including technical software, graphic design, photography, videography, strengths-based storytelling and other creative practices.  

Registration for the tours is required as space is limited. Residents are invited to sign up for the free neighborhood tours through the My Hood, My City Showcase Registration form.

This program is made possible by the Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for Long Beach residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately $5 million has been allocated for violence prevention and safe cities under the Long Beach Safety Recovery plan. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.

My Hood, My City aligns with the Youth & Emerging Adults Strategic Plan under Goal 4 to implement community engagement best practices that are youth-centered and placed-based to address community care priorities as well as with Goal 2 of the Race and Reconciliation Initiative in Long Beach to design and invest in community safety and violence prevention to explore and increase investments in the broader continuum of public safety, such as community-based violence prevention and interventions.