Department of
Health & Human Services

Long Beach, CA – For the second year, 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 the My Hood, My City program’s youth-led neighborhood tours in the North, West and Washington neighborhoods in late August and early September. The tours will be the concluding event to the summer program, where participating youth will lead an in-person walk of their neighborhoods focused on raising awareness of its cultural and structural makeup.

Each tour will be about 20 to 40 minutes long and will begin in a park before moving into the surrounding neighborhood. My Hood, My City tours will take place at:

• West: Silverado Park (1545 W. 31st St.)
  • Tuesday, Aug. 29, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
• North: Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.)
  • Thursday, Aug. 31, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
• Washington: Seaside Park (1401 Chestnut Ave.)
  • Friday, Sept. 1, 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Approximately 30 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 developed a media project using photography to document strengths-based storytelling of their neighborhood.

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 and 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 Racial Equity 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.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Jennifer Rice Epstein, Public Affairs Officer, Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, 562.441.3590 or Jennifer.RiceEpstein@longbeach.gov.