Creating a better future for our community through advocacy, mentorship, and education.

PESA is a vital non-profit organization providing a host of critical services to the community, with a focus on serving students and youth. Working with juvenile referrals from law enforcement entities and educational institutions, PESA is able to transform these participants through its diversion programs into respectful and productive citizens. PESA also provides tutoring services, mental-health support, educational programming and mentorship to students at elementary, middle and high schools throughout Los Angeles County.



OUR VALUES

  • We strive to empower the youth in our program to be self-advocates as they work towards a prosperous, enjoyable future. As an organization, we support our clients and all youth at a local, state, and national level by giving them access to resources, tools, and services that will ensure their success.

  • Our mentors are dedicated to serving as figures for youth to look up to and will help guide them through daily life by offering successful communication methods and supporting them through their every endeavor and developmental phase.  

  • We partner with a wide array of individuals and organizations working in different fields in order to enhance our ability to serve, mentor, and advocate for the youth in our community, and to expand the network of resources we may provide. 

  • We acknowledge the capability of everyone, regardless of age, culture, economic status educational background, ethnicity, criminal history, gender, geographic location, legal status, marital status, mental ability, national origin, organizational position, parental status, physical ability, political philosophy, race, religion, gender identity and sexual orientation. 

  • We value the individual contributions of employees, interns, volunteers, and partners as we work collectively to achieve our goals. We respect all of our employees’ input on our many projects regardless of their intersectional identity.

  • We hold paramount both the physical and emotional safety and security of the youth we work with and work tirelessly to ensure that any PESA-affiliated setting is a safe space for all.

OUR PROGRAMS

  • Our early intervention diversion programs act as a substitute for the Juvenile Justice Court System for youth under 18 years-old who have committed a high-level misdemeanor or low-level felony. Diversion programs provide an alternative method of delinquency intervention to the formal juvenile justice system. Such programs promote positive development and increase access to community-based services, diverting youth from the juvenile court.

  • Our educational program acts as preventative interventions for students, aiming to increase school bonding, support and encourage a future career, aid students in their academics, and comprehensively educate students on workforce development, academic achievement, civic engagement, and restorative justice.

  • Our workforce development program aims to increase employability for clients, provide practicum placements for our interns, and ultimately, fill our future workforce with educated and professional youth.

  • Our civic engagement program provides an immersive and interactive learning experience regarding governing institutions, how to get involved, and how to make a difference. Participants are exposed to guest speakers and real-world experiences to create a capstone project, allowing students to practice civic engagement in their own lives and communities.